The Fifth Element
Opportunities to save the world don't often fall in your lap...sometimes they fall right through the roof of your cab...just ask 23rd century cabbie and erstwhile special forces operative Major Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis). Down on his luck Korben takes it upon himself to save the lovely lady with the abbreviated name of "Leeloo" (Milla Jovovich), who is in fact the eponymous "fifth element", a being which is destined to save the galaxy from the forces of evil. But Korben and Leeloo's quest to protect the universe (and each other) has them crossing paths with the villainous industrialist, Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman), and his alien goons.
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The Fifth Element is a film that often combines seemingly incongruous elements: it is both vibrant and dystopian...an action-packed science fiction movie, but with elements of romance and comedy spliced in. Even Leeloo as the fifth element defies expectations, as the other four--clearly defined as air, water, fire, and earth--are literal forces of nature, as opposed to a person. The implication is that the fifth element is more than just Leeloo however--it is the essence of the soul, which is developed during her relationship with Korben. This is foreshadowed by the massive black ball of negative energy that emerges from space, which repels the conventional weaponry of the military (by 23rd century standards), their aggression only strengthening their impending destroyer. Leeloo devotes as much available time--of which there is precious little--to growing her understanding of human history, including a penchant for martial arts and artists like Bruce Lee, and working on her English--her own "divine language" sounds a lot like gibberish to most. But even before this, when she falls into Korben's cab, scared and alone, she points to a sign of a poor child, which reads, "please help". These are her first words in English to Korben, and their first real bonding moment which speaks to his benevolent nature. This is also the first real sign of love she experiences...not romantic love, but loving human sympathy--even if Leeloo isn't "technically" human. Korben's life has largely been one of feeling sorry for himself since his wife left him, living in a hovel in an uber-urbanized stretch of "South Brooklyn" with his cross-eyed cat. He jokes with a colleague on the phone that he's looking for just "one woman...the perfect woman". As an enthusiastic scientist who discovered Leeloo comments, her genetic make up makes her, "for lack of a better word...perfect"; seems like Korben got his wish.
Korben and Leeloo's stories are part of the greater universal drama unfolding, which also includes a high priest of astrological sciences, Vito Cornelius (Ian Holm), who carries a legacy three centuries old, set forth in the prologue of The Fifth Element. This preamble deals with a research expedition in Egypt interrupted by the descent of the Mondoshawans in their elephantine suits of gold armor, warning of the galactic doom awaiting them in three hundred years. As the Mondoshawans were preparing to live up to their promise to aid Earth at the destined time, they were ambushed by a pair of Mangalores--alien goblins with shapeshifting capabilities--hired by Zorg to obtain the sacred stones needed to open the way to ultimate power. Zorg himself is under the sway of the evil forces seeking the destruction of Earth, and the promise of power they offer stokes the flames of his already overflowing greed. Zorg rationalizes this by claiming destruction gives life meaning, although it is transparent that he is solely motivated by profit. He is a weapons manufacturer with a radical hairdo, sickly complexion, a slight limp, and a bombastic Texan accent, making him an absurd antagonist. But a clownish villain like Zorg reveals that his motivations are selfish and ultimately childish, and that his vices are not virtues. He is the opposite to Korben, who exemplifies more noble qualities like bravery and charity. Even when he oversteps his bounds--like kissing the unconscious Leeloo, who does not react kindly to it--he is apologetic, caught up in his own loneliness for a split second. Korben's history with the military proves to be useful in saving the world, and he finds that he and Leeloo's destinies are once again brought into the same orbit, as all paths converge on the palatial space/cruise ship called Fhloston Paradise.
Directed by Luc Besson, The Fifth Element is a spectacle of colorful and thrilling set pieces, including space skirmishes, gunfights, flying cars, explosions, and even wild weaponry courtesy of Zorg, and the casting plays to the actors' strengths. Bruce Willis embodies the brave yet kind-hearted hero--exemplifying the kind of determination needed to face down insurmountable odds, such as heated shootouts--qualities which made him famous in his defining action role in Die Hard. The New York of the future has some echoes of dystopian science fiction classic, Blade Runner, including flying cars and ridiculously high up apartments; even General Munro is played by Brion James, who played the replicant Leon in the same film. Locations like Korben's cramped apartment are filled with all kinds of barely logical designs, like the refrigerator which has a shower situated on the top of it. Some of these design choices suggest more about the world in the 23rd century than what the film has the time to explore. For example, the ubiquitous yellow circles are where the militarized police order citizens to put their palms when they command them to submit to search and seizure. Some of this universe is explored, but usually through a smattering of alien visitors--like the Mondoshawans and Mangalores, as well as a tentacled, blue opera singing alien, or Zorg's fleshy, anteater-like pet. Outlandish outfits--created by fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier--give the future a look that is vaguely reminiscent of our own, but with enough eccentricities and accents to make it sufficiently weird. And as far as the acme of weird goes, Korben is harried by a wildly popular yet effeminate talk show host, Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker), who commentates on Korben's shootout with the invading Mangalores on Fhloston Paradise while dressed in a gown that would not be out of place at a gala ball. All of this extreme and highly stylized design gives The Fifth Element a comic book vibe that would sit comfortably in the annals of pulp sci-fi/adventure stories, combined with an child-like yet richly imagined vision of the future.
