There's been many recent attempts to make comic books into movies, mostly with poor results. This story was never made into a comic book but, written by Luc Besson when he was a kid in school, it could have been. Although I'm sure it was rewritten and polished by Besson before making it into a film, it still has that young kid, comic book feel.
The characters are outrageous, though less so than many comic books, and they are mostly 2 dimensional. But they are well written and each serves to help move the viewer along a fun ride as we watch no less than the saving of the entire universe.
The title character, The Fifth Element, is the 'supreme being' created to be part of a weapon of goodness and love which is used every 5,000 years to ward off the recurring attempts of evil to end all life in the universe. She is also a beautiful woman known as Leeloo (Milla Jovovich).
Good and Evil are opposing forces, never seen, never heard, that each enlist the help of corporeal beings to participate in their quinta-millennial battles.
Evil gets Zorg (Gary Oldman) who is already the power hungry head of a huge corporation. He hires the Mangalore's, a mercenary race who are none too bright but quite aggressive. They can shape shift but rarely use this talent to their advantage, preferring to look like big eared toads. Their job is to collect the 4 elemental stones which make up 4/5ths of the weapon used against evil. Zorg gets his orders from Mr. Shadow who seems to be the evil counterpart to the Fifth Element traveling in a sphere of evil towards earth.
Good gets the entire Mondoshawan race who either look like robots or wear spacesuits that make them look that way. They are slow moving, deliberate and wise, even though they look like big metal turtles. They trained a priest on earth in their ways who trained an apprentice to replace him.
After many generations of priests, we have Vito Cornelius (Ian Holm), and his apprentice David (Charlie Creed-Miles). David is a bit reluctant at times and Vito seems to have forgotten or never been taught a few vital pieces of information. Together they look like 2 of the three stooges as they bumble along, sincerely believing they are chosen to save the world.
The Mondoshawan's also enlist the help of Operatic Diva Plavalaguna (Maïwenn Le Besco) who resembles a large blue squid with an unbelievable voice (a computer was used to add sequences that experts say the human voice could never perform!) and a captivating presence.
A few extra's are thrown into the fray on the side of good, but whether by fate or chance can't be certain.
The most important of these is Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) who is an ex-marine with a Rambo-like reputation called back into service by the President (Tiny Lister) after Vito convinces the government that the 4 stones and the Fifth element are the universes best hope.
But we also get the comic relief character Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker),the most interesting and electric character in the film. Ruby is a famous radio star. He originally is used as a convenient way to get Dallas to the planet Fhloston to meet Plavalaguna since Rhod is hosting a contest where such a trip is the prize. Later Rhod just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets carried along for the ride as Dallas tries to escape the Mangalore's, find the stones, protect Leeloo, and finally to get Leeloo, the stones and the priest to the temple on Earth.
There is lots of futuristic comedy, much of it visual, like the cops at McDonald's who have their meal interrupted, only to end up crashing into a McDonald's supply train and being covered with food. This adds to an excellent interpretation of futuristic Earth as a face paced and polluted version of a bad New York neighborhood.
Most of the special effects are good although a few mat paintings are a little behind the times. The acting is perfect if you remember that this is a comic book type story and the characters are supposed to be flat, caricatures of their roles.
This is a fun film that doesn't take itself too seriously and demands that you don't either. Forget our world, open your mind like that of an adolescent boy dreaming of science fiction otherworlds, relax, and enjoy a couple of hours of a true escapist action/comedy!
A visual feast combining ancient mysticism cyberpunk sensibilities flamboyant entertainment personalities and gun-toting alien mercenaries. In the 23r...More at Family Video
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