THE FIFTH ELEMENT
A film review by Shane R. Burridge
Copyright 1997 Shane R. Burridge
(1997) 122 min.
McDonald's must be more than pleased with their product placement in this lavish science-fantasy. Not only are they shown as still being in business at their fly-thrus in 2214, but the film is so heavily decorated in red and yellow that by the end of it you'll be wondering if it wasn't all some huge, sly, subliminal advertisement, and that the elusive 'fifth element' is actually McDonald's Secret Sauce.
Fortunately, I like red and yellow, I like science-fantasy, and I like Luc Besson: he showed modest-budget visual flair with his early film SUBWAY and big-screen visual flair with THE BIG BLUE (You can call it THE LITTLE BLUE SQUARE if television is the only way you've seen it). In THE FIFTH ELEMENT he outdoes himself - not since Terry Gilliam's BRAZIL has there been a film crammed with such visual bravura. Whether it's the costumes by Jean-Paul Gaultier, or the set designs by Jean "Moebius" Giraud and Jean-Claude Mezieres (who turned out hundreds of drawings), or the bizarre hairstyles and weird creatures, the look of the film is astonishing, and it has surely met Besson's vision as he conceived it.
THE FIFTH ELEMENT starts with the most well-worn of sci-fi ideas, that of the link between Ancient Egypt and extra-terrestrials - but it is delivered with such aplomb that it looks almost brand new. Similarly, the rest of the film operates on the simplest of premises. In fact it is so basic, and its conclusion that 'love conquers all' so trite, that it is practically beyond reproach - Besson is more interested in orchestrating his capricious storyline than providing a mindblowing concept. It works, because his enthusiasm for this project is so pervasive (in every scene, in every new camera angle, in each new gimmick) that you can't help share his sense of enjoyment. The cast he has assembled also gets into the spirit. Bruce Willis reprises his reluctant-hero role for the part of Korben Dallas, a cab driver (or, more accurately, pilot) on the skids. He has a chance meeting with an alien envoy (Milla Jovovich) that in turn leads him to an agitated priest (Ian Holm) and a venal company director (Gary Oldman). Curiously, none of these people are responsible for his involvement in an impromptu mission (to save the world, what else?) even though they are all destined to meet again at the conclusion. The four characters are as wild and diverse as the four elements that they are in search of, and just when you think the cast couldn't get more eccentric, an egotistic, motormouthed DJ (Chris Tucker) is thrown into the mix. Everyone is playing it for laughs, including Besson, who indulges in a welcome change of pace from his recent harder-edged stories. After two films about professional killers I was wondering if Besson had lost his quirkiness: now I look forward to seeing his next production. If it's as surprising a choice as this one, I won't be disappointed.
There are several reasons to enjoy THE FIFTH ELEMENT, but a significant one is the fact that we were allowed to see it without being subjected to months of marketing hype beforehand. Could it be that studios have finally figured out that word of mouth is the best advertising of all? The only drawback now will be enthusiastic film reviews (such as this one) that will have you expecting more than the film can deliver. So just forget everything I said. And tell all your friends.
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