A feast for the eyes and ears

Rating: 10/10 (8 March 1999)

Luc Besson's Fifth Element is definitely a feast for the eyes and ears. Whether it has to do with the wonderfully 'sloppy' sci-fi (not so shiningly perfect as US productions like Star Trek), the tongue-in-cheek humor (Gary Oldman and Chris Tucker at their best), Jean-Paul Gaultier's hilarious costumes (the policemen...) or the relaxed acting - every time one sees the movie new aspects come alive.
The basic storyline - good vs. evil where a pretty couple try to save all - is treated as a given by Besson & Co., while the setting, music and imagery get all the attention they deserve. The spine-chilling opera/dance sequence in the middle of the film is just 'one of those' surprises in the movie.
Bruce Willis adds another excellent title to his palmares - together with "Pulp Fiction" and "Twelve Monkeys" - and makes good for his horrible action flicks. And of course watch out for Milla Jovovich as Leeloo, who has a memorable pronounciation of the word "multipass'...
Besides all of this, there is a quote which should be in the top-10 of movie history's all-time favorites (like "I'll be back" or "Here's looking at you, kid"):
"Are you German?"