The Fifth Element (1997) Retrospective/Review
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
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When I was growing up the sci-fi genre was defined by the titans of Star Trek and Star Wars. But 1997's The Fifth Element by French filmmaker Luc Besson came at the genre from a totally different angle. With its colourful visuals, otherworldly soundtrack and explosive action, The Fifth Element remains a unique entry in the sci-fi genre to this day.
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00:00 Squarespace
01:03 Intro
01:27 Development
03:23 Casting
05:38 Production
08:44 The Fifth Element (1997)
15:35 Release & Reception
16:14 Valerian and the City of A Thousand Planets (2017)
17:24 Legacy
17:54 Outro
#thefifthelement #retrospective #rowanjcoleman - Krátké a kreslené filmy
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Would you ever do a review of Blake’s 7 as a hidden gem? It’s one of my very favorite Brit Sci-fi series…please consider 💫
Miniatures and scale models will ALWAYS win out in visual effects over soulless CGI.
Dude please tell me this is just part 1? I'm looking at the run time and thinking this looks very short for such a great movie!
I remember seeing it in the theaters and loving it. The scene that absolutely won me over was the first "split conversation" scene that they did. Where the lines being spoken, are being split between multiple people, in multiple scenes, but in different context. Hearing Lilu talking about switching out the box with the stones, and Zord reacting to the empty box, and Lilu laughing AT Zord, but actually laughing at the priest at her own joke.....coupled with the sex/takeoff pairing to give some visual gags to go along with the rest of the dialogue was also fantastic. Those moments were when I realized "ok, this movie is just out to have fun with itself. To take all the tropes of the genre, polish them up lovingly, give them a Drag Show shine and spin them out onto the stage for the audience to enjoy, along with all the other spinning plates that make up the narrative. And it worked, it worked SO WELL! xD Just SO much about it was wonderfully framed and setup. I don't buy many dvd's, but this is one that i picked up long ago, and have always enjoyed owning
The Fifth Element is my favorite type of Sci-fi Pulp. Where the story takes self seriously enough that it doesn't try the whole 4th wall break/irony but at the same time it doesn't take it self too seriously to the point where the rule of cool can't apply.
I put True Lies in that same category. Lots of fun, silly at times, but also serious when it needs to be.
Exactly.
It's one of my top ten movies from the 90's, Luc Besson's best film (The Profesional second)
Yes. It’s a nice balance.
@@zerocool5395 Fifth Element is one of my top sci-fi movies of all time. It was so Heavy Metal-ish, especially with Mobius involved. An all-around good time film. Sometimes you just need some fun. My two favorite movies by Luc Besson are La Femme Nikita and Leon, The Professional. They introduced me to two of my favorite actors, Jean Reno and Anne Parillaud, whom I watched in several other French movies. Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel were excellent in the creepy film The Crimson Rivers, which I also rate right up there with Japan's best horror film, Audition, by Takashi Miike. I also enjoyed Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, but as you said, the casting was fairly poor. But the visuals are just eye-popping.
One of the most underrated Sci-fi movies ever, such a fun movie, and Gary Oldman makes a fantastically entertaining villain
A thousand times Yes! Funny thing about how Gary Oldman is so picky about the roles he takes and there was a while there when he was routinely being typecast as slimy despicable bad guy. Zorg's saving grace is in the farce and the satire of the human universe, and he's the one sitting on the top of the old pyramid.
The funniest thing about his character is in his formality, like how he introduces himself. "Jean-Baptiste Emaneul Zorg" is a very pointed way to claim Authority, ain't it?
"Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg"
Chews it around like Alan Rickman
I loved Zorg and I find it funny that Gary Oldman hated that character/role when so many loved it so much.
With all due respect to Bruce Willis, whom I adore, without a decent bad guy this movie would be pretty bad. Zorg is really, low key, one of the best bad guys ever and cemented this movie as great IMHO.
One of the things I love about this movie is that as bright and colorful as its future looks, it still feels as lived in as Blade Runner or Star Wars. Korben has some well-loved manga volumes on his floor, empty food containers in the fridge, a shelf cluttered with his military decorations and old photos. Cornelius's apartment is cluttered with artifacts and religious iconography. David has a well-used sewing machine. The airport is nearly overwhelmed by garbage because of striking sanitation workers. The ground crew is so used to the routine, they can do their jobs while high. The spaceship crew is bored of ferrying rich tourists. People still collect authographs in physical books.
