Outlandishly spectacular

Rating: 8/10 (25 March 2000)

Watching The Fifth Element is like riding a roller coaster, it's best to hang on and enjoy the ride. The film is filled with lush, wild visions of the future. New York is a even more bustling metropolis. Filled with flying vehicles pack the city skyline so deep, you wonder how anyone manages to fly in that traffic. Outfits that look like they sprung from a combination of a nightmare and fantasy adorn the denizens of Earth, and various other planets, 250 years in the future. Bruce Willis plays a cabbie who has the task of saving the world from ultimate evil. Piece of cake compared to driving a cab in New York. Luc Besson manages to pack every scene with so much detail, it's staggering to watch for the first time. Sure it's a bit silly, and if you stop and analyze it too much, the film falls apart. But that's not why he made it. The Fifth Element is a thrill ride pure and simple. You have action, fantastic visuals, a really weird sense of humor, (courtesy of Chris Tucker's performance) and an over the top villain. You'll have your ups and downs but overall, you'll enjoy the ride, and want to go back again.