Unbelievable

Rating: 4/10 (22 March 2001)

Good Lord! The most surprising thing about this film is the incredible display of modern contemporary talent.... which has been completely wasted on this ridiculous, woefully misplaced piece of rubbish.
Who'd have thought that someone capable of creating a perfectly pitched, wonderfully crafted thriller like 'Leon' could show such an astounding clumsiness in putting together the mess that is the Fifth Element.
The sets are just bad, the music is for the most part irritating, and the costumes designed by an over excited Jean-Paul Gaultier add an off-putting campness to a film which never seems to know what it's doing.

Bruce Willis is in full Bruce mode - he smokes, he looks tough, and the obligatory one liners come pouring out, reminiscent of rubbish like Hudson Hawk. Gary Oldman who has some pointless, camp South American accent, overacts his way from one dreadful scene to the next.
The only thing that Luc Besson has successfully done is to show, with a painful, two hour blow, that a big budget certainly does not ensure a decent film.
Awful from start to finish. Avoid.