Review for The Fifth Element

Introduction

"Leeloo Dallas Mooltipass," are three words that will invariably put a grin on my face. The Fifth Element has been the ultimate sci-fi guilty pleasure for me, since I first saw it on creaky VHS. Luc Besson's crazy Technicolor future world is the perfect antidote to years of dark and gloomy sci-fi visions, those post apocalyptic doom laden works of speculative art that insist that humanity is doomed to wallow in its own self-destructive excrescence. The Fifth Element is a future with pep, with joy, with boundless and indeed idiotic optimism. I love it. My passion for it was such that I upgraded to the DVD when it was first released, when all I knew about DVD transfers was that anamorphic was good, surround sound was good too, and extras were just a bonus. Coming off the VHS, the DVD looked perfect, and I reviewed it as such almost ten years ago now. It turns out that it wasn't perfect; indeed it was anything but.

The initial Region 2 disc that I reviewed, and the subsequent 2 disc special edition had an image quality that was severely lacking, especially when compared to the Region 1 Ultrabit release, at the time considered the definitive DVD benchmark. You can see the full story at DVD Beaver, but in short, the UK release had the contrast punched up, the brightness lowered, losing detail in both brighter and darker scenes and was distinctly desaturated in the red part of the spectrum. The print sourced for the UK disc also has a smidgen more dirt on it. It became a choice between the better quality but lower resolution R1 disc, or taking a chance with the various Region 2 releases in the hope of finding a decent transfer. The clue is in the logo, if it has the Columbia Tristar logo, it's probably a decent print, if it has European Gaumont logo; it's the flawed print. I chose the third path; I decided to wait for a decent UK re-release. That never happened, but in the meantime someone did invent the Blu-ray.


Being a newcomer to this high definition world, I haven't seen the US Blu-ray release of The Fifth Element, but it too wasn't without its hiccups, with the initial release by Sony so poorly received that they went back and remastered and re-released it, offering a free upgrade to the disgruntled. That US release begat an Australian release and a Dutch and Scandinavian release, all of which are pretty much barebones discs, with only a subtitle trivia track to speak of. Now that I have a Blu-ray player, The Fifth Element comes to Blu-ray in the UK courtesy of Pathé, and it is loaded with extra features. In fact, the sharp eyed among you will recognise these extras from the 2-disc Special Edition DVD that was released here previously. But the film does start with the Gaumont logo, not the Columbia Tristar one.

Since my opinion of the film has only solidified over the last ten years, I've lazily performed a cut and paste of my original review, hence the italics for the old text.

Sometimes, a film come along that you think is peerless, that can never be matched or surpassed. It's not this one. I'm talking about Blade Runner. Blade Runner managed in one film to define a view of a world with outstanding design, brilliant music, top-notch direction, brilliant performances and a gripping story. What The Fifth Element has done is come within a hair's width of matching the freshness and originality of Blade Runner. It just misses out on one point.

Every 5000 years, the ultimate evil returns in an attempt to destroy life. To combat this threat, there is an ultimate weapon, the perfect being, the fifth element, which in conjunction with the 4 known elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water can defeat the evil. In 1914 Egypt, with the threat of war engulfing the world, the alien Mondoshawan came to retrieve the weapon, so it could be kept safe for future generations. In the 23rd Century, the evil returns and the weapon must return to Earth to be used to save the world. However the Mondoshawan ship returning the weapon is attacked by Managalore mercenaries and is destroyed. Retrieving what remains of the weapon, scientists use surviving cells to resurrect the weapon in the form of Leeloo, played by Milla Jovovich. She escapes from the lab and the military and dives into the cab of Korben Dallas, a retired soldier played by Bruce Willis. She asks his help in evading the authorities and in delivering her to the monk, Cornelius (Ian Holm) Cornelius' order has been tasked down the ages with preserving the knowledge of the ultimate evil and the fifth element. With the ultimate evil, a flaming ball of energy, thousands of miles across heading for Earth, Leeloo, Korben and Cornelius must recover the stones that represent the four elements so the weapon can be used. Trying to defeat them and further the cause of evil is the head of Zorg industries, Jean Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg played by Gary Oldman and his Mangalore mercenaries.

