In the twenty-third century, the universe is threatened by evil. The only hope for mankind is the Fifth Element, who comes to Earth every five thousand years to protect the humans with four stones of the four elements: fire, water, Earth and air. A Mondoshawan spacecraft is bringing The Fifth Element back to Earth but it is destroyed by the evil Mangalores. However, a team of scientists use the DNA of the remains of the Fifth Element to rebuild the perfect being called Leeloo. She escapes from the laboratory and stumbles upon the taxi driver and former elite commando major Korben Dallas that helps her to escape from the police. Leeloo tells him that she must meet Father Vito Cornelius to accomplish her mission. Meanwhile, the Evil uses the greedy and cruel Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg and a team of mercenary Mangalores to retrieve the stones and avoid the protection of Leeloo. But the skilled Korben Dallas has fallen in love with Leeloo and decides to help her to retrieve the stones. Written by
Plot Synopsis:
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The story's premise is that every five thousand years, in conjunction with a planetary arrangement, a 'Great Evil' appears whose purpose is to destroy life. In preparation for the next appearance in 2263, a group of aliens called the Mondoshawan arrive on Earth in 1914 to extract the only weapon capable of defeating the Great Evil, a collection of four stones representing the Classical Elements and the eponymous Fifth Element that conjugates the other four into organic life. After taking the weapons, the Mondoshawans present a key to a priest and tell him to pass the information provoking their mission through future generations in preparation for the Evil's arrival.
In 2263, the Great Evil appears and destroys an interplanetary battleship. When the Mondoshawans attempt to deliver the Elements back to Earth, they are ambushed by another alien race, the shape-shifting Mangalores. Earthly scientists are able to recover a portion of the Fifth Element and use a reconstitution device to recreate it, whereupon it takes the form of an apparently human woman named "Leeloo" described as "the perfect being". Leeloo, terrified of her unfamiliar environs, escapes the scientists and arrives in the care of taxi driver Korben Dallas, a former major in the Federated Army's Special Forces. Dallas then delivers her to Priest Vito Cornelius, the current holder of the Mondoshawans' knowledge. Dallas, Cornelius, and his acolyte David help Leeloo recover, though Dallas is forced out of Cornelius' apartment before learning her purpose. Cornelius learns from Leeloo that the four Elements were not carried by the Mondoshawans but instead entrusted to Diva Plavalaguna, a singer currently performing on a luxury space liner at Fhloston Paradise, and that Leeloo must recover the stones from her. Meanwhile, wealthy industrialist Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg has attempted to gain the stones as urged by communication with the Great Evil. After learning that the Mangalores' attack on the Mondoshawans was unsuccessful in recovering the stones, Zorg betrays and kills them, whereupon the surviving Mangalores decide to extract revenge and gain the stones for themselves.
Dallas is later met at his apartment by his General Munro, who informs him that he has been drafted into the Army in order to travel to meet the Diva, having rigged the annual Gemini Croquette Contest to allow Dallas to win. Their meeting is interrupted by the arrival of Cornelius and Leeloo. Dallas, learning of Leeloo's need, offers to help, but is knocked out by Cornelius, who steals his winning transportation tickets and departs with Leeloo. Dallas accepts the job from General Munro and travels to John F. Kennedy International Airport, intercepting Cornelius, David, and Leeloo before they board their flight, and escorts Leeloo. The Mangalores and Zorg's assistant are rebuffed by the ticketing agent when they try to pose as Dallas. Cornelius instructs David to prepare the temple and then sneaks aboard the passenger spaceplane before it leaves.
On the flight, Dallas meets interstellar radio personality Ruby Rhod, who escorts him for being the contest winner. Upon arrival at Fhloston Paradise, Dallas is taken by Ruby to prepare for the show, while Leeloo waits near the Diva's quarters in order to retrieve the stones from her after her performance. The Diva's show is interrupted by the Mangalores, and the Diva is fatally shot. Dallas learns from her dying words that the Diva has hidden the stones inside her body; after she dies, Dallas extracts them, giving them to Ruby to hold as he defeats the Mangalores and saves the rest of the passengers and crew. Leeloo is able to defeat the Mangalores that attempt to ransack the Diva's quarters. Zorg, having flown himself to Fhloston, fights Leeloo at the Diva's quarters, injuring her and forcing her to retreat. This allows him to take the case he believes contains the stones while starting a time bomb. When Dallas goes to recover Leeloo, Zorg finds the case to be empty. Zorg re-enters the liner just as Dallas, Leeloo, Cornelius, and Ruby leave it on Zorg's ship. Zorg is able to stop his bomb; but the defeated Mangalores activate another bomb, destroying Zorg and the liner.
The four return to the temple on Earth as the Great Evil rushes towards the planet. There, Dallas finds Leeloo disillusioned and unwilling to perform her role, believing that humans will destroy themselves despite her rescue of them. As the protagonists arrange the stones in the temple to form their weapon, they are briefly baffled by their ignorance of the weapon's operation, but discover that each stone is triggered by the presence of the Classical element to which it corresponds. Dallas then convinces Leeloo to perform her role, embraces her, and kisses her. At this, Leeloo releases the weapon's "Divine Light", causing the Great Evil to become a new moon in Earth's orbit. Later, the President and General Munro go to the reconstitution lab to congratulate Dallas on his successful mission, but he and Leeloo are unavailable, despite the president's assertion that he is in a hurry. Viewers then see he and Leeloo are making love in the resurrection chamber.
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suspiria10 from The Void
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Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich star in this wonderful sci-fi tale. Chock full of killer performances and excellent effects.
Korben Dallas is your average ordinary New York taxi driver. Fresh out of the military, unlucky in love and this close to losing his job. One day the ultimate fare literally falls into his lap as Leeloo enters his life via the roof of his cab. Leeloo it seems was genetically manipulated to be the ultimate weapon against pure evil but her beauty and butt-kicking hide a more fragile nature that Dallas and a host of others will have to step up and help her save humanity.
This amazing sci-fi adventure from Luc (Leon) Besson has a little something for everyone. Beauty (the gorgeous Jovovich with orange hair even), action and gun-play, excellent acting, amazing visual effects, romance, creative sets and costume design, dynamic and interesting music and a mildly annoying but funny Chris Tucker. You name itthis film has it in spades. 5th Element is hands down one of the best science fiction films ever.
