One of the film my wifey GWEN and I absolutly adore to watch and watch over and over again, is Luc Besson's USA-financed Sci-Fi love story with a twist: the end of existance is at stake! Starring BRUCE WILLIS as Korben Dallas, MILLA JOJOVICH as Leilu, GARY OLDMAN as Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg, BRYON JAMES as the General, CHRIS TUCKER as Ruby Rod, and IAN HOLM as Priest Cornelius, amongst countless other talented individuals, and some actors as well.
Gwen and I both adore the Sci-Fi aspect of it. We're both Sci-Fi buffs (you'll recall). THE 5TH ELEMENT was lucky to have been granted a USA America financial backing, providing an ample budget for special effects. Good effects does not make a film great, but can make a very good film into a very-VERY good film. The whole sci-fi imagery in the film, be it the space ships, the creatures, or even the guns (...), is absolutly incredible: both believable and aesthetically somewhat realistic and pleasing.
The story is rather simple, but also contains a very interesting love subtext which really caught on to me, especially since I am not a "love-story" follower in ALL cases. But THE 5TH ELEMENT shows us a pretty unrealistic love development from the start, and in it's incredible honesty, doesn't make it so alien to our own unlikely love interests. There's also a very witty humour at work here, and the film boasts it (milks it?) for all its worth. THE 5TH ELEMENT also features an incredible, and unregular (for USA Hollywood films) editing, which adds to the pace and humour of the film.
The acting from most people involved is very beleivable, especially CHRIS TUCKER, who not only steals the show, but manages to redeffines extreme over-acting. Many, many, MANY people were turned off by Tucker's performance, essentially turning them off to both the rest of the film, as well as Tucker's other works. In my case, it simply added an over-the-top, uncrontrollable humour aspect to the film, and got me very interested in the following works from Tucker.
The music from Besson regular ERIC SIERRA fits the mood perfectly, although I did feel it lacked a certain energy to it... But THE 5TH ELEMENT is no regular Sci-Fi action flick. The eastern flavour captured during the airborne accident / taxi chase is simply magical; Gwen and I can not help ourselevs but pump up the volume!
Critics and most people were left unsatisfied by the film, probably because they expected yet another forgettable male tostesterone-charged blow-em-up and shoot-em-up USA action flick. Myself, the simpler, less action-charged approach appealed to me from the beginning. But do not get me wrong! There IS enough action in here to compete with a Steven Seagal flick... at least!
Director: Luc Besson
Producers: John Amicarella, Patrice Ledoux, Iain Smith
Written By: Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen
Music By: Gaetano Donizetti & Eric Serra
Distributed By: Columbia Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 127 Minutes
Cast:
Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas
Gary Oldman as Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg
Ian Holm as Cornelius
Milla Jovovich as Leeloo
Chris Tucker as DJ Ruby Rhod
Luke Perry as Billy
Brion James as General Munro
Tom Lister as President Lindberg
If there is one section where The Fifth Element excels, it has to be its plot. Although the premise of this movie is not an original one i.e. Good vs. Evil, the implementation of this premise was excellent. The plot of this movie begins with a little background several hundred years before the story takes place, and then proceeds to flawlessly link it to the present time in which the story is being told. The plot moves quickly, yet it is easy to follow and even has a few decent surprises for those who have not seen it. The visual effects in the movie are stunning to say the least, and for the few of you who have Dolby Digital Surround, the sound is amazing. One thing I particularly liked about this movie was the scene transitions from one scene to another. The transitions are so smooth that sometimes you forget the story has changed locations to follow a different character.
The acting in the movie which was done by a combination of Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Milla Jovovich was top notch. Bruce Willis plays the main character who is a retired fighter pilot turned taxi driver named Korbin Dallas. Willis’ nonchalant attitude and dry humor make his character both funny and exciting to watch. Gary Oldman, who has played villains in the past, does a spectacular job with his part. Oldman makes an great beginning entrance as the mega corporation owner Zorg and continues to make a great antagonist throughout the movie. Milla Jovovich plays the female damsel in distress/heroine, who is innocent yet somehow still manages to kick some serious butt.
British actor Ian Holm as priest Cornelius
CHRIS TUCKER as radio DJ Ruby Rhod!
Below is a picture of some of the action figures to be released, based on THE 5TH ELEMENT:
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LEELOO (5th Element merchandise):
http://www.lostworldproductions.com/leeloo.htm
