Flying Taxicabs

Movie Review: The Fifth Element

The Fifth Element Movie Poster

Flying cars and talking walls are revisited in this film that
addresses the common theme of good versus evil with an innovative perspective that ties Ancient Egypt with the world of tomorrow.

Korben Dallas, a taxicab driver of the future, tries to live his life as normally as possible, until he meets Leeloo, an incomprehensible humanoid capable of extraordinary accomplishments.

Based on ancient stories recited by an Ancient Egyptian Fable, Leeloo, who has had her DNA genetically enhanced to become "perfect," is the foretold savior of humanity. Leeloo is stuck, however, as while she can learn and comprehend incredibly well, it is hard for her to make a stand in the world she must save. When Korben accidentally saves Leeloo from a team of scientists destined to exploit her power, he understands that it is up to him to help her reach her destiny and reunite four sacred stones that are the origin of Leeloo's incredible power. Korben must also serve as Leeloo's representation in society, as Leeloo is easily dismissed as mentally deranged.
When Korben is exposed to the biggest threat faced by the species, he is told how to prevent the attack.
The fable warns that evil, portrayed as a large mass of matter in space will not attack until provoked.

Leeloo

Despite the warning from the fable, the governments of Earth decide to lay their trust with their weaponry, and attack the essence of evil. By doing so, the prophecy is followed, and evil fights back against its aggressors.

Distinguishing between the entities that represent good and evil in this movie is simple, as the framework is implied during the opening scenes. This foreshadowing provides a transition to the beginning of the movie, and introduces the plot. While this plot seems far fetched and infantile, this film examines the complications of society when facing trouble, as well as the motivation of fear and assumed dominance with threats.

When the governmental society of humanity was exposed to the potential threat of annihilation, it was placed in a compromising situation. The government found it necessary to fight back against these acts of terrorism, as the officials placed trust on their physical weaponry to resolve the situation. This offensive act unleashed evil. However, this revenge on part of evil is absolutely normal and even expected, since the universe seems bent on using revenge to find equality and balance. Bruce Willis identifies society's reliance on brute force in a constant search for dominance that limits solutions.

Evil is portrayed as a large planet in space

The characters are well chosen and embody the theme of the movie with their actions. Several sub themes are developed with character development, notably the progression of Jean Baptiste Emanuel-

Zorg, an eccentric weapon supplier to the armies of the galaxy. Jean Baptiste feels his life revolves around profit, and his interests is to fuel the strongest nation with the weapon power necessary to be dominant.

Bruce Willis chose to include the character of Jean Baptiste not only for plot complications, but in order to voice his opinion about the human need for superiority. Jean Baptiste (Mr. Zorg) is a

self centered individual who believes that success is soley measured by wealth. Mr. Zorg also takes advantage of governmental brawls and wars to sell his weaponry to both fronts of the war thus "gaining twice the profits." It is obvious he has also influenced the beginning of wars in order to reap a larger profit. This character reflects the importance of money in materialistic society that gauges the superiority of an individual by possession.

The stones that attribute to Leeloo's powers

Superiority is also expressed by the aspect of the characters and representations of good and evil. While evil is a red ball of flame the size of a planet, good is a humanoid, therefore promoting the human appearance as superior. If evil would be shown in the form of a human, the sincerity of humanity's actions would be put into question, as it would be difficult to differentiate between good and bad in life. By creating an entity that can be loathed for its appearance, Bruce Willis drives the plot further to highlight the stereotypical use of hideous creatures to represent evil. This also reflects society's tendency of becoming biased towards decisions solely based on physical appearance.

Overall, Bruce Willis observes societal flaws in his movie The Fifth Element and highlights them by creating allusions to the damages they create in a potentially healthy society.

This movie is available on Netflix Instant.

Full Movie on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fSdfAR5Qb4&feature=watch-now-button&wide=1