I've seen it many times and always want more. I highly recommended it.
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Jane (lparedero@hotmail.com) from Switzerland
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I think The Fifth Element is the movie I have seen the most... It is a perfect mixture of action and comedy, science-fiction, suspense and romance. Set in a not so far future, the eternal battle between good and evil is shown to us in an extravagant setting. Flying cars, aeroplanes that go at the speed of light, weird creatures and ugly aliens are only a few things that are present during this film. The story has never been seen before : Good has only one weapon to defeat evil; it is composed of four stones representing the four element (water, earth, fire and air) and a perfect creature. These five elements have to be united before the forces of evil arrive to earth. But evil has found help and the stones have disappeared. Bruce Willis (one of the best action actors of our time), Milla Jovovich, Ian Holm and Gary Oldman make the suspense even more intense. Chris Tucker is incredibly funny and ads a lot to the comic side of the film. The story is extremely imaginative and is, in my opinion, one of Luc Besson's best. I have never seen anything else like it. The costumes, designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier, are unbelievably imaginative and fun. They are a big part of the extravagance and originality of the movie. The score, by Eric Serra (one of my favourites) is simply a work of art. And last but not least, the special effects are absolutely excellent, adding to the quality of the movie. If you are looking for action and a good laugh, this is the film to see. But the actors are not the only things that make this film worth seeing. Click here
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Penfold-6 from Attleboro, MA
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I really believe that they billed this movie wrong. Many folks came in expecting the next Star Wars and were disappointed, to say the least. It's not like Star Wars. It's kinda like a live action comic book. Visually stunning, awesome use of color that just jumps out at you, and non-stop action, lots of it done with tongue firmly in cheek. Plot? Well forget the plot, it's the weak point of the film. But hey who ever said comic books had to have strong plots? Willis, Jovovich, and the rest do a fine job. I especially like the casting of Jovovich, she exudes innocence, vulnerability, sex, exotica, intelligence, and kung fu machismo all at the same time. So turn off the cynicism sign as you watch and just enjoy the ride. Great stuff!
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uds3 from Longmont, Colorado
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THE FIFTH ELEMENT is a complex film....if you WANT it to be! It offers varying levels of analysis depending on the tools you have to dig with! On the surface, a "leave your brain in the cloakroom" sci-fi yarn, you may well find wanting! As far removed from STAR WARS as Austin Powers is from DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. this film is pitched uniquely at those who can laugh at life but who have deep down an unquenchable desire for adventure and the romantic.
Set on a futuristic earth, where really nothing has changed except the technology, Bruce Willis is STILL John McLane, a has-been stormtrooper reduced now to driving air-cabs for a living...same old premise for him - nothing's changed much since STRIKING DISTANCE, except maybe the yellow hair-rinse. Now, legend has it that in a time long long ago, the forces of darkness visited earth and were repelled by the unification in close proximity, of four stones representing the four elements. earth, wind, fire and water together with a fifth "element" of unknown origin.
Dear old Ian Holm is Priest Cornelius, an expert authority on the five elements and keeper of all knowledge on things magical and mysterious. Gary Oldman in arguably his most way-put role is General Zorg who has done a deal with "The Dark Side" and whose sole purpose is to take possession of the elemental stones. The scene wherein he demonstrates the new weaponry to his alien henchman (from which the one-line "summary quote" above is taken) is an absolute classic of cinema. Milla Jovovich (Married to Besson at the time of the flick) is absolutely rivetting as Leeloo, the cloned/unzipped humanised fifth element. She must have practised long and hard perfecting her ancient language dialog....it's amazing. She strikes exactly the right note as a being of purity, femininity and warrior woman. As the film progresses she assumes the identitiy of the perfect girl any man would wish for and want to protect.
The comedy angle is hysterical, the action sequences in your face, and the fx generally impressive if not mega weird at times. Color and visuals play a major role in this pro-European production, the continent where not surprisingly it was most successful. The outcome naturally is predictable and in the best traditions of "will love save the day?" as if it wasn't always going to???
So, there u have it. Watch it one-dimensionally and that's what you'll get back. let it flow, immerse yourself in IT and you couldn't fail to have a good time, unless of course you are clinically dead or devoid of any sense of fun or fantasy ....but in that case you'd be wasting your time anyway, it wasn't MADE for you!
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(freemind3000@email.com) from Melbourne, Australia
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The Fifth Element is another fine example of the filmmaking talents of Luc Besson. Luc Besson, a creative genius and the director of classic films such as The Big Blue, Nikita and Leon (The Professional) has returned to the genre that started his filmmaking career, sci-fi. In The Fifth Element Luc Besson realises his life long ambition to make a film based on a story he thought of while still at school, Zaltman Bleros. Writing and directing the film, he skillfully mixes humour with action and amazing visual effects that put The Fifth Element in a class of it's own. Stunning performances are put forward by Milla Jovovich, Bruce Willis, Ian Holm, Chris Tucker and Gary Oldman, who returns to work with Luc Besson after playing Norman Stansfield in Leon. The Fifth Element show us how well comedy, action and romance can be put together. Overlooked at the Academy Awards, Luc Besson won the Cesar for Best Director at Cannes in 1998 for The Fifth Element. Simply, an excellent film, 10/10.
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Fancyfiddling from USA
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This is a great movie. It isn't your typical same alien vs. human movie where there is blood everywhere, and the humans win right before they've thought it was the end. It is much more interesting. The story has love vs. evil in a whole new way, and there's a lesson to be learned through it.
Honestly, I didn't really care about the plot all that much. The imagination and creativity is awesome! I love the colors and the ideas they came up with, especially how the design of the city. The futuristic clothing is cool too. The only thing I was disappointed in was the enemy aliens. They looked a little too artificial.
My favorite thing about the whole movie was the music. It went from techno to opera to jazz, and to all over. I loved the music, partially because they used Engima and Vangelis. Many people are like, "what the heck was that?" when they hear the music, but it fits the movie perfectly and leaves you with a feeling more than a theme. I like the randomness of the music, it works well with the quirkiness of the movie.
