Today’s quick review: The Fifth Element. When an enormous orb of death appears in the far reaches of space during the twenty-third century, an alien race sends their secret weapon to Earth to prevent the death of all life in the universe. The weapon, a genetically perfect being named Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), is destroyed in an attack on the transport ship, but she is reconstructed on Earth from DNA recovered from the crash. Confused and alone, she escapes confinement and plunges into the cab of Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), an unlucky taxi driver and former soldier. He takes her to Father Vito Cornelius (Ian Holm), the aliens’ contact on Earth, where Leeloo explains that the four elements needed to activate the superweapon are missing. Thus begins a race to find the remaining elements, activate the weapon, and save all life in the universe from extermination. Opposing this endeavor is Zorg (Gary Oldman), the mega-corporation head whose hired goons were responsible for the attack on the transport ship.
The Fifth Element is a movie that has to be seen to be believed. Broadly speaking, it is a sci-fi adventure with an intricate plot and heavy comedic elements. But more than that, The Fifth Element offers a unique tone that would be hard for any other movie to replicate. The setting is a colorful mishmash of futuristic convenience and futuristic impracticality. Bulky, armored aliens, who arrived in an enormous, faster-than-light spaceship, walk at a snail’s pace. Junkies perpetrate elaborate muggings but don’t know how to use their own weapons. An alien diva uses her incredible vocal range to sing what can best be described as dance opera. The Fifth Element takes a sci-fi setting built on old-school costumes and props and runs with it, embracing both the most marvelous and the most mundane visions of the future that the genre has to offer.
The characters operate along similar lines, mixing serious motives with unserious means. Korben Dallas finds himself dragged into the story by chance, drawn by his affection for Leeloo and pushed by a military that wants to use his skills for more or less the same mission. Vito Cornelius sees it as his duty to recover the elements so that the universe can be saved, causing the otherwise peaceful priest to resort to subterfuge and (mild) violence. Zorg has a small army of hired thugs at his disposal, but misfortune and poor management keep them from being an overwhelming advantage. Even the government gets in on the action, sending a general to try to strongarm Dallas out of retirement to help retrieve the elements. The various factions, even the nominally allied ones, are in constant competition, and even minor twists of fate are enough to set one group or another ahead in the race for the elements.
The stumbling nature of the race makes for a complicated and interesting plot. The core concept of the plot is classic sci-fi fare stripped down to its essentials: a threat to the universe can only be stopped using a prophesied weapon, which must be retrieved before it is too late. But around this core is an intricate web of cause and effect, of fortune and misfortune, that lends the movie its hectic charm. Between its complex setup and its round robin character interactions, The Fifth Element ends up moving at a rapid clip, working a lot of plot into a little time. The nature of the turnabouts is such that key plot points easy to miss, but the general intent of the characters is always obvious, and the missed plot points are quickly buried under further developments. The logic of the plot is robust even down to minor details: an attentive viewer will be rewarded with extra insight into events that seemed random on first viewing.
The direction of the movie gives it an extra bit of character. Parallel conversations are often used for exposition, cutting back and forth between two characters in different locations reacting to the same facts. Scene transitions are often built around related elements in the two scenes, some quite subtle, again rewarding close watching. Lively supporting characters, punchy musical cues, and a continuous trickle of jokes combine to reinforce The Fifth Element’s unique tone.
The acting of The Fifth Element has a number of gems. Bruce Willis brings his usual style to the film as Korben Dallas, an everyman whose clear thinking and decisive action gives him a leg up in a chaotic world. Milla Jovovich plays the innocent but talented Leeloo, who babbles cheerfully in an alien language with interspersed bits of English. Ian Holm and Luke Perry play Father Cornelius and his assistant Billy, a hapless duo whose kindly natures are at odds with the dangerous adventure they step into. Gary Oldman delivers a memorable performance as Zorg, amoral and prone to bouts of temper. And Chris Tucker steals the show as the role he was born to play: Ruby Rhod, a shrill and flamboyant radio personality who gets swept up in the action.
Overall, The Fifth Element is a classic of the sci-fi genre. Its campy setting and characters, energetic direction, and persistent sense of humor make it an eminently enjoyable watch, while an intricate plot and a keen attention to detail give it plenty of replay value. Those looking for a serious take on the future should avoid it. Those who prefer their movies neat and orderly should avoid it. Those who are not willing to put up with Chris Tucker screaming at the top of his lungs for the sake of comedy should avoid it. Everyone else should give The Fifth Element a watch when they’re looking for a fun, frenetic sci-fi adventure. 7.7 out of 10 on IMDB.