The Fifth Element

New York City, 2263: Korben Dallas is a cab driver. He used to be a soldier in Earth's "special forces", and retired with the rank of major. Now, he tries to eke out a living driving his flying cab in the huge sprawling New York City of the future. And then a fare drops into his cab, literally, one that changes his world...

To back up just a wee bit... in 1914, aliens come to Earth to take custody of four stones buried in an Egyptian pyramid. Every 5,000 years, Earth is visited by a Great Evil. The four stones represent the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water; when combined with a "fifth element", represented by a perfect being, the stones become the weapon with which to drive off the great evil. But with the planet gearing up for World War I, the aliens feel the stones are no longer safe... but they promise to return when the time comes.

Nearly 350 years later, the aliens return... but before they can get to Earth, they are hijacked by other aliens, who steal the box containing the stones as well. The remains of the "fifth element" are found and taken to Earth, where scientists use their advanced tech to reconstruct the "perfect being" from the DNA in its cells.

The "fifth element" turns out to be a very attractive young woman with a very long, multisyllabic name ("Leeloo" for short). Leeloo escapes from the lab in which she has been reconstructed. When cornered on the ledge of one of the city's very tall buildings, she dives off the ledge and lands in the back of Korben Dallas' cab.

Thus begins a rollicking science-fiction action comedy written and directed by French filmmaker Luc Besson. And it's a blast.

Anyway, LeeLoo directs Dallas to a priest who has been entrusted with the secret of the stones, handed down through the generations of his order. But the stones weren't in the box when the ship was attacked; the stones are in the custody of a singer who will be performing on a cruise ship in orbit around a paradise pleasure planet in another solar system in a few days. And since the Great Evil is approaching, time is of the essence to get the stones and bring them back.

Unfortunately, they aren't the only ones after the stones. The aliens who attacked the shop and stole the box want the stones, as does an eccentric industrialist back on Earth who has been communicating with the Great Evil. And so all three factions converge on the cruse ship. Fortunately, Korbin Dallas is ex-Special Forces, and knows how to handle himself in a crisis...
  
This is one fun movie. The society of the future is recognizably derived from ours, spun through a Jetsons oeuvre into a wacky urban landscape, complete with flying cars. There is some incredible visual style here, from the sets to the costumes to the city scapes. There is also plenty of action, but it's all lighthearted, with some very funny moments.

The two leads help carry it off, with Bruce Willis as Dallas and Milla Jovovich as Leeloo. Jovovich had earlier appeared in the sequel to The Blue Lagoon as well as a couple of minor films; this movie was her breakout role. The other major cast member is Gary Oldman as the main villain (the aforementioned industrialist), who despite having lots of screen time never actually appears in the same scene as the hero. It's odd, but it works.

Among the supporting cast Ian Holm as the priest and Chris Tucker as an obnoxiously weird radio personality who Dallas has to endure for the cruise. Tucker's character, Ruby Rhod, has generated a love/hate relationship with fans of this movie. I know some people who won't watch the movie because they find Ruby Rhod so grating. Me, I think he's part of the goofy charm of the weird future society Besson set up for this movie. He's annoying, but intentionally so, and it's just one more thing Korben Dallas has to put up with.

Overall, this one is destined to become a classic sci-fi flick: action, excitement, humour, and a drop-dead-gorgeous female lead, in a story not meant to be taken too seriously.

This is one of my favorite films of all times!

Sure, there are a lot of good movies there, there are a lot of film I like, but this one I like in particular.

The Fifth Element is a great science fiction film that is directed properly by the same director (Luc Besson) who gave us Leon, a film that has everything in it. Special effects, 120 minutes film that is not too short yet not too long, a brilliant cast which includes Bruce Willis, Garry Oldman and Milla Jovovich with a tough of Chris Rock. How can a movie like this go wrong?

The plot is easy to understand and the futuristic atmosphere in it is really good. Finally you can see cars and taxis flying in the air and buildings which make the Empire State look like a lego game. The whole feeling is of another universe or at least another time and it is, it’s the new and great future by Luc Besson, and we like it!

Great customs of the different aliens here, a great plot and a great atmosphere. What else is missing? How about some laughs and comic relief during the film? Check! You have it too. Willis delivers a great performance here and he is both a serious and powerful character in this film as he is funny with his easy going style in the film. Add Chris Rock as well and you get a great science fiction film which does not disappoint as it has the action, the explosions, the drama and even the laughs.

A film that delivers all with a good cast and a brilliant director, make The Fifth Element one of my favorite films to date and one of the great science fiction films released, believe it or not…you’ll love this film too.