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rbverhoef (rbverhoef@hotmail.com) from The Hague, Netherlands
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There is so much entertainment in this movie it would be almost stupid to write about its flaws. Especially the story is not the best thing here, but who cares. I liked every scene, every moment in this movie. The movie opens in Egypt, 1914, and we meet some strange creatures. From here on we know this is not going to be a normal or very serious sci-fi action movie. The creatures tell a priest that the stones are no longer save on earth and they take some things. They tell the priest they will return in 300 years, when evil arrives.
300 years later. The strange creatures return but they are attacked by other strange creatures. The only thing that survives is reconstructed and turns out to be Lee Loo (Milla Jovovich). She is the fifth element, the ultimate weapon against evil. Evil here looks like a great ball of fire. Lee Loo escapes from the authorities, and in an astonishing shot we see how a city looks like now. She jumps of a building and ends up in the flying cab of Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis). He saves her from the police, she asks for priest Vito Cornelius (Ian Holm), he brings her there.
We learn a little more about Lee Loo here. She needs four stones, the four other elements, to save the world. The stones are on a vacation resort where we meet DJ Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker). He has some funny scenes as well. We have also met Zorg, who is played by Gary Oldman in a great way. The attack on the strange creatures early in the movie was planned by him. He wants the stones as well, he is offered a lot of money for them. How the story develops from here I will not reveal.
The story doesn't even matter. In every scene we have something to like. Beautiful settings, great visual effects, Gary Oldman, the beautiful Jovovich or the funny moments from Bruce Willis, Chris Tucker and Ian Holm. May be this movie is not for everyone but if you don't think to much you will definitely like it.
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jaredmobarak from buffalo, ny, usa
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After making heavy movies like La Femme Nikita and Leon, it is somewhat of a departure for Luc Besson to do this comic, pulp, sci-fi film The Fifth Element. Looking at his work now, with such high-octane humor as the Transporter series, among others, (written by Besson, but not directed), it doesn't seem that out of place. He just must have decided to only direct his more serious fare and leave the fun stuff to others. However, The Fifth Element is by no means a slight film without a fan base. As far as sci-fi goes, this is a very capable installment. With its mythology, creatures, action, and special effects, the movie has everything going for it. The humor that's infused just makes it better, vaulting it through genres and making it accessible to almost everyone who gives it a try.
Like most of its ilk, the story revolves around an evil force about to devour Earth and the rest of life itself as it increases in size and power with each influx of destruction and hate thrown at it. Every opportunity to blow it up only makes it stronger. Through a series of fortunate/ unfortunate happenings, (depending on who you are aligning with), we have the paths crossing of a priest who holds the answers for survival, an ex-military, cab driver bent on having some fun and excitement, a strange woman from another place at the center of it all, an evil mercenary out for money, and the government of the galaxy trying to save face in front of inevitable extermination. It is good versus evil traveling through space in order to either shed light or death out to the universe as victory.
In what is a nice little introduction to the myth of the fifth element that will unite with the more common four to wipe out evil, we learn of those who keep the secret of its location. We don't quite know if these aliens are good or not until later, but we do find out the impetus for their coming to the temple on display. A cut forward in time introduces us to the president of the galaxies, (played in what would seem to be horrible casting, but ends up being pretty good with Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr.), and our head priest in the guarding of the truth, Ian Holm. Holm explains what the dark force coming after them is and goes on the quest to find the fifth element and her four stones needed to combat it. This supreme being, played wonderfully by Milla Jovovich with a childlike glee and discovery, falls into the unwitting hands of cabbie Korben DallasBruce Willis at his sarcastic bad-ass best. Willis must join with Holm and Jovovich on a mission to recover the stones and find a way to save the world.
A lot of the success lies with the man behind it all, Luc Besson. His script is made up of a pretty solid plot line as far as the world destruction goes. Everything makes sense and is explained in a way to not bore us, but instead in tidbits culled from the numerous characters running about it this singularly unique landscape. The art direction is spectacular and for being a decade old, still has some nice special effects that stand up. I've always been a proponent for prosthetics, when able, at the expense of computer graphics. Reactions are always better from actors who have something real to play off of and the lighting and environments just become more realistic. Even so, when computers are used, the effects are more subtle than flashy and never take away from the story that is being told. No matter what spectacle is on display, the script is what is important.
All the personalities on display also lead to much of the greatness that The Fifth Element has to offer. Bruce Willis is the king of this kind of role. His quips and rapport with those around him are priceless. Other standouts are Chris Tucker, in an early role for him, and the great Gary Oldman. Tucker takes loud and obnoxious to a whole new level, but it works flawlessly. His radio DJ has no shame when it comes to working a crowd or chasing the ladies, but his utter fear of danger is hilarious. As for Oldman, I have to believe Besson just said create something fresh. This villain is a pastiche of so many crazy components. His futuristic hair, complete with plastic half shield, is plain weird; the southern accent and buck teeth look is just the right amount of hillbilly; and the disposition of greed and ambivalence is perfect for a bad guy. When he explains how destruction allows all the little machines that man created to finally have work cleaning up the mess, it's fantastic. The real beauty, though, is that no matter how many strong lead roles are here, the little guys steal scenes as well. Singer Tricky is great as Oldman's "Right Arm" and Mathieu Kassovitz partakes in one of the best scenes in the film when he attempts to mug Willis at his apartment.
Even with all its camp and fun, Besson keeps it all grounded in drama as any fantasy tale does. He has a real vision for aesthetics and has changed his scope often as he goes from film to film. From the mobster/corrupt cop world of New York, to the countryside of war with Joan of Arc, he never pigeonholes himself in a style. I am still holding out hope that his newest, Angel-A, with all its black and white, stylish noir feel, will hit the big screens here in Buffalo. It will be a real shame if the rumors are true and the completion of his children tale, Arthur and the Minimoys, will be the final work by him as a director.
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exocrine from Ottawa
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This movie is excellent! Chris Tucker's "Ruby Rhod" makes the film, he is incredible. I have never seen such controlled mania in a character. The diva is also another excellent sequence that mixes opera, martial arts, and rock excellently.
