Director Luc Besson wrote this script while he was in high school, taking every `element' he loved so much about science fiction and creating a Frankenstein type creature; an amalgam of all that is `sci-fi'. With that said, `The Fifth Element' works extremely well for what it is, which is nothing more than cheesy B-Grade sci-fi entertainment. It's not supposed to be intellectual or moving; it's supposed to be fun, and `fun' it certainly is. It has all the `elements' that make up sure-fire entertainment. There is high speed chase scenes, big-dumb aliens, big-bad weapons, the mysterious hot chick, intense action sequences, great special effects, the token `funny' guy (bet you though I was going another route there) and above all else; Bruce `freaking' Willis.



I'll just get this out of the way right now; I have been a fan of Willis for years. If there is any actor I feel that goes unrecognized for what he does it is Bruce. Why oh why do critics across the country feel that the only performances worth recognizing are the dramatic, emotional ones? What law out there says that the action genre is not plump for the picking? Bruce Willis is `god' in the action world. There is no other action star that can do what he does. I would have handed him an Oscar a long time ago (`Die Hard' anyone). Sadly, he hasn't ever even been nominated.



Here Willis is once again our hero. Korben Dallas is a cab driver in the future (the year 2263 to be exact) who ends up biting off more than he can chew (is there anything really too much for Bruce to handle?) when a beautiful woman falls, literally, into his cab. This stranger is Leeloo Minai Lekarariba-Laminai-Tchai Ekbat De Sabat, or Leeloo for short. Leeloo just so happens to be the only hope for human civilization. She is the supreme being, the perfect woman; the fifth element. With the aid of Korben as well as Father Vito Cornelius, Leeloo takes off on an adventure against the darkest of evil.



Milla Jovovich is marvelous here as Leeloo. She is everything that her character needed to be; exotic, beautiful and dangerous. The very fact alone that she learnt an entirely made up language and `mastered' it adds major brownie points indeed. Gary Oldman is the perfect bad guy here; evil genius to a T, and Ian Holm was a nice touch (love this guy). Chris Tucker is hilarious as Ruby Rhod, the worlds favorite media darling. I've always thought that Tucker was a great addition to any film, and he delivers masterfully here. Whoever says that comedy isn't an art form is blind. And then we have Bruce; good ol' Bruce. What can I say? Willis is the greatest working action star and he never fails to bring the goods.



Like I said, `The Fifth Element' is one nonstop fun filled ride complete with every `element' that makes these B-Grade sci-fi films so entertaining. Don't let critics and their narrow-minds keep you away from this film. Sure, if you're expecting a masterfully crafted and profound film that will stimulate your mind then you are looking in the wrong place, but if you just want to turn your mind off and have a blast with your friends this Saturday night then look no further than `The Fifth Element'.