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 10 wins & 38 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:

love | futuristic city | cult film | false identity | future | 

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Taglines:

There is no future without it.

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The wonder on Bruce Willis' face when the Diva sings is real. That was the first time he'd heard it and seen the actress in full make-up.

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Goofs

A few minutes after Leeloo crashes through the roof of Korben's flying taxi, he zooms away with her from a flying police "car" that has pulled alongside his taxi. As he speeds away (at 35:58 in the movie), a sound like squealing tires is clearly audible. This should be impossible for a flying vehicle with no wheels (although it does make for a nice dramatization of the moment).

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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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Alternate Versions

In the theatrical release, Korben Dallas initially opens his door after hearing the door chime. He looks into the monitor, sees the empty hallway, opens the door, and then almost gets mugged. This scene was edited for the ABC presentation.

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Connections

Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Kickass Female Fight Scenes in Movies (2016)

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Soundtracks

Little Light Of Love
Performed by Éric Serra (as R.X.R.A)
Background Vocals by Nourith (uncredited)
Words and Music by Éric Serra
Produced by Rupert Hine and Éric Serra

User Reviews

Excellent Fantasy Movie

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

France UK USA

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

Gross USA:

$63,820,180

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$264,029,966

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Gaumont, Pinewood Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS Dolby Atmos (remastered version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1