Subject: REVIEW: THE FIFTH ELEMENT (1997)

From: [email-masked] (Ram Samudrala)
Date: 29 May 1997 18:26:05 GMT

THE FIFTH ELEMENT
                       A film review by Ram Samudrala
                        Copyright 1997 Ram Samudrala

/The Fifth Element/ is one of the most visually spectacular movies
I've seen. While peppered with attention capturing details of life in
the future and philosophical insights into human nature, the plot
leaves quite a bit to be desired.

Set in the 23rd century, the plot is a standard one: good conquers
evil with a bit of love and some lady luck.  With such stunning
visuals, a complex plot would have only detracted from the movie.
However, the problem is with the execution.  Director Luc Besson
focuses too much on the details of the visuals and too little on the
details of the plot.  When I walked out of the movie, I was in awe,
but feeling empty at the same time.

The fifth element is part of a weapon that is used in conjunction with
the four other elements (Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water) against an evil
force that threatens Earth every 5000 years. The weapon was created by
a race of aliens, the Mondoshawan, who safeguard its presence on earth
in Egypt. But when they fear the impending arrival of World War I, the
Mondoshawan take away the sacred stones representing the four elements
to be returned when the evil force next arrives near planet earth
during the course of its 5000 year cycle, approximately 250 years
later in the year 2259.

In the year 2259, as the Mondoshawan return to complete their mission,
their ship is shot down through the orders of an agent of the evil
force, Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman).  However, the
Mondoshawan, wise in their ways, did not trust humans and the ship
supposedly containing the stones turns out to be a decoy.  Meanwhile,
the good guys on Earth are able to salvage a few cells from the
destroyed ship and reconstruct, using the genetic information in the
cells, the entire organism representing the cells.

The reconstructed organism turns out to be a perfect human female, with the short
name Leeloo (Milla Jovovich). In fright, she busts out of the
regeneration chamber and runs into Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), a New
York City cabbie who had been a highly decorated fighter pilot.

Leeloo's mission is to find a priest, Victor Cornelius (Ian Holm), who
carries with him the tradition of activating the fifth element against
the evil force.  President Lindberg (Tom Lister Jr.), who was earlier
made aware of this information, enlists Dallas' aid to retrieve the
four stones from the Diva Plava Laguna (Ma&iuml;wenn Le Besco).  Along
with the aid of DJ Ruby Rhod (played hilariously by Chris Tucker),
Leeloo and Dallas confront Zorg and the evil force for control of the
elements.

While the plot may seem like a combination of many trend-setting
sci-fi movies (/Star Wars/, /Heavy Metal/, /Bladerunner/,
/Metropolis/, and /Brazil/) on the surface, I think it goes a bit
deeper than that.  Given a longer movie, we probably could've seen
more of the detailed aspects of the writing come out without
sacrificing any of the visuals, and I that I think would have made
watching this all the more worthwhile.

Even though my initial comments come off negatively, I think this is
one of the best movies I've seen in a long time.  And it is not
because of the visuals, but because of the subtle messages hidden here
and there through the movie. There is, of course, the aspect of war
that's tackled not with words but with tears rather profoundly.  But
more profound is Zorg's display of creation through destruction, and
how we adapt to the changing environment by modifying our genetic
makeup.

Besson's vision of the future, like in the case of Terry Gilliam, is
probably more realistic than one by Gene Roddenberry or George Lucas
in Star Trek and Star Wars respectively. That alone makes this movie
worth watching. The soundtrack is excellent as well.

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