Mila Jovovich as "Leeloo" (Or Leeloo Dallas Multipass, as she calls herself) is excellent as the warriorish fifth element who saves the universe.
The "good" aliens at the beginning of the film and the elements of the film in general bring to mind "Brazil" or "12 monkeys".
Bruce Willis is good at negotiating (inside joke, see the film) his way though the movie.
I highly recommend this film and i guarantee you will be watching it again to see all the little parts that you missed the first time through.
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bob the moo from United Kingdom
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Three hundred years ago, the powerful weapon of the fifth element was removed from Earth. Three hundred years later and pure evil has stirred in the far reaches of space and is heading straight for Earth, with traditional weapons unable to stop it. When the Fifth Element is returned, the ship is attacked and seemingly lost but scientists are able to recreate the fifth element and are surprised to find it is a beautiful young woman, Leeloo. When Leeloo escapes custody she is helped by ex-army taxi driver Korben Dallas. Korben takes her to the priest she names, but he finds that everyone wants her for one reason or another then he finds that both the army and the priest need him to go on a mission to reclaim the missing four stones and save the Earth from evil.
I have seen this film several times and will usually come back to it if I find myself in the mood but yet I also find myself thinking of its flaws whenever anyone asks me about it. I can't understand why I do this because I really do enjoy this film even though there is much I sort of dislike about it. The plot is one of the weak points; generally it is quite good as an idea but it has many weak points that make it seem rather silly and overly busy. While this is not enough to really damage the film I know that it has put some people off in some audiences, but for me it was only a minor problem as these rather silly bits were all part of a film that had a great sense of fun running through it. Some of it didn't make much sense and at times I got the feeling that the film had more ideas than it really knew what to do with, but the majority of it worked well. The action is good but you should be prepared for the fact that, like much of the film, it is done with a certain amount of tongue in cheek humour. Suffice to say I never found it dull and it has plenty going on for the majority of the film
Visually is the area where the film is strongest and I could watch it for this alone. The effects are great and are full of imagination as well as looking very impressive. The design work of Dan Weil is very well used and compliments the effects used the film looks lavish and rich all the way through and matches the wonderful costumes from Jean-Paul Gaultier. Of course much of the praise goes to Luc Besson who has managed to pull this together really well to produce an endlessly impressive film, which manages to be a fun and exciting sci-fi.
The casting also backs this idea up and features many performances that are spot on with tongue in cheek performances that match the tone of the film perfectly. Bruce Willis delivers the same, great mocking performance that he tried in Hudson Hawk but here he does it in a film that is better structured and less silly than that one and it works a lot better. He still delivers the goods as an action lead but he puts his tongue just far enough in his cheek so as to be there without hurting the film! I don't want to overdo it (after all he is Bruce Willis!) but I thought he was very well cast here. Oldman is very hammy but this also works as it matches the humour of the piece. Jovovich had a very difficult role and it is easy to laugh at her baby talk etc but I think she made it work well and gave a good performance against the odds. Holm is pretty good and brings humour to his role as well. Tucker, sadly, fails to do the same as these and his overblown performance doesn't even fit well within this film (god knows where it WOULD fit!) and he only succeeds in being shrill and very annoying throughout not all his fault, his character is a wholly unnecessary part of the film. The support cast is roundly good and features a raft of famous faces in minor roles including Lee Evans, Brion James, Tricky, Luke Perry and Kim Chan. Generally the cast seem to be right on the same page as their director and compliment the material and tone perfectly.
Overall this is far from a perfect film and some may find the humour to be at odds with the sci-fi action; but for my money the fact that most of the film backed up this tongue in cheek tone made it all work. Some of the plot has too many ideas or unnecessary elements but most of it is really good and, combined with mostly good performances and stunning designs and effects make for a film that I will watch many times even if I cannot help but see the weaknesses that many others cannot get past.
Luc Besson wrote the original screenplay when he was in high school.
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The hero Korben Dallas and the villain Jean Baptiste Emanuel Zorg never meet, nor do they communicate in any way. They are, in fact, unaware of each other's degree of involvement.
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The language spoken by Leeloo was invented by director Luc Besson and further refined by Milla Jovovich, who had little trouble learning and developing it, as she was already fluent in 4 languages. By the end of filming they were able to have full conversations in this language.
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In most shots of Gary Oldman, there is a circle around his head. In fact, a circle in the middle of the frame is a near-constant motif in this film. Bruce Willis, on the other hand, is more often framed by a rectangle or doorway behind him.
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The explosion in the Fhloston main hall was the largest indoor explosion ever filmed. The resulting fire almost got beyond control.
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The flying traffic created by the visual effects team at Digital Domain allowed artists to create personalized license plates. Though never visible in the film, the state slogan printed on all license plates reads, "New York, The F***-You State."
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When the President tells Father Vito Cornelius he has "twenty seconds" to state his point, Vito talks for exactly twenty seconds.
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At the time, it was the most expensive film ever produced outside of Hollywood.
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When composer Eric Serra showed soprano Inva Mula (who dubs the voice of the Diva) the sheet music for the Diva Dance, she reportedly smiled and relayed to him that some of the notes written were not humanly possible to achieve because the human voice cannot change notes that fast. Hence, she performed the notes in isolation - one by one, as opposed to consecutively singing them all together and they digitized the notes to fit the music. There are a few moments when you can hear the differences in the vocal tones of The Diva's voice.
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Diva Plavalaguna sings "Il dolce suono," an aria from the opera Lucia de Lammermoor. It is one of the most difficult arias because of its length, its soaring arpeggios, and the high F above high C.
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When filming began, the production decided to dye Milla Jovovich's hair from its natural brown color to her character's signature orange color. However, due to the fact that her hair had to be re-dyed regularly to maintain the bright color, Milla's hair quickly became too damaged and broken to withstand the dye. Eventually a wig was created to match the color and style of Leeloo's hair, and was used for the remainder of the production.
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Bruce Willis ad-libbed the line, "Whoa, lady, I only speak two languages, English and bad English."
