Review of The Fifth Element (1997) by Harry W — 29 Aug 2015

Being one of the most succesful films in the careers of Bruce Willis and Luc Besson, The Fifth Element sounded like a gleefully fun science fiction film.

The intro scene to The Fifth Element does not set it up as being an original film. Borrowing elements from Star Wars, Stargate and Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the feature begins as a trifector of derivative elements from Star-themed science fiction titles. After seeming like it is going to take itself too seriously, the film quickly changes and embraces its cinema du look roots. The sudden shift is somewhat jarring, but the moment that Bruce Willis enters the screen encapsulates the exact point in time that the comic energy overtakes the material. But that isn't the only time it happens. There is never a sense of consistency in the mood of The Fifth Element because it can't decide whether it wants to be a legitimate science fiction feature or a parody of one. This ultimately creates a sense of imbalance in the film.

The scale of the film is also inconsistent. The story takes place in a limited series of settings with occasional larger scale shot depicting spaceships at war or flying car chases, but I honestly don't feel that I believe the wider universe of the narrative to be convincing. This is largely because there is little transition between locations with the speedy narrative simply cutting from one place to another without spending enough time in one. And since the film has the potential to have big scale locations capitalized on, the fact that it fails to do so more often ultimately ends up frustrating. But I will admit that even though I didn't full believe it, I did find joy in the visual experience. Luc Besson's vision of a science fiction future is packed with all kinds of flash. Sticking with the conventions of the cinema du look movement, The Fifth Element maintains a gritty story context and a sense of flashy colour to combat it. The society is seen as very damaged yet covered up by the facade of colour, and it provides an interesting experience. There are all kinds of awesome technological concepts and designs put into the film which use strong practical effects. But also, there are some awesome moments such as the flying taxi chase or space battle scenes that put the quality of the visual effects to maximum use. The detailed animation in these moments is very impressive and the colour is just marvellous, but at the same time the film is not ovverreliant on them and instead moderates them with use of practical effects and colourful scenery to fuel the experience. But one thing that stood out for me was that the design of the Mondoshawans is just plain weird. Though the story characterizes them as being the species that guards the ultimate weapon for Earth, they look like gigantic chickens in robot suits who walk like sumo wrestlers. They clearly represent the more dramatic aspects of the film but are hard to take seriously, and even though they are only present for a brief period of screen time they interfere with the credibility of the experience.

Still, the ultimate flaw of The Fifth Element lies in the fact that Luc Besson doesn't divert his large budget to the right cause. With $90 million to helm, Luc Besson is so bent on showing off all these ideas for a future that he forgets to put enough action into the film. The action scenes in The Fifth Element make strong use of the film's production elements which are all captured with strong cinematography and timely editing, but that just makes it all the more frustrating when there is not enough of them. The same can be said about the big budget CGI scenes, but budgetary limitations can explain that. They cannot explain the lack of more action choreography though, and the fact that the cast clearly have a fun time engaging in warfare simply makes the film less satisfactory when the action is lacking in quantity. That is the ultimate drag for the experience, and it means that there is ultimately not enough to distract from the tonal inconsistencies and cheesy screenplay.

The one thing that did make a strong impression for me in The Fifth Element was the cast.

Since Bruce Willis started out his career working largely in comedy on the series Moonlighting before hitting it big as an action star in Die Hard. In The Fifth Element, he is given the role of Korben Dallas where he has to amalgamate these skills into a singular character. As a result, he delivers one of his best performances in years. Though his over the top energy is more restrained than the surrounding cast, this proves ideal because it lets him succeed as a legitimate action hero and a cheesy adventure man at the same time. He proves to capture Luc Besson's character with a strong combination between his instinctive masculine charisma and a touch of camp energy, standing out as one of the best parts of the film.

Mill Jovovich also makes a decent effort. It's easy to see how one might be polarized by the performance of Milla Jovovich. She is constantly lost in her own world, speaking a language she actually invented for the film. But considering her characters is actually a humanoid reconstruction of the titular fifth element there is genuinely little materal to work with. Fortunately enough, she manages to capture an alien-type figure who balances both frailty with fierce strength. Milla Jovovich is able to convey both the childish innocence of a new creation and the wisdom of a fast learner at the same time, and her dedication to staying in character remains a boost for her credibility.

Gary Oldman is awesome as always. Even though he has to shave half his head, comb over the other half and use a southern accent all for his character, Gary Oldman is the kind of actor who can pull anything off. So when he re-teams with Luc Besson to create another villain after Leaon: The Professional, it is no surprise that he pulls it off. Gary Oldman sinks his tenacious teeth into the ridiculous flamboyance of the role and captures a hilarious contrast between the way his character looks and acts. His surface level appeal is hilarious, as is the novelty that it is actually Gary Oldman in the role, and yet the actor still manages to successfully work a legitimate effort into the part.

Chris Tucker does not have the same level of appeal though. Chris Tucker transcends the level of flamboyance delivered by everyone else in the cast, for better and for worse. While his abundance of campy energy delivers sporadic laughs, it is so unstoppable that it proves overwhelming. Chris Tucker's insistence on shouting every line manages to create a convincing character, but not so much an entertaining one. He doesn't have the slightest bit of subtlty about him as he loudly and repeatedly shoots every character with one line after the other but failing to come up with any reason why it matters. Chris Tucker is in heavy excess in The Fifth Element, and it's the first time I've ever seen him as annoying.

So The Fifth Element has a talented cast and plenty of colourful gusto, but its overblown visual style is dragged down by a lack of action and a jarring sense of tonal inconsistency.