THE FIFTH ELEMENT

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BACK TO 1997

Good and evil battle for the future of 23rd century Earth in this visually striking big-budget science fiction epic. In the movie’s prologue, which is set in 1914, scientists gather in Egypt at the site of an event that transpired centuries earlier. Aliens, it seemed, arrived to collect four stones representing the four basic elements (earth, air, fire and water) – warning their human contacts that the objects were no longer safe on Earth. A few hundred years later (in the 23rd century), a huge ball of molten lava and flame is hurtling toward Earth, and scientist-holy man Victor Cornelius (Ian Holm) declares that in order to prevent it from destroying the planet, the same four elemental stones must be combined with the fifth element, as embodied by a visitor from another world named Leeloo . However, if the force of evil presents itself to the stones instead, the Earth will be destroyed, and an evil being named Zorg will trigger the disaster. Despite her remarkable powers, Leeloo needs help with her mission, and she chooses her accomplice, military leader-turned-cab driver Korben Dallas , when she literally falls through the roof of his taxi. Writer and director Luc Besson began writing the script for The Fifth Element when he was only 16 years old, though he was 38 before he was able to bring it to the screen.

Reviews:
“One of the great goofy movies — a film so preposterous I wasn’t surprised to discover it was written by a teenage boy.”
– Rogert Ebert

“The Fifth Element has enough eye-appeal for two good movies.”
– Chicago Tribune

“Simplicity is not one of the virtues of this fantastical effort by French director Luc Besson to come up with a most American comic book adventure.”
– Renee Schonfield }