A Big Ba-da Boom Movie

Rating: 9/10 (22 September 2008)

The Fifth Element, directed by Luc Besson has to be one of the few movies that I can watch time and again. It is such a multi-layered movie, which works well on many levels. It is part sci-fi, part thriller, part action, part comedy but ultimately it is a love story. It is such an unusual movie, it is almost impossible to compare to any other.
The story is set in the not too distant future in an incredibly crowded New York. The visuals of the city are superb, traffic drives in lanes around the skyscrapers as all the inhabitants have taken to living and working high above the city streets which are uninhabitable due to permanent, thick smog. Korben Dallas (Willis) is driving his taxi when suddenly a semi-naked woman (Milla Jovovich) who has leapt from a ledge to evade police, comes crashing into his taxi from above.
The woman starts pleading with him in a totally incomprehensible language for him to help her escape. At this point, their mutual understanding of each other is the phrase "big bad-da boom". Korben decides to save Leeloo (a short version of her real name, Leeloo Minai Lekarariba-Laminai-Tchai Ekbat De Sebat) and soon he is off to the Pleasure Planet on a mission to save the Earth from destruction. It transpires that Leeloo is a supreme being, genetically designed to save earth, along with the elements of fire, water, air and earth. She is the Fifth Element. When these forces combine, the threat of the annihilation of earth will be over.
The story moves along at a cracking pace, never letting up. It is filled with excitement and unforgettable scenes and moments. This movie offers a tremendous amount, it is visually stunning, the colours leap off the screen, the special effects are tremendous - there is just so much to marvel at. From the crowed traffic flowing in lanes around the skyscrapers, to aeroplanes that can fly at light speed, to the Phloston Paradise resort, to the robotic bartenders. The extraordinary costumes, designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, adds to the 'wow' factor of the visuals. There are explosions and fight scenes too, all of which add to the excitement.
Phloston Paradise, a holiday resort in space, is the venue for a very unusual act in the form of the mysterious diva. The diva is an exotic blue alien who puts on a fantastically different operatic show, definitely one the highlights of the movie. The diva is killed just after her performance and Korben (Willis) finds the stones which represent the elements inside her. Now it is a matter of getting all the elements, plus Leeloo together and escaping from the villains (Gary Oldman as Zorg and aliens know as Mondoshawan) and Earth is safe from evil once more. All the actors do a great job. Bruce Willis is at his best playing a wise-cracking, slightly cynical part-time air cabbie who has recently retired from the military but has been drafted in to save Earth (and what better man for the job?). Gary Oldman as the baddie has never been madder than in this movie, Ian Holm plays his usual shy, bumbling, somewhat incompetent character as a priest who specialises in the Fifth Element and Chris Tucker has to be seen to be believed as the most outrageous, OTT (and often very annoying) character you will ever see. Watch out for Tricky and Lee Evans in a couple of minor roles.
Milla Jovovich is the best actor in this movie, she puts in an excellent, edgy, exciting performance. How many other actresses would manage to look incredible dressed in strips of bandage with orange hair and blond roots, babbling incomprehensibly for a large part of the movie (in a 'divine' language) and yet still retain credibility and believability? Oh and boy can she kick some ass when the need arises. She manages to portray a creature of immense power, who is at the same time, very vulnerable, very human. A stunning performance from Ms Jovovich.
I can't end without mentioning the humour of the film and the outstanding ending which I guarantee will have you on the edge of your seat, if not holding your breath!
I think the film was so exciting and different because it didn't have the same constraints as a Hollywood movie. There was a more relaxed attitude and a greater willingness to take risks. The Fifth Element is as innovative and intriguing now as it was when first released in 1997. This movie is fun, hugely entertaining, totally different and a movie which, if you enjoy it, you will watch time and time again and never become bored with.
What higher recommendation can there be than that?