No doubt The Fifth Element is a beautiful and visually innovative film, but the screenplay is obviously a bit on the weak side. I had heard that writer-director Luc Besson conceptualized the project when he was fifteen, now if this is true, it shows. The script, when stripped of all its visual originality and brilliance, is basically borrowed and recycled from a great many other sources. Mysterious object heads towards earth that is unstoppable and a genetically superior lifeform comes to save us-just happens to be a very hot barely clothed woman. At times The Fifth Element is kind of like Showgirls in Space. Okay, you see the point, this doesn't exactly seem as though it comes from the mind of a mental giant here.
The Fifth Element is a very silly, predictable and at the end, remarkably goofy film, if you haven't seen The Fifth Element, I won't give away, what exactly the “Fifth Element” happens to be, let's just say its embarrassing for all involved—all. But what the film lacks in substance it makes up for in volumes with style. The visual effects are fantastic, the costuming is truly impressive and the film is a must see for these two reasons alone. Truthfully, the set design/art direction, costuming and visual effects departments, like so often the case with big-budget science-fiction, are forced to fill the enormous void that is the script. Besson, has nothing to say, this much is clear, but the visuals are fantastic.
The acting performances are better than the material, which is a rarity. Bruce Willis as Korben is very good, Gary Oldman as, once again, the madman, is dead on, Milla Jovovich plays the genetically enhanced super being Leeloo and she does a great job. Leeloo is such an annoying, poorly written character and Jovovich manages to add some humanity to a part that could have been nothing but unintentional comedy. Speaking of comedy Chris Tucker as Ruby is beyond annoying and distracts from the film as a whole. Yet overall the acting performances elevate the film and the weak, fluffier than air script.
The fact that The Fifth Element was made into a film is more of an enigma than any “concept” or “idea” put forth in the film. Besson is not a creative genius, no that title goes to all the folks who made Besson's screenplay. Imagine the fun the visual effects, set and prop people had as they sat down and read the notes referencing to “creature” or “ship” or “weapon.” It is important to remember that almost anyone, even a child, could write, “two space ship fleets meet and do battle.” There is no genius in that whatsoever, imagining the ships, their design, the look of the bridge, the weapons systems, the propulsion systems, the costuming and everything else that goes into creating an alien environment, that is the genius. If you love The Fifth Element or love it after you see it, thank folks like Jean Paul Gaultier who did costume design or Maggie Gray for her set decoration, or the folks in the art department to site just a few of the hard working people who really pumped some life and magic into simple words tossed onto a page.
Story D+ (The story of The Fifth Element lacks originality. The imagination of the film comes in elsewhere.) Acting B+
Visuals A+ (The Fifth Element is a visually amazing work and is a must see for this reason.) Originality/Innovation B+ (The visuals save the lame screenplay from itself.) Enjoyability Grade B+
Home Theater/HD Factor A+ (This is one of the very best films to watch on a home theater and if you can see it in high-def or Blu-Ray, all the better.) Overall Grade B+ (The visual effects, sets and costuming combined with an innovative and quality screenplay would have incredible and would have launched The Fifth Element alongside other legendary franchises. Still, the roughly $70-80 million dollar budget was put to unusually good use.)
