The Fifth Element (1997)

In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay.

Director:

Luc Besson

Writers:

Luc Besson (screenplay by), Robert Mark Kamen (screenplay by)

Stars:

Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 36 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	Korben Dallas
Gary Oldman	...	Zorg
Ian Holm	...	Cornelius
Milla Jovovich	...	Leeloo
Chris Tucker	...	Ruby Rhod
Luke Perry	...	Billy
Brion James	...	General Munro
Tommy 'Tiny' Lister	...	President Lindberg (as Tommy 'Tiny' Lister Jr.)
Lee Evans	...	Fog
Charlie Creed-Miles	...	David (as Charlie Creed Miles)
Tricky	...	Right Arm
John Neville	...	General Staedert
John Bluthal	...	Professor Pacoli
Mathieu Kassovitz	...	Mugger
Christopher Fairbank	...	Mactilburgh

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

good versus evil | pretty legs | miniskirt | short skirt | implied cunnilingus | 

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Taglines:

250 years in the future, all will be lost unless the fifth element is found.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi violence, some sexuality and brief nudity

Details

Country:

France

Language:

English Swedish German Arabic Egyptian (Ancient)

Release Date:

9 May 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

The 5th Element

Filming Locations:

UK

Box Office

Budget:

$93,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,031,345, 11 May 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$63,540,020, 5 October 1997

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$263,920,180, 10 July 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaumont

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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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Goofs

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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Quotes

[first lines]
Omar: [whispers to sleeping Aziz] Aziz! Aziz!
Professor Pacoli: [shouts] Aziz! Light!
[Aziz wakes up with a start]
Billy: "Aziz! Light!"

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Connections

References Seven Beauties (1975)

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Soundtracks

Alech Taadi
Performed by Khaled
Composed by Khaled
© Barclay 1993
Courtesy of Polygram Special Projects

User Reviews

earth meet Jovovich, Jovovich meet earth

Talk about love at first sight.

This is one of those movies where if you were lucky enough to see it first-run, you did not really appreciate it at the time.

It holds up very well. And gets better with subsequent viewings (As does MS. Jovovich who went on to do a string of very memorable sci fi flicks, and one drama where, believe it or not, she played an aspiring wedding singer) Massive (truly massive) talent in front of and behind the camera. Luc Besson in front (crazy as a loon but boy can he write scripts) and Willis/Oldman in front.

For the day, the special effects were top notch.

There a joyful innocence about the film which was rare at the time, and even rarer today.

See it once. See it often. It'll make you smile