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Rating: 3.5 out of 5
If you are looking for a sci-fi film that has some Blade Runner aspects, loads of action, and a pretty simple story, then look no further than The Fifth Element. It has been years since I’ve watched this movie, and I recently saw it on Hulu and was like, “I should watch it again because Chris Tucker is completely insane in this film.” Now the film hasn’t aged that well, and the story is entirely crazy, but damn it, it is still a very entertaining movie, and it is all about that multi-pass.
The Fifth Element comes from the mind of Luc Besson. Besson started writing the story that became The Fifth Element when he was 16 years old. That is some talent right there to start it at 16 and then see it on the big screen when you were 38. That is 22 years of dedication right there, and you even directed it. Give you some props for never giving up on your dreams.
The story’s overall premise is that every 5000 years, a “Great Evil” appears whose only purpose is to destroy life. In preparation for the next appearance that is to happen in 2263, a group of robotic-looking aliens called the Mondoshawan arrive on Earth in 1914 to extract the only weapon capable of defeating the Great Evil. What does this great weapon look like??? It is a collection of four stones representing the Classical Elements from Captain Planet (Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire) and the eponymous Fifth Element that conjugates the other four into organic life. Nothing too crazy so far, but okay. After taking the weapon with them, the Mondoshawans present a key to a priest and tell him to pass the information provoking their mission through future generations in preparation for the Evil’s arrival.
The film jumps to the year 2263, where the Great Evil appears in the form of a fiery planet. A fleet of interplanetary battleships welcomes it with the purpose to destroy it. When the battleships fire missiles on the planet, the planet doubles in size. The only problem is weapons can’t destroy an evil like that, and it completely obliterates the battleships. On Earth, the World’s president (Lister) consults the best way to handle this issue as the Great Evil is approaching Earth. The World seems to have a solution when an awwww hell moment happens. The Mondoshawans attempt to deliver the Elements back to Earth, when they are ambushed by another alien race, the shape-shifting Mangalores. Things couldn’t get any worse, but hope seems to be around the corner when a team of scientists uses the DNA of the remains of the Fifth Element. The remains rebuild the perfect being called Leeloo (Jovovich) and the stones not being on the destroyed airship. Everyone says yayyyyy! Leeloo escapes the scientists and police by falling into the taxi driver’s cab, Korben Dallas (Willis). Leeloo tells him that she must meet Father Vito Cornelius (Holm) to accomplish her mission. Meanwhile, the Great Evil has recruited the greedy and cruel Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (Oldman) and a team of mercenary Mangalores to retrieve the stones. With the board set, the real Korben Dallas, an elite Special Forces soldier, is recruited to protect and help Leeloo and defeat the Great Evil.
This film is one of those films that will not blow you away with the high price CGI and costumes. Actually, it is pretty standard and on the low end. I wasn’t blown away like I was when I saw Star Wars, and it even had that Blade Runner vibe. However, this is still an entertaining movie because of some characters and the story with all its faults.
The whole Great Evil concept is pretty cool with using the Captain Planet elements. Gotta have that Earth, fire, wind, water, and it all revolves around the fifth element’s supreme being. In Captain Planet, the heart is that element, but this one is actually a statue that becomes a supreme and perfect human being that can learn ANYTHING by just looking at it. Leeloo straight up learned karate from a screen. The first half of the film is just seeing everything come together with the stones’ location, how Leeloo is made and how the Great Evil wants to destroy all life.
I want to take a second to talk about this Great Evil and what its plan was. The Great Evil was going to destroy Earth, but there must be tons of other planets around. We had other races. Was it going to fly off and eliminate everything else? Why did it target Earth first? Also, where the f**k was the other alien races? The film had just three of them. Actually, it had four of them, and the fourth one was a proud singing blue woman. Is this supposed to be the future? Where are all the aliens at? Nice touch with the flying cars, but Earth must be a freakin bore for no aliens to just come through.
Now, the action comes really in the second half of the film. The best scene is when Leeloo fights those alien mercenaries. The music with the action was AMAZING! Then we couldn’t forget how Willis’s character, Korben Dallas multi-pass, rolls through and shoots up everyone. There are some funny moments when homeboy rolls pool balls toward Dallas along with the final headshot.
Now for the acting, you sure as hell won’t get anything special. Willis was Willis as Korben Dallas. Not Die Hard material, but decent. What was up with that blonde hair? It was quite distracting, and I don’t even know why. Jovovich as Leeloo was a pleasure to watch. Homegirl spoke a different language most of the time, but when she needed to kick ass, she did. Oldman as Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg was blah. First off, that is a mouthful of a name. If you are expecting the EVERYBODY Oldman, then this isn’t the film. I really didn’t see his purpose in the whole movie. I think it was crazy, wild, and fun to watch was Tucker as Ruby Rhod. Now was he LOUD? Yes. Was he crazy with that hairdo that looked straight out of an anime? You bet your ass it was. He actually made it light-hearted and not as extreme. Once again, I thought he was funny and brighten up the film.
The Fifth Element is one of those sci-fi films that is pretty good. It has some mindless entertainment, but it is a good action film. There are like three alien species, and the story is meh half the time. If you want to see some crazy acting by Chris Tucker, look no further because dude had a blonde wig. Honestly, if you are looking for a live-action story with some Captain Planet in it, then this is the film. Find that Multi-Pass!!