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Luc Besson cast Milla Jovovich as Leeloo, because "Milla has the physical thing, she can be from the past or the future. She can be an Egyptian or a Roman. She can be Nefertiti and she can be from outer space. That was one thing that I liked physically about her."
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According to the Ultimate Edition DVD, Prince and Lenny Kravitz were sources of inspiration for the part of Ruby Rhod.
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Many of the Mangalores aboard the Fhloston Paradise can be seen wearing "combat goggles". This was a practical solution to hide the actors' eyes (which were visible through the masks) and save money on makeup (contact lenses and coloring around the eyes).
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At US$80 million, the special-effects budget of the film was the highest of its time.
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Nick Dudman's creature crew created a group of spindly, long-nosed alien garbage collectors that never made it to the final film. In the scenes at the spaceport, there's a huge pile of garbage which has gone uncollected because the garbage collectors are on strike (as explained in some dialogue). These creatures would have been seen amidst the garbage, holding sandwich board signs reading "On strike" if they had made it to the final cut.
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Gary Oldman played Zorg as a cross between then-Presidential candidate Ross Perot and Bugs Bunny.
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As Korben and Leeloo approach an intersection in his cab the camera whips forward to reveal to the audience that six police cars are waiting for him ahead. In the far background, behind the police cars, is a chase between a police car and a long black car complete with muzzle flashes to represent gun fire between the two cars. Ever an eye for detail, Luc Besson noticed the embellishment the first time the visual effects shot was reviewed, thought that it was funny and it remains in the final film.
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Selected as the opening film for the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.
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In the future New York City, Central Park is the same size as the real one and is in the same place - but 100 feet in the air.
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The parasites being disinfected from the landing gear of the airplane (bound for Fhloston Paradise) by a team in sealed suits are actually Boglins, the 1980s puppet toys. With them is a Bumble Ball, a battery-operated shaking and vibrating ball covered with rubber knobs.
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The people populating the roofs, decks and windows during the visual effects sequences in New York are actually the artists and employees at Digital Domain who worked on the film.
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One of the Mondoshawan suits can be found at the Planet Hollywood restaurant in downtown Disney in Orlando Florida.
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When the Mondoshawan aliens appear in 1914 Egypt, the Professor, panicking, says, "A... A... Are you German?" In the German version he says "Sind Sie... hier von der Erde?" which roughly translates as "Are you from here... Earth?"
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Plavalaguna, Diva's name, is actually composed of two words: Plava and Laguna. "Plava" in Serbian, Croatian, Montenigrin and Bosnian language means Blue (feminine, masculine would be "plav"). "Laguna" in the same languages means lagoon. So her name is Blue Lagoon. (Milla Jovovich also played Lilli in Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991).)
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Elizabeth Berkley auditioned for the role of Leeloo, but after the failure of Showgirls (1995), studios were reluctant to hire her.
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The actor playing the cop in the driver's seat waiting at the McDonald's restaurant (with "65 trillion served" written on it) is Mac McDonald.
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The only phrases from Leeloo's alien language that are included in the captioning are "mlarta," "big ba-dah big boom," "akta," "seno akta gamat," "san agamat chay bet. Envolet," "danko," "domo danko," and "apipoulai." Everything else appears as Unknown Language or, after it's specified, the Divine Language.
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Cartoonist Jean-Claude M zires of 'My Fifth Element' also says that Luc Besson approached him for ideas, telling him: "I want to make a movie based on your visuals. But I am ready to pay you for the work." The nuance is because there has long been a controversy that many elements in the Star Wars series (several aliens, Darth Vader's costume, Leia's golden bikini, Han Solo's carbonite) were lifted almost unmodified out of Valerian (in particular 'L'Empire des Mille Plantes', published in 1971) - of which George Lucas is known to own several original editions, as seen during interviews in his study.
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Gary Oldman did this film to repay Luc Besson for part-financing his film Nil by Mouth (1997)
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Apparently an uncredited Vin Diesel provided the voice of Finger.
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Leeloo's full name is "Leeloomina Lekatariba Lamina-Tcha Ekbat De Sebat", as sourced by various media including Luc Besson's film diary (The Adventure and Discovery of a Film: The Story of The Fifth Element), a French promotional poster used in subways to advertise the film, and the video game manual. "Lekarariba" is a misspelling based in the script and thus transferred to the video subtitles as well. Leeloo speaks her "second" name with a hard "T" sound.
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Zorg's monologue about destruction creating productivity is actually a classic economics fallacy exposed in "The Parable of the Broken Window" written by French economist Frederic Bastiat in 1850. The full essay is called "Ce qu'on voit et ce qu'on ne voit pas" ("That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Not Seen").
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All but one of the Mondoshawan suits were destroyed after production. The surviving suit now belongs to Nick Dudman.
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Jean Reno was the original choice for the part of Korben Dallas.
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Korben's termination notice reads, in part, "Notice of termination of your contract, effective as of today. Due to violation of codes, HFGY56, 74HVB, 00JGHY, MNH356585, MCNH485757, 0478N - your engagement with this company finishes immediately. For, and on behalf of, ZORG." So it turns out Korben Dallas worked for Zorg when he drove his taxi, though this would have been implied anyway, as in the previous scene, Zorg gave the order for 1 million of his workers to be fired.
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Ruby Rhod was not the original name for Chris Tucker's character, it was Loc Rhod. The original name appears in the script and the movie novelization.
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Luc Besson, an admitted comic book fan, had two famous French comic book artists in mind for the film's visual style when he started writing the movie in high school. Jean Giraud (Moebius) and Jean-Claude M zires. Both artists have long-standing comic book series in France. Moebius is best known for "Blueberry" and the (French) Magazine and (US) movie Heavy Metal (1981). M zires is best known for the "Valerian" series. Both series are still in production today. Moebius and Mezieres, who attended art school together but had never collaborated on a project until The Fifth Element (1997), started renderings for the film in the early '90s and are responsible for the majority of the over all look of the film, including the vehicles, spacecrafts, buildings, human characters and aliens. However, only Giraud is credited, and even then he wasn't even granted a premium when the movie was eventually produced.