Picture

The Gaumont logo is indicative. This release of The Fifth Element looks as if it was mastered from the same print as the original region 2 DVDs. Certainly it has that same speck of dirt on the print over the establishing shot of the 1914 archaeological dig. But the source print is all that it has in common with the DVDs, what it does with the source is completely different.


Having said that, I feel that I have been spoilt by the few Blu-rays that I have seen so far, mostly of recent films, and I was expecting something just as spectacular when it comes to clarity and definition from The Fifth Element. Perhaps asking that of a 14 year old film is a little too much. The 1080p 2.35:1 widescreen image is still light years beyond the DVD transfer; it does have that 3D pop to it that you would expect from high definition images. I was thrilled at spotting things that I missed on DVD, the beads of sweat on the priest's forehead, the crumpled linen of the Professor's jacket. In terms of colour, clarity and definition, this is a wholly different beast to the DVD. That said, it never reaches the pin-sharp definition of modern releases, there is an overall softness to the image, perhaps by design, perhaps to mask the limits of the special effects technology of the period. It's subtle and it's inoffensive, but it is there.

It also still has issues either end of the brightness scale, with the brighter whites popping a little too much, and detail crushed in the darker scenes. There's hardly any detail at all in the opening shot with the Mondoshawan ship arriving at Earth, while the white clothing that the children wear does overpower the scene at the start.


Then I realised that rather than enjoying the film, I was actively looking for flaws, so instead of doing that, I put the DVD in straight afterwards to compare the two. What a universe of difference! Horrendous aliasing on the opening credits, blacks pushed up until they are grey, space with a whopping yellow streak down the middle (The Mondoshawan ship may be visible, but what's the point when you can also see the seams where the image is composited?), the opening Egyptian scenes so overexposed that rather than being unable to make out the detail on white clothing, I could barely see any detail in the scene at all. Worst of all, reds are so desaturated that everything in the film looks as if it's been blue-shifted. Skin tones are yellow, Leeloo's red hair is orange; at times it looks as if the whole movie is being viewed through a yellow filter.

The image quality of the high definition release may lack the pixel perfection of a reference quality Blu-ray disc, but it's good enough, especially now that they have the colour balance right.

Sound

There are no such concerns with the audio, which comes with the option of Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround at 640kbps, or a full-throated DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. There are optional English subtitles if you require them. Note that the disc does default to the lesser DD track though. I'm not as much an audiophile as I am a visual nit-picker, but for me the requirements of enveloping surround, clear dialogue, vibrant action sequences, and resonant music were all met. It's a rich and lush future world that Luc Besson creates, and that richness is wonderfully represented by the film's sound design. Eric Serra's music is a magnificent accompaniment to the story, and an oft-visited mainstay of my CD collection.

Extras

Some things are new on this disc, the newly transferred high definition film most obviously, and the animated menus. But the rest of the extras are inherited from the 2-disc special edition DVD, so you won't be surprised at the prevalence of SD content.

The Visual Effects Commentary is accessible from the set up menu, and features Mark Stetson, Karen E. Goulekas, Bill Neil, and Ron Gress, as they talk about the effects work they did on the film. That alone would be pretty dry, but they do have a great deal of fun watching the film and have some entertaining observations and anecdotes as well.


The largest and most useful featurette is the Discovering the Fifth Element retrospective documentary, which lasts 48 minutes. It's a nice look at the production process, from script to release, with input from the cast and crew.

Then there are a series of five-minute featurettes that expand on, and in some cases repeat material from the major documentary. Imagining The Fifth Element looks at the special effects, The Art of Jean-Claude Mézières has a look at one of the conceptual artists who contributed to the film, An Audience With Diva Plavalaguna looks at how that wondrous character was brought to life, and Elements of Style looks at the work of costume designer Jean-Paul Gaultier.

There are trailers and TV Spots for the film, comprising the theatrical and teaser trailers and five TV spots.


