Excellent, creative science fiction! A classic

Rating: 8/10 (2 February 2007)

With the possible exception of "The Professional," just about anything Luc Besson does is high art. The man who did "La Femme Nikita" gets excellent performances out of his actors and managers to crowd many plot lines into a plausible script. Such is the case for "The Fifth Element." Basically, the plot (which you really won't care about when the film starts) deals with an alien culture that deposits four stones on Earth. Each stone is centered around a natural element. In the center of these stones is supposed to be a fifth element that will work with the other four to create a weapon to defeat pure evil. The aliens who placed them -- the Mondashawans -- eventually retrieve them and promise to return in 300 years.
300 years later, a massive living fireball appears and streaks towards Earth. It makes short work of space cruisers that try to nuke it, which opens the door for the typical sci-fi "only one thing can stop it" scenario.
What ensues is almost comedic mayhem as the living fireball that represents pure evil enlists an evil industrialist named Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg to get the stones. Zorg, in turn, uses subordinates when he really should do it himself. Among his cohorts are ugly aliens called Bangalores, who ambush and kill the Mondashawans, but don't get the Fifth Element (they only wanted the stones and weren't aware of just how close they came to helping destroy Earth).
The government revives the Fifth element, who as a confused humanoid named Leeloo, escapes and ends up in the cab of driver Korben Dallas. She has him take her to a priest who will know what to do.
Of course, no one knows where the stones are so Dallas, who was once a special forces soldier who left the service in a vain attempt to salvage his marriage, is brought back into service. The priest tries to save the world with Leeloo. Zorg keeps sending henchmen out for the stones and everyone is running around with heads cut off.
Sounds confusing, I know. But, it works. There are close calls, exciting car chases, excellent fight scenes and lots of comedy. The special effects are sumptuous, the music rocks and the suspense builds. The Earth of the future looks just like current Earth, except now everything flies.
Besson knows editing and just when it looks like Zorg has got the stones, the scene cuts to another character foiling his plot. For instance, Korben doesn't want to go back into service. Zorg then indifferently fires a million workers, including Korben, thus freeing up the man who will eventually challenge him.
There are lots of inside jokes that require repeated viewings to spot. Also, something rare occurs in this film. Antagonist and protagonist never meet. Korben and Zorg never face each other or even know about each other
But, the best reason to watch this film is the acting. Bruce Willis plays Korben Dallas and this film was the second of the "numbers" film that revived his flagging career (joining "The 6th Sense," "12 Monkeys" and "The Whole Nine Yards"). He doesn't have too many facial expressions, but he has an excellent sense of comic timing. Ian Holm as the priest continues to add to his impressive resume that includes "Fellowship of the Ring," "Return of the King" and "Alien." Gary Oldman ("Bram Stoker's Dracula," "Romeo Is Bleeding," "Air Force One") adds yet another sinister villain to his repertoire. I especially like how he spouts off disproved economic principles (like his speech to Holm about the need for chaos and disorder) in a cruel satire of modern corporate politics.
The only weak spot is Milla Jovovich, who plays Leeloo. The Ukrainian-born actress mostly gets to show off her body (as she does in her "Resident Evil" trilogy). She does shine, though, in a spectacular fight scene against the Bangalores, one which Besson superbly aligns with an operatic aria. Interestingly, Jovovich married Besson shortly after filming, but divorced him two years later (she is now engaged to Paul W.S. Andersen, the "Resident Evil" director).
The supporting cast is also good and they mostly play against type. Tiny Lister, a 6'7" big man used to doing strong, silent types in movies like "Posse" and "Trespass," plays the President. The late Brion James, one of Hollywood's ultimate movie villains in films like "Blade Runner," is a hoot as Korben's commanding general. Also shining is Luke Perry (yes, that Luke Perry, of "Beverly Hills 90210") as Ian Holm's assistant (he's almost unrecognizable). Add in British musician Tricky as Zorg's right-hand man whose aspirations of being a big shot don't match his abilities. Throw in a dash of French actress Maiwenn Le Besco as the scrumptious Diva Plavalaguna and you get an excellent supporting cast. The operatic aria by the Diva is one of the film's highlights.
To be sure, there are a few flaws. The countdown to the fireball hitting Earth is off by about 10 seconds. The airport is full of uncollected garbage and I still can't figure out how it fits into the film. The phone calls from Korben's mom get annoying real fast (except at the end). And Chris Tucker's flamboyant Rhuby Rod does get annoying real fast, although he does calm down at the end.
Still, get this film for your collection. It's well worth it, especially on the special DVD edition.