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Part of the song that the Diva sings is from the opera "Lucia Di Lammermoor", and very often goes by the title "The Mad Song", as it is sung by Lucia just after she murders Arturo (whom she was forced to marry) on their wedding day - Lucia is hallucinating that she has married the man she really loves; Edgardo, her brother's nemesis.
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The makeup contraption David gives Leeloo is black and bears the iconic Chanel CC logo. Milla Jovovich has appeared in ad campaigns for Chanel.
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Jamie Foxx was considered for the part of Ruby Rhod.
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The fast-paced song played by the ensemble at Fhloston is the music for the traditional Tahitian tamure (TAH-moo-ray) dance.
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The text scrolling across a Times Square theater marquee as Korben dives down through traffic is actually an excerpt from an e-mail dispute between several artists at Digital Domain. Other signs on digital and practical, miniature buildings contain similar in-jokes and references and the large cylindrical tanker truck that Korben's cab almost hits at the end of his decent is decorated with the logo of a Venice, California, pizza parlor that was a favorite of Digital Domain artists.
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Kevin Costner was considered for the role of General Munroe.
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When the ship leaves Earth for Fhloston Paradise, there's a "constellation" of a cat, walking with its tail straight up, in the lower left, right above the rim of the Earth.
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WILHELM SCREAM: Heard when Zorg blows up Right Arm at the airport and when Leeloo tosses two Mangalores out of the Diva's room.
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At the time, this was the most expensive production in Gaumont's history.
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Volumes of two manga series - "Sanctuary", by Ryoichi Ikegami and Sho Fumimura (Buronson), and "Adolf", by Osamu Tezuka - are briefly visible in Korben Dallas' apartment.
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The Zorg Industries ZF-1 Pod Weapons System was actually based upon an AKSU-74 compact assault rifle.
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This is one of two science-fiction movies featuring Ian Holm in which there is a character by the name of Dallas. The other one is Alien (1979), which stars Tom Skerritt as Captain Dallas.
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The grappa bottle in the opening scene bears a 1929 vintage label designed by artist Sante Cancian. The brand name, Marcati, was cut off the top of the label for use on the prop bottle.
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Triangles feature frequently in the film. They appear on the Egyptian ruins, on the displays of the planet alignment, and in the missile formation fired from the cruiser. Also, the stones are triangular prisms.
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In every New York visual effects scene with flying traffic there is a flying bus with the Digital Domain (the facility responsible for most of the VFX) internal reference, or shot name, stenciled on the roof of a bus. The instructions for the visual effects team were to include one bus with the shot name but then all other buses and traffic could have personal references including birthdays, initials, etc. The front marquee for a bus's destination and side billboards were customized by the artists at Digital Domain to reference, invisibly or subliminally, some personal stamp or message.
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Early in the film, Gary Oldman's character quotes Friedrich Nietzsche, "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Oldman's costar, Bruce Willis, released a record album on Motown Records with that title in the 1980s. 11 years later, Heath Ledger said a variation of the famous line in The Dark Knight (2008) (also starring Gary Oldman).
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While cartoonist Jean-Claude M zires isn't directly credited in the movie, he is indeed the confirmed author of most sets, as his album "The Extras of Mezieres v.2: My Fifth Element Sets for the Film by Luc Besson" (Les Extras De Mezieres n.2: Mon cinquime l ment decours pour le film du Luc Besson) was published at the same time the movie came out in France, reusing the movie's logo on the cover. Similarly, at the time the movie was being shot, Christin and M zires published 'Les cercles du pouvoir' which contained a hovercraft taxi (which led Luc Besson to rewrite the movie's opening scenes) and a caricature of Besson.
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The film had been in development since Luc Besson's childhood. Luc Besson had conceived the story of the film and invented the world of the film, as a child, so he could escape his lonely childhood.
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Mac McDonald whom plays a NYC policeman in the film is best known for playing Captain Ed Hollister in the long-running BBC science fiction sitcom "Red Dwarf", which he played in 1988 and again in 1999.
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The food that the two NYC cops that pursues Korbin and Leeloo eats is McDonald's. One of the two NYC cops is played by Mac McDonald.
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A year after the film's release, Gary Oldman would star in another science fiction film, which he plays an antagonist, that film was "Lost in Space".
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The actor whom played Emperor Kodar Japhet (Sonny Caldinez) is well known for the Ice Warriors in the long-running BBC science fiction series "Doctor Who".
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Sonny Caldinez's last acting role.
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In the film, Leeloo has orange hair and yet, Korbin Dallas wears a orange tank top.
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Ian Holm later went on to star as Bilbo Baggins in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy is about Frodo Baggins, whom along with a fellowship of companions, set out to destroy a magic ring and prevent a dark lord from possessing the magic ring and use it to conquer all life in Middle Earth. In this film, Mr. Shadow (Who Zorg secretly works for) seeks to possess the four element stones, so he can exterminate all life in the universe, as well as on Earth.
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Luc Besson: [intro]
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Luc Besson: [music]
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At the end of the movie, when Korben's mother calls and the President passes off the phone, you can hear her complaining, "I might as well throw myself into traffic, Saran Wrap myself to the bed and pretend my child is suffocating me..." She is listing off previous scenes within the movie.
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The alien who detonates the final bomb at the hotel uses a device which is actually a MasterLock with a timing lamp attached.
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The number 5 appears in the movie on several obvious occasions: There are 5 elements; Korben Dallas' license had five points left; Zorg stops his bomb with 5 seconds remaining on the timer and the Mangalore's bomb starts with a 5 second timer; Ruby Rhod, near the end of the movie after the alien planet is stopped, says, "There's a bomb going off every 5 minutes!" and the doctor at the end says that Leeloo and Korben need 5 more minutes; Ruby Rhod's show is at 5.
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Director Luc Besson has stated in several sources (among them his own production diary), that the Fifth Element is "a representation of life, love, and art," and that "The Fifth Element is a symbol of life." (Tele Rapide', 28 February-6 March, 1998).
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The movie begins in Egypt in 1914. When the Mondoshawans arrive at the temple, one of them tells the priest that in 300 years when evil returns, so will they. The next scene shows the future and "300 Years Later" is displayed on the screen. But when Korben wakes up suddenly, after the Dark Planet destroys the military spaceship, there is a clear yellow ticket above his bed with the date and time of 2:00am, 18 March 2263. That is 349 years from 1914. Not coinciding with 300 Years Later displayed on the screen for the existing future year.
