A sorely misunderstood original and visually stunning romp

Rating: Null/10 (7 February 2006)

Most critics approached the Fifth Element unable to understand exactly what the movie was trying to do. The Fifth Element is not the second-coming of Star Wars or something like Serenity, Blade Runner, etc.
The Fifth Element instead is a tongue-in-cheek celebration of classic comic book science fiction that is done with class and finesse. The plot, the dialogue, the visuals, everything is done in a zany vein of both humor an style. The movie is equally adept at poking fun at the conventions of its subject matter while simultaneously appreciating it with the love of a 10-year old engrossed in a thrilling science fiction tale.
In terms of visuals, Besson's flourishes are stunning and nigh-perfect in their matching the parodic/celebratory tone of the movie. The flashy colors, special effects, wonderfully performed action sequences, strange, indescribable moments of sheer wonder and overall bombast all combine well and fit the plot and dialogue like a glove.
Most of all, the movie is just plain fun. The pacing is quick but not so quick as to make everything completely incoherent. The plot can be convoluded but once again this is a misunderstood element--the convolutions of the story are a deliberate play on the convolutions of classical sci-fi comic books and literature. Some might want to dispute me there, saying I'm giving the film too much credit, but Besson is not an idiotic director, and he didn't take transcribe the plot of a story he wrote in 10th grade just because he thought it would be a complicated tale of human triumph; he did it to be parodic, while never losing sight of the fun and color that makes sci-fi as enjoyable as it is.
People will always say that 'The Fifth Element' is guilty of style over substance. I contend that the substance is there, it's merely that it is not the substance that those looking for the next uber-serious 'Blade Runner' want to praise. It is a substance as pulpy as can be, but like 'Pulp Fiction' it raises the 'low' art of such substance to the level of 'high' art. It's only problem is that most critics today aren't willing to accept this "low-art-made-high" and will discard any movie that embraces it as 'empty-headed.' But, then again, they don't get called 'snooty' for nothing.