Oddly appealing, but pulled down by too many annoying elements

Rating: 7/10 (28 July 2004)

I've seen The Fifth Element several times now, at least four or five, and I still can't say what it is find strangely appealing about it; I just can't bring myself to say that it's bad, though I don't consider it a spectacular(or even mediocre) achievement in cinema. The film is carried by an insurmountable amount of mix-ups between the various characters, and almost nothing else, which can be considered a strong argument both for and against the movie's quality; for, since it's somewhat of an achievement, against, since it should(arguably) be a more worthwhile line of situations that keep a movie going. The characters are almost all clichés, especially the main characters, and there is nothing in the movie to outweigh that; however, somehow, it didn't matter too much, much like the plot being carried by mix-ups. The dialog is no crowning achievement either; neither is the action. So what is it exactly that draws people to this film, and works on so many levels, and is liked by so many? Frankly, I have no idea. It just does. Perhaps Luc Besson took a degree in psychology, and is somehow affecting our subconscious with the film; who knows. The acting is mostly good. Bruce Willis is good enough as Dallas, though his character(and acting) is mostly derived from all of the other smart, wise-cracking, well-trained and skilled characters he's played in the past. The science fiction elements of the film are sometimes spectacular, sometimes a little weird, but mostly entirely unbelievable; and I'm almost certain that's how Besson wanted it. What carries the film is the humor in it; every single scene has some humor in it, and it overshadows everything else. This is mostly a good thing, though, as it works, most of the time. The timing and gags are great, not tired, worn out, or forced, as they are with plenty of Hollywood productions. I thoroughly enjoyed the cross-cutting segments of the film, they were some of the best parts of the film, and delivered some of the best laughs. One thing that thoroughly annoyed me, was Chris Tucker's character; he was constantly irritating, and obviously(like many of the other main characters) he was mainly there to contribute to the mix-ups and the humor. I would've liked the film more, had there been something more...what's the word... "Hollywood", I guess. It's just annoying when there aren't really any characters that we truly care about, and just about all of the main characters mainly are there to make us laugh. All in all, an oddly appealing film, but too many shortcomings and distractions to be entirely enjoyable. I recommend this to... hmmm... that's a tough one; I can't really say who'll enjoy the film, actually. I suppose fans of Besson and his earlier work might enjoy it, but pretty much everybody should give it a try. It's hard to tell who'll like it and who won't. 7/10