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When Zorg is leaving the Mangalores behind with the one crate of weapons, setting them up to kill themselves with the self-destruct buttons he failed to tell them about, he talks to his Right Arm about how he doesn't like warriors like the Mangalores because they fight for hopeless causes. Right Arm says they fight for "Honor." Zorg's response is "Honor's killed millions of people, hasn't saved a single one." Later, on Fhloston Paradise, the Mangalores set off the bomb that kills Zorg after saying, "For the honor."
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In the first scene where Zorg is walking, the sound of metal clinking is heard when his right foot hits the ground. After his face is shown, the metal clinking is heard when his left foot hits the ground for the rest of the movie.
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In Zorg's office, when he is interrogating Vito Cornelius, near the end of the scene, a boom mic moves slightly in and out of the top left of the frame.
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Zorg's limp switches from his right leg to his left leg and then back again several times throughout the film.
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In the penultimate scene in the temple, Ruby, unable to light the fire stone because he has no matches, claims that he would have some if he had not quit smoking. However, he is seen smoking earlier in the film, the cigarette being lit by one of his toadies: Ruby has not so much quit smoking as he has, being a galaxy-class VIP, quit lighting his own cigarettes.
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When "Fingers" calls Korben on the phone to tell him about the cab needing its 6 month overhaul, he mentions he sat next to Major Dallas (Korben) "for a thousand missions", meaning he was a soldier in the same "elite special forces unit of the Federated Army" as Korben. Yet, when General Munroe comes to the apartment to talk Major Dallas (Korben) into a mission "to save the world" (to retrieve the stones from the Diva), he tells Major Dallas that "out of all the members of your unit, you're the only one left alive".
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When Leeloo is on the ledge of the building when she is escaping after being revived and the police are scanning her, when the picture of her is captured - the screen next to her picture says "commencin initial...."
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When they arrive at the temple Cornelius holds up a stone with the lines going across the bottom of it, Korben takes it, but in the next shot he is holding a stone with lines running up it.
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When Leeloo throws the box of stones to Zorg, the box is rotating to the left (as seen from the screen), but after the clip just after the throw, the box is rotating the other way.
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After Rhuby Rhod's first broadcast in the airport interior, the commercial audio for the Gemini Crocket Contest runs in the background. Since Korben has already won, there is no need to keep running this commercial.
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When Vito Cornelius tries to convince the president, he has a little blood-spot on the right eye (as seen from the camera - it's his left eye actually). Later on it disappears.
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We see three Mangalores advance on Korben and Ruby in the first row right after Korben tells Ruby to guard the stones, then we cut to the President's office. When we cut back to Korben he has now shot three Mangalores at the front entrance to the Opera house and the arms of his shirt are now torn. There is no scene detailing what happened to his shirt or the Mangalores.
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In the beginning at the Egyptian temple while speaking to the Priest, the Professor has his cup in his right hand then a brush then the cup again all while speaking the same sentence.
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Zorg catches the case containing the four stones, and is seen putting it down on the floor next to the door so he can pursue Leeloo. In the next shot, the case has vanished.
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After his first broadcast, Ruby's assistant lights up a cigarette for him. Ruby smokes while his staff is telling him how "green" the show was. When he glance at Korben, the cigarette is still in his left hand.But the next second, he dismiss his whole staff with his left hand, and the cigarette and the smoke emanating from it are both gone.
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When the Mangalores first bring the box of stones (which turns out to be empty) to Zorg, it shows him lifting the lid. It's obvious there is a frame cut at this point because the scene 'jumps' a bit to the right before he closes the lid again.
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When Leeloo falls through the cab roof and Korben has to pull over and puts the cab on "automatic", the word "automatic" on the button is the wrong way down, but later when he pushes the button again to start running from the cops, the writing on the button is almost perfect.
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When Leeloo is exiting the shuttle on the cruise ship, the camera dollies forward and there is a crew member on the left of the screen with a radio. The camera quickly adjusts to remove him from the shot.
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Reflected in the security window in Korben's cab as he speeds away from the cops and loses the last point on his license.
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When Korben gets into the cab and he opens the "garage door" you can see a grilled light being held by a crewman's hand.
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At the spaceport on their way to Fhloston, Korben takes David's ID, looks at it and calls him David when David is impersonating Korben. However, when David shows the fake ID's to Vito, he checks it and says "Korben David Dallas". When Korben shows up to the spaceport he takes David's ID looks at and since he knows David is not his middle name he just assumes his name is David.
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When Leeloo has crash landed in Korben's taxi cab, when she looks up through the glass cab panel she has a strand of red hair across her nose and cheek that could be taken for blood, explaining why it "disappears" later.
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After Leeloo has fallen into the taxi and is pleading with Korben for help, she sees a sign that says "Please help" and instantly understands how those two words are pronounced. For her, the alphabet should appear as gibberish and, even if she were able to realize that she was looking at writing and surmise the meaning, she should have had no idea how to pronounce it.
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General Munroe and associates are pushed into a freezer at Korben's apartment and are clearly frozen however later in the film General Munroe is seen again. At no point is his unfreezing mentioned in the movie.
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When Korbin Dallas hides Fr. Vito Cornelius in the retractable bed, it's evident that part of his priest's robe will stick out from the closed bed, revealing his hiding place.
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When Right Arm explodes in the terminal and the smoke clears, he is still standing in the same place in the same position completely unaffected.
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During Plavalaguna's performance, the seams on her prosthetic headpiece are clearly visible in profile shots.
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In the very beginning of the movie, right before Leeloo punches through the glass that is supposed to be "unbreakable", you can see that the glass is already cracked and ready to be broken.
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In the first scene, when the Mondoshawans arrive to take the "fifth element" statue in the hidden room, the camera pans up and over the statue to an overhead shot. This statue has apparently been untouched for several hundred years, and would naturally be uniformly dusty. Unfortunately there is an obvious clean human hand print on the top of the statue, presumably from whoever put the statue in place for the shot.
