Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 111 Ratings

  • Starring: Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Milla Jovovich
  • Summary: New York cab driver Korben Dallas didn't mean to be a hero. But he just picked up the kind of fare that only comes along every five thousand years - a perfect beauty, a perfect being, a perfect weapon. Now, together, they must save the world. (Columbia TriStar)
  • Director: Luc Besson
  • Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Romance
  • Rating: PG-13
  • Runtime: 126 min
  • More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 22
  2. Negative: 3 out of 22
  1. The cast is a delight, but it's Willis who is the film's true "fifth element," giving it life, depth and humanity.
  2. 80
    An entertaining tangle of pop aesthetic and comic book myth that occasionally bogs down, but manages to be ingratiating for all its defects.
  3. The action is fast, furious, and as wacky as science fantasy gets.
  4. 30
    Even the revelation of what the fifth element is at the end is disingenuous--in fact, the archness of this whole project is repellent.

See all 22 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 33
  2. Negative: 3 out of 33
  1. I loved this movie. I saw it in the theaters and have watched it on TV a zillion times since. There was an article in the NY Times recently about unforgettable movie lines. The article wasn't particularly good - it forgot about Better Davis's "fasten your seatbelt, it's gonna be a bumpy ride" and so on. But it got me thinking. And what popped into my mind (forgive me) were two lines from The Fifth Element that I found unforgettable: "Negative, I am a meat popsicle." and "Does anyone else want to negotiate?" And then there is the memorable "It sa, it sa, it sa..." I am really curious what it is that so turned the critics off. I am a fan for life of this whimsical, silly, funny, well-acted and yes, sentimental, film. Love might not save the world, but wait - it's on again this week! Who cares!?! Expand
  2. Why did I watch it?
    A friend gave me this to watch after I had watched Blade Runner and mentioned that having previously seen neither, I had
    always mixed the two up. Problem solved.

    What's it all about?
    Set in the future, Bruce Willis stars as a taxi driver (of the flying variety, naturally) accidentally caught up in an almost farcical battle to save the Earth from evil. Faced with a thousand year old prophecy coming true, Korben Dallas (Willis) helps scared and almost-nude alien Milla Jovovich defend Earth by racing evil magnate Gary Oldman in the search for four prophetical elements.

    Should you watch it?
    Don't let the premise put you off. Yes it's surreal and almost ridiculous but Luc Besson's near fantastical sci-fi adventure is an enjoyable ride with bags of style to spare. Production design was handled by a pair of French comic book creators and costumes were designed by Jean Paul Gaultier.

    Willis and Jovovich are instantly likeable as the leads, Oldman plays the wonderfully over the top enemy and Chris Tucker injects another dose of craziness every time he appears as the extravagant motor-mouth radio host Ruby Rhod. Besson creates some great scenes, visually, Leeloo (Jovovich) going out onto a window ledge and giving the audience their first view of the futuristic city and musically, the Diva's opera edited together with an action sequence.

    Enjoyable and amusing sci-fi romp with a great cast.
    Expand
  3. j30
    7
    It's hard to top the imagination and ambition of The Fifth Element. The film is simply a fun ride that the greatly entertaining, Luc Besson takes you on. Expand
  4. PhilD.
    2
    After watching this movie, I had to sit back and literally say out loud... WTF was that? What genre can you even describe this movie as? Sci-Fi? Nope. Comedy? Maybe. Super-colorful-fun time? Yes! We have a winner. Bottom line, don't watch unless you are watching it to laugh at it. Expand

See all 33 User Reviews

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