THE FIFTH ELEMENT
A film review by Phil Brady
Copyright 1997 Phil Brady
Blade Runner gets referred to frequently by people discussing The Fifth Element. I suppose they are trying to articulate that both movies give us a vivid image of the future, and this rendering becomes a major character in the film. But while BR is a gritty exploration of "what is a man?," Fifth Element just a headlong rush into fun. And just for fun, replicant alumni Brion James shows up in 5E as a not-so-bright general. Actually, nobody comes off looking very clever, so we know early we're in for a goofy time.
The setup is that EVIL shows up every 5000 years to take another shot at us, but we are protected by four stones, representing the ancient elements: earth, air, fire and water. They are actuated by a fifth element - a "perfect being" that channels their power. They have a small priesthood here on earth, but the true stewards are an otherworld race best described as muppets made out of tuba parts. It's now the 23rd century, and guess who's coming to dinner?
They got Bruce Willis to play the Bruce Willis part: an ex-marine cabby down on his luck, lamenting to a friend that he hasn't met the perfect woman. The savior being is cloned into a space babe played by Milla Jovovich. Hmmm..what are the chances? In short order, she drops literally into his lap while fleeing police goons. Bruce shakes the heat and delivers her to the priest (Ian Holm) who knows what to do (but he's not very good at it). The stones need to be retrieved from an opera diva on a cruise-spaceship, and there's competition from a villain that wants EVIL to win. Gary Oldman plays an addled industrialist who thinks that he can sell more products in the chaos that follows total annihilation (I DID say addled).
The Government pulls Bruce back in, and some good humor comes off as all the principals converge on the stones. Bruce runs into a super-emcee named Ruby Rhod (played by Chris Tucker). It's a fantastic character, an amalgam of Prince, Dennis Rodman and Joan Rivers, but director Besson commits the fatal Dom Deluise error. Dom can be a good addition to a movie, but after two minutes, it's a case of diminishing returns. Ruby gets to hang out with Bruce for the rest of the film, whining and distracting the audience (that's the Joan Rivers part). I know Besson falls in love with his leading ladies, as he did with Milla, but I can only assume he was sleeping with Tucker as well.
So, anyway, Bruce gets the stones, saves the planet and gets the girl. Ho-hum. I have yet to remark on the main character, Besson's version of the future. I have seen this world before, as has anyone reading Heavy Metal magazine for the last twenty years. The two art directors are frequent contributors to that graphic novel collection, and their vision is treated kindly by the special effects. The three-dimensional gridlock in Gotham is well done, but more fun is Bruce's apartment/cell. Ripley had a more comfortable cubicle in Aliens, and Bruce's lesser appointments allow for some good sight gags. One that tickled me was an homage to the opening scene in Blade Runner. Bruce is also snacking and chatting with an Asian street vendor, but a pullback shows that the lunch wagon is hovering outside the window panel in Bruce's cube! Cute.
Hopefully, the blurbmeisters have not raised your expectations too high and the non-SF types have not discouraged you. The Fifth Element is a real eyeful, and a lot of fun. This movie is meant to tickle those faithful to the SF genre, but it is a bit too far out there to hook many converts.
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