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When Leeloo is standing on the ledge and is being blinded by the police lights she raises her hands right before she jumps. Her hands are very dirty, almost completely black. After that she jumps down, crashes into Korben's cab, and puts her hands against the glass, here you can see her hands are much cleaner. Also her face seems less dirty.
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Leeloo's "tattoo" appears in several places throughout the film. When she is standing on the ledge, it is on her left forearm. Later, it switches between her left wrist and her right wrist.
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In all shots of Leeloo up to the scene with Cornelius and David where she points out the planet to Cornelius on the monitor, there is a visible mark on her forehead (just above her left eyebrow) - not a dirt mark but an actual physical blemish on Milla Jovovich's head. However, just before the scene changes, it magically vanishes, and never reappears in the remainder of the movie.
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In the flying car chase, the shot of the cockpit 3D map display is reversed. All lettering is backward.
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In the final exterior shot of the temple as Mr. Shadow is approaching, the sun is in the background and a shadow falls across the foreground; however there is nothing in between to create the shadow.
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Reversed shot of buttons (numbers reversed) in airplane cockpit prior to departure for Fhloston Paradise.
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When Korben Dallas is taking out the stones from the Diva's body and placing them into his jacket, sleeves on his shirt are alright, but right in the next scene, with this character, sleeves on his shirt are ripped and ragged, completely messed up. Scene, that is explaining, what happened with his sleeves is missing.
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In the beginning of the movie when they are at the temple, the Mondoshawan gets stuck in the door of the secret chamber, however at the end of the movie when they re-enter the temple supposedly 300 years later, the Mondoshawan is completely gone with no trace. But you don't see the entrance to the temple so it is possible it is still there or since it has been about 300 years since the beginning it is possible that the Mondoshawans went back and retrieved their lost friend. Or that David found a way to move the Mondoshawan body when preparing the temple; obviously, he opened the door that originally crushed the Mondoshawan.
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When the head Mangalore gets shot in the head in the 'negotiation', the remains of the explosive device are visible in the prosthetic mask.
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1910s|end of the world|number in title|evil|stone|future|escape|weapon|taxi|taxi driver|clone|love|new york|mission|water|priest|alien|fire|spacecraft|box office hit|futuristic police car|three word title|space|artificially created woman|alien starship|exploding starship|cruise liner starship|outrunning explosion|humanoid alien|female humanoid alien|broken windows theory|terrorist|terrorism|escape pod|held at gunpoint|ex soldier|genetic engineering|exploding ship|rocket|tough guy|colonel|soldier|gatling gun|pistol|french science fiction|ancient astronaut|human alien|cyborg|futuristic|kidnapping|spaceship|pyramid|exploding planet|hotel|anti hero|car chase|military|machine gun|rocket launcher|extraterrestrial|brooklyn new york city|dystopia|futuristic city|black u.s. president|satire|outer space|fired from the job|cyborg redneck|alien invasion|gay stereotype|metrosexual|orgasm|catholic priest|airplane|female nudity|black president|race against time|pursuit|invasion|end of mankind|cyberpunk|space travel|space opera|rescue|explosion|epic|destiny|1990s|timebomb|temple|talk show host|street vendor|stowaway|special forces|spaceport|shower|shootout|shapeshifting|sex scene|secret passage|robot|resort hotel|refrigerator|prologue|prize|president|premarital sex|police raid|police chase|poison|opera singer|new york city|murder|mugging|mother son relationship|military veteran|ledge|language barrier|key|impersonation|hostage|good versus evil|general|falling from height|egypt|double cross|cloning|choking|blood|bar|assault|arms dealer|archeologist|androgyny|23rd century|shot to death|shot in the foot|wilhelm scream|kung fu|cult film|futuristic train|train|planet|flamethrower|concert hall|gene manipulation|blockbuster|shot in the forehead|mcdonald's restaurant|apocalypse|cat|product placement|space shuttle|messiah|television|desert|flying car|egyptology|apartment|satellite|cockroach|diva|wind|martial arts|invented language|title spoken by character|
AKAs Titles:
Argentina - El quinto elemento
Austria - Das fnfte Element
Belgium (Flemish title) (cable TV title) - Het vijfde element
Bulgaria (Bulgarian title) - Ÿе‚и‚ елемен‚
Brazil - O Quinto Elemento
Canada (French title) - Le cinquime l ment
Czech Republic - Pt element
Germany - Das fnfte Element
Denmark - Det femte element
Estonia - Viies element
Spain - El quinto elemento
Finland - The Fifth Element - puuttuva tekij
France - Le cinquime l ment
Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title) - To pempto stoiheio
Greece - Το €έμ€„ο ƒ„οι‡είο
Croatia - Peti element
Hungary - Az tdik elem
Italy - Il quinto elemento
Lithuania - Penktasis elementas
Mexico - El quinto elemento
Norway - Det femte element
Peru - El quinto elemento
Poland - Piaty element
Portugal - O 5º Elemento
Portugal (alternative spelling) - O Quinto Elemento
Romania - Al cincilea element
Serbia - Peti element
Russia - Ÿ‚‹й лемен‚
Sweden - Det femte elementet
Slovenia - Peti element
Slovakia - Piaty element
Turkey (Turkish title) - 5. G
USA (alternative spelling) - The 5th Element
USA - The Fifth Element
Uruguay - El quinto elemento
Release Dates:
Certifications:
Argentina:13 / Australia:PG / Belgium:KT / Canada:PG (Manitoba) / Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) / Canada:AA (Ontario) / Canada:13+ (Quebec) / Canada:14+ (TV rating) / Chile:TE / Denmark:11 / Finland:K-12 / France:U / Germany:12 / Iceland:10 / Iceland:12 (video rating) / Ireland:12 / Israel:PG / Italy:T / Netherlands:12 / Netherlands:6 (re-rating) / New Zealand:PG / Norway:11 / Peru:PT / Portugal:M/12 / Singapore:NC-16 / Singapore:PG (cut) / South Korea:15 (2013) / South Korea:12 (1997) / Spain:7 / Sweden:11 / UK:PG / USA:PG-13 (certificate #34794)
Movie Details:
MOVIE