Finally there is the MTV Cannes Premiere programme, 47 minutes worth of absolute air-headed nonsense. The M in MTV must stand for moron, as it's a show for the soft of thinking. Vapid presenters ask inane questions to intelligent people who are contractually obliged to answer with a degree of wit, rather than tell them where to stick their microphones. There's about 10 minutes of this, 5 minutes of poor Milla Jovovich having to adopt the MTV frame of mind, a whole lot of clips from the film, and half an hour of a Neneh Cherry concert. The things they stuck on DVDs to justify a Special Edition moniker!

As mentioned, everything ported over from the Special Edition DVD is in SD resolution, and unfortunately for some of the thicker French accents, there are no subtitles.

Conclusion

Korben Dallas as portrayed by Bruce Willis is a familiar character. Adding another hero thrown in the deep end to his repertoire wasn't going to stretch him, but with the addition of a Sci-Fi plot and the European styling and inspired direction of Luc Besson, the character comes across as fresh and new. Gary Oldman always plays brilliant bad guys, and Zorg is no exception. The cowlick hair and the accent simply are garnish to the ruthlessness of the character. Unfortunately, the motivation of the character is never really explored and because of this, Zorg comes across as a token villain, only necessary to further the plot. Ian Holm is the bumbling monk, Cornelius and is a joy to watch. Chris Tucker makes an appearance as the flamboyant DJ, Ruby Rhod. I've never been a fan of Tucker's. He seems to get comedy confused with volume and as a result, I'm always reaching for the mute button. If possible, his costumes are louder than he is, but aren't really a saving grace, what does save the role is that his character demands brashness and he is kept under control by Besson, also as he is a supporting character, his appearances are mercifully brief. He is definitely the Jar-Jar in this movie. Milla Jovovich is a breath of fresh air in the role of Leeloo. She is simply captivating whenever she is on screen, and for me makes the whole movie. Despite the fact that she is the ultimate weapon, she displays a frailty and vulnerability that is magical. She has a childlike charisma that never fails to keep you glued to the screen. That doesn't mean that she doesn't kick Mangalore butt. Also in this film is Lee Evans as a flustered hotel Bellboy, which reminded me of the French passion for Jerry Lewis. There is also the brilliant Brion James as a nonplussed Army General. Then there's Tricky.

So why does Blade Runner still reign supreme? Simply put, the story. The Fifth Element doesn't exactly challenge the brain cells. In an intricately designed world the story is a simple battle of good versus evil. It's almost a fairy tale vision of the future. This isn't to the film's detriment, far from it. Luc Besson's story can appeal universally and draw in a far greater audience. But like Blade Runner, this one film has created a world so intricate and detailed that it stays in the consciousness. The sound and visual design, because of technological advances surpass Ridley Scott's masterwork. But the light-hearted story is simplistic entertainment at it's best. Luc Besson's direction and a humorous touch make for a charming film. Only two things rankle. Chris Tucker not being funny, and blatant product placement with that horrendous burger joint.

Since I upgraded to high definition, I've found that I haven't been as eager for the upgrade double dip, as I was when I moved from VHS to DVD. A decent DVD combined with a decent upscaler is just about good enough to watch, even if it doesn't have the same clarity of Blu-ray. Besides those timeless classics that every cinephile would want in the best possible quality, I've instead been rewatching my DVDs, to see which are so lacklustre that the only option is to upgrade to Blu-ray. Of the forty or so films I have watched in this way, only two have I deemed unsuitable for a high definition display. One of those is the old Fifth Element DVD.

Come the 6th of June, UK fans of The Fifth Element who are Blu-ray capable shouldn't hesitate. You shouldn't even think about it. Just make sure you have this disc in your possession by the end of the day. It has a few minor issues to be sure, it isn't the spectacular eruption of audio-visual perfection that some Blu-ray transfers can offer, but it is a spectacular improvement over the previous Region 2 DVD releases. Compared to those lacking discs, it will be like watching the film for the first time all over again. The odd thing is that now, ten years on, I don't find Chris Tucker a tenth as annoying as I used to. I must be mellowing.