the fifth element (pg) review

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Average Ratings

Value for Money	8/10
Overall rating	7/10

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By Maxdmaximus on 8th Sep 2004

Maxdmaximus's Ratings

Starring Actor/Actress	Bruce Willis
Where Did You See It?	Video
Value for money	8/10
Overall value	7/10
Maxdmaximus's recommendation

Good Points

Suspenseful, good performances, outstanding music, good portrayal of the future.

Bad Points

Cliche, occasional bad performance, written by a teenager, cheesy in parts.

General Comments

The Fifth Element


A Movie Written By A Teenager

I wasn't surprised, were you?

Luc Besson, as a teenager, wrote a story, or script, named 'The Fifth Element'. He grew up and became a director and spent $90 million to transform this script into a motion picture. The film, when I saw it, definitely smelt of adolescence.

However, I am not saying to avoid it as your eyes meet with Bruce Willis' on the front cover of the video in the store! Allow yourself to be enticed by this PG, American Blockbuster that you will surely enjoy.

'The Fifth Element' begins in Egypt in 1914, First World War. A little boy on a camel rides to a tomb where his friends are. They immediately jump to their feet and shout with joy at his arrival. As soon as this happened, I was preparing myself for a disaster of a film. The boy couldn't act and the atmosphere seemed quite cheesy. We move inside the tomb, where we find a professor who has discovered that evil will be coming to end the world.

Then, out of nowhere, some robotic aliens appear, kill the professor and reveal a hidden room behind the wall the professor was studying. They go inside and come out with a statue of, as a priest who was with the professor tells us, 'The Fifth Element'. The robots fly away and leave the priest shouting that he will pass on 'the knowledge' to the next priests for when evil arrives.

We then jump a couple of hundred years to the mid-23rd century. We see flying cars and the usual futuristic display. A girl recovered from a spaceship wreck is alive and running around a lab, away from the police who are trying to contain her. Earlier we find out that 'Evil' has arrived and is very close to Earth and that the only way for it to be beaten is for 'The Fifth Element' to defeat it. The girl ends up jumping off the top of a building and lands in Korban Dalase's (Bruce Willis) cab. We find out her name is Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) and also that she speaks no English whatsoever. He immediately falls for her and drives away from the cops.

Later we are introduced to many new characters; one that sticks in my mind is Ruby Rhod who has his own radio station. This comic, outrageous character is a type-cast one, played by Chris Tucker, now well known from his biggest hit so far, in Rush hour. Another outrageous character, named Zorg (the worst name for a villain ever invented) who is played by Gary Oldman whose performance is yet to be desired. And also, like in all of these blockbusters, the patriotic President (Tommy Lister Jr.) who will see no harm come to his people.

This sets up this action-packed blockbuster that won't let you down in terms of suspense. However, it isn't the most intellectual film. For its time it was probably a masterpiece and quite original. Today, you could walk into your local video store and pick out two hundred other movies with the same storyline and the same characters with the same one-liners.

When it comes down to it, this film is about the battle between good and evil and how LOVE is the one thing that can conquer evil. To put it bluntly, it's more of the same rather than one of a kind.

The music for this film, however, must be commended! It ranges from opera, in slow sad scenes, to fast pace rock at times when the audience is so involved in the film that they forget about their popcorn.

Overall, I would recommend this film to anyone who slots right into one of those big, comfortable seats, belonging to anyone who would enjoy a blockbuster with outrageous characters and plots.

I know I certainly do.

Total Respect: +1