Recommended for: Fans of a bright and thrilling sci-fi/action film set centuries in the future. The Fifth Element may tread familiar narrative ground with its plot of an impending apocalypse, but does so with a wholly unique visual aesthetic that combines pop and art along with the deeper human elements which characterize the soul, like love, communication, and sympathy.
Korben and Leeloo's stories are part of the greater universal drama unfolding, which also includes a high priest of astrological sciences, Vito Cornelius (Ian Holm), who carries a legacy three centuries old, set forth in the prologue of The Fifth Element. This preamble deals with a research expedition in Egypt interrupted by the descent of the Mondoshawans in their elephantine suits of gold armor, warning of the galactic doom awaiting them in three hundred years. As the Mondoshawans were preparing to live up to their promise to aid Earth at the destined time, they were ambushed by a pair of Mangalores--alien goblins with shapeshifting capabilities--hired by Zorg to obtain the sacred stones needed to open the way to ultimate power. Zorg himself is under the sway of the evil forces seeking the destruction of Earth, and the promise of power they offer stokes the flames of his already overflowing greed. Zorg rationalizes this by claiming destruction gives life meaning, although it is transparent that he is solely motivated by profit. He is a weapons manufacturer with a radical hairdo, sickly complexion, a slight limp, and a bombastic Texan accent, making him an absurd antagonist. But a clownish villain like Zorg reveals that his motivations are selfish and ultimately childish, and that his vices are not virtues. He is the opposite to Korben, who exemplifies more noble qualities like bravery and charity. Even when he oversteps his bounds--like kissing the unconscious Leeloo, who does not react kindly to it--he is apologetic, caught up in his own loneliness for a split second. Korben's history with the military proves to be useful in saving the world, and he finds that he and Leeloo's destinies are once again brought into the same orbit, as all paths converge on the palatial space/cruise ship called Fhloston Paradise.
Directed by Luc Besson, The Fifth Element is a spectacle of colorful and thrilling set pieces, including space skirmishes, gunfights, flying cars, explosions, and even wild weaponry courtesy of Zorg, and the casting plays to the actors' strengths. Bruce Willis embodies the brave yet kind-hearted hero--exemplifying the kind of determination needed to face down insurmountable odds, such as heated shootouts--qualities which made him famous in his defining action role in Die Hard. The New York of the future has some echoes of dystopian science fiction classic, Blade Runner, including flying cars and ridiculously high up apartments; even General Munro is played by Brion James, who played the replicant Leon in the same film. Locations like Korben's cramped apartment are filled with all kinds of barely logical designs, like the refrigerator which has a shower situated on the top of it. Some of these design choices suggest more about the world in the 23rd century than what the film has the time to explore. For example, the ubiquitous yellow circles are where the militarized police order citizens to put their palms when they command them to submit to search and seizure. Some of this universe is explored, but usually through a smattering of alien visitors--like the Mondoshawans and Mangalores, as well as a tentacled, blue opera singing alien, or Zorg's fleshy, anteater-like pet. Outlandish outfits--created by fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier--give the future a look that is vaguely reminiscent of our own, but with enough eccentricities and accents to make it sufficiently weird. And as far as the acme of weird goes, Korben is harried by a wildly popular yet effeminate talk show host, Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker), who commentates on Korben's shootout with the invading Mangalores on Fhloston Paradise while dressed in a gown that would not be out of place at a gala ball. All of this extreme and highly stylized design gives The Fifth Element a comic book vibe that would sit comfortably in the annals of pulp sci-fi/adventure stories, combined with an child-like yet richly imagined vision of the future.
Recommended for: Fans of a bright and thrilling sci-fi/action film set centuries in the future. The Fifth Element may tread familiar narrative ground with its plot of an impending apocalypse, but does so with a wholly unique visual aesthetic that combines pop and art along with the deeper human elements which characterize the soul, like love, communication, and sympathy.