The best sci-fi thriller I've seen, one not based on cruelty.

Rating: Null/10 (10 January 2004)

This is, unquestionably, the best and only truly respectable sci-fi action film I've seen and deeply enjoyed. An exception here would be Terminator 2, but that movie is much more intended to make you as trigger-happy as possible. "The fifth element", on the other hand, is more just a marvelous computer-effects movie made to made you laugh, cry where applicable, and fall in love momentarily with the all the down-to-earth characters, no matter how much the plot tries to convince us otherwise.
My favorite thing about this movie, the fact that makes it peasant to watch over and over, is that despite of it being a sci-fi, there are no scenes in it at all that can typically give us a bad stomach, bring us nightmares, and just typically mess with our heads more than we would willfully allow them. The strategies used to prove this movie to be set in the year 2214 (not 2300) are the out-of-this-world car designs, appartment designs, airport designs, the flying ship-looking machines that come to your home to bring you food, and the clothing designs. Some of these may be a big extreme, but they are accompanied by very good humor, letting the audience know they are meant as a joke. In addition to that, the directing job for this movie is simply perfectuous (hope that's a word). Every scene is edited not too long, not too short. We're never for a second left hanging on unanswered questions or dull moments. Sometimes the plot thinkens and gets a bit confusing, but all the dialogues are done not too seriously, so the viewer knows that even if he or she misses the "main point", there will still be enough camera tricks and effects to explain and fulfill the final movie effect by the director. That's why this movie stands out so much for me. And, last but not least, Milla Jovovich... This girl had acted so simply and "without a care in the world", that I actually believed she was seeing everything for the first time. Not mentioning her great charm and beauty, she had kept us on the edge of our seats just by the little smirks and voice inflections (again, hope that's a word) she used to be something other than human. The first time I saw her smiling like that I had a feeling she was in some way different at nature than other actresses I've seen trying to accomplish that kind of charm, but never getting there. Then I went online and found out she's from Kiev, Ukraine. Just FYI. Anyways, this movie is worth watching for everyone, especially if you like fight scenes but don't prefer seing people being sliced in half with their insides falling out (like in Ghost Ship). If you want a good thriller that will make you all jolly on the inside instead of disturbed, this may be your only answer out on the Hollywood market right now.