June 4: The Fifth Element

"In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr Zorg at bay."

The Fifth Element is a fun, over-the-top, colorful trip through a twisted and vibrant future with an equally entertaining cast of characters. The Fifth Element, written and directed by Luc Besson (The Professional), is a passion project for the man and his creative talent oozes throughout it. The movie is clearly meant to be something special, and while it may not be the most profound or meaningful film, it is extremely unique and original. If you can just sit back and enjoy the film, without taking it seriously, you will love it. If, however, you're looking for another Star Wars, you're out of luck. While there is a lot of what you'd expect in this space action/comedy (creatures, a pretty evil villain, good vs. evil) there is also quite a bit of sex and a lot absolutely ridiculous situations. It's all in fun and I don't believe it to be any attempt to establish a truly developed universe on its own. 

Although it has quite the potential as ugly creatures are always a good place to start

Every five thousand years, a being called The Fifth Element comes to Earth, protecting mankind from evil. This supreme being harnesses the powers of the other four elements (fire, wind, earth, water) and saves the world. When The Evil, an evil entity planet/space thing enlists the help of Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman), a greedy inventor who only seeks wealth, to find the stones and prevent the Fifth Element from retrieving them and saving Earth. When the Element is destroyed in transit, scientists on earth revive it from its remains, creating Leeloo (Mila Jovovich), the perfect specimen. She escapes the facility and runs into Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), a retired ex-military commando (pretty much Space John McClane). Dallas falls in love with Leeloo and after she becomes aware of her mission, he vows to help her retrieve the stones and protect her along the way. This was the best I could do explaining the story, as I found it rather confusing at first. There are other parties involved in the "race of the elements" and even an extremely flamboyant Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker) getting caught up in the action and narrating it for his radio talk show. 

Shocking fact- in Chris Tucker's 12 year career, he has starred in only 10 films. Three of which are with Jackie Chan. Where the f**k are you, Chris!?

The Fifth Element is definitely worth watching. The film is a ride, simply put. It's fun, entertaining, easy to swallow, and insanely imaginative. Bruce Willis plays himself, in space, and whenever he does that (always), you know it's going to be good. Mila Jovovich is incredibly lovable as Leeloo, dancing the lines between cute, sexy, and badass all at once. Something she has now come to be known for. However, it's Chris Tucker who steals the show in a role he was born to play. He's hilarious, over-the-top (as is the entire movie), and his narrating of what's going on helps keep the comedic tone throughout. The Fifth Element is one of a kind. There is really no other movie like it and that's what makes it special. Colorful, extremely ludicrous, but oh, so creative, The Fifth Element is one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. 

The Good:

great special effects that help create a colorful, busy, crazy future

The Better:

an equally colorful cast of diverse characters that are all cast perfectly with noteworthy performances by Jovovich and Tucker

The Best:

the fact that the film was released 15 years ago and there has yet to be something as bizarre and lovable in the sci-fi genre...minus some dated technology, the film has really stood the test of time

Overall: 8.4/10

Trailer:

Discussion:

Is The Fifth Element a genuine classic or simply a cult-classic that will fade away to the realms of obscure movie references and trivia?