Yeah, the cops at McDonald's and the truck carrying McDonald's stuff felt lived in as well as the "below the fog" areas.
I appreciate this comment!
This is one of those rare "good parts" movies that, no matter where you come in, you find yourself saying "Oh, this is a good part" and sticking around for the rest of the movie because the next scene is a good part, then the next, then the next...
The way you described that is how I live my life around films, it's something that younger generations won't have to stumble across a great film that wasn't a box office smash. Now that normal TV is all but gone it's hard to commit to a film or catch a film...
I LOVE Tucker's Ruby Rhod. I don't know that Prince would have been better as for my money this is Chris Tucker's finest performance. This entire movie is a jewel that I savor again and again.
I think Prince would've tried to redo his character from "Purple Rain" rather than Ruby Rhod. Tucker helped sell him, even with the annoyances.
His performance on the Lolita Express was pretty good too.
Imagine Mel Gibson and Prince in those scenes. 🤣
Ruby Rhod was how I knew what movie I was in. I was confused until I saw him, having been told this was a Star Wars like movie. After seeing Ruby, my frame was reset and I was having a blast.
At first he didn't want to do it after he saw the costumes he had to wear.
The Fifth Element became part of my movie collection the moment I saw it. The music, the acting, the pulp sci-fi setting is just so well done.
How can you not love a movie that loves itself?
I've often answered with The Fifth Element when people ask me my favourite film of all time.
I just love it on so many levels. There's no other film like it.
My mom worked in a coffee shop that rented movies and I got to take whatever movies I wanted home for free. Of the thousands of movies I watched from 10 to 16, I took the fifth element home more than any other.
One of the few I still own on DVD
The Fifth Element is one of my favourite SF movies simply because, they didn't ruin it with a sequel or prequel. It does what a good movie should do. You forget about your troubles and life for the duration of the movie and are fully entertained. It only gets better the more times you watch it. Thanks for giving this movie some love Rowan!
Amen to that!
Totally agree. Luc Besson probably could have gotten away with another, completely separate, story set in the same universe with a similar aesthetic, but no actual connections or even even hints beyond the design aesthetics.
There's nothing else like the Fifth Element. What a great retrospective.
One of my favourite movies ever. The soundtrack was amazing and the designs of the Mondoshawans and Leeloo’s sarcophagus stunning and worthy to be displayed in a museum.
I can’t believe you did not notice the fact that the main good guy and the main bad guy NEVER actually meet each other in the movie. The closest they get is one is entering an elevator, and one is exiting an elevator, but they’re never seen in the same frame at the same time. Bruce Willis, and Gary Oldman.
I first saw this movie almost 25 years ago as a teenager and I honestly thought Bruce Willis was playing both the hero and the villain 😂 I really thought they both looked so similar at times, and the fact that they never met in the movie made me think it was all Willis. Only found out decade+ later it was Oldman when you could actually search the internet for anything lol 🤦♂️🤦♂️
@@chriswhite599 You are aware of these things called "end credits" right? lol
Leeloo is arguably the protagonist.
@josephclark7243
Leeloo is clearly a MacGuffin. She's the best MacGuffin ever, but still one none the less.
I can believe that he didn't mention it, 'cause everybody already knows that fact...
I feel the editing never gets enough credit... The way scenes and music cut back and forth with each other is near perfection...
In fact, this movie made me feel what effect editing has on films and such... I never gave it much thought before this unless it was so horribly done as to be laughable...
I love how the editing is so sharp they can do the "stones are not in the box" gag twice and it remains hilarious.
In the end, the editing is the difference between, a bad, an adequate, and a masterpiece film.
If you only have one match and it's *really* important that it doesn't go out, you should hold it angled slightly down so that the flame can burn into the stick.
Such a tense scene! I still hold my breath during that part.
And immediately set the empty box on fire.
Smoking saved all existence...... Hilarious.
depends what you really need the match for but good call@@jackdoud
One of my absolute favourites. A team that came together and created something much bigger than themselves. Willis is a bit himself as always (multipass scene he is just brilliant though) , but Jovovich just... steals the entire thing
There's a good reason that this movie is my single most-watched movie. Always will have a special place in my heart.
One of my favourite films of all time.
One of my favourite content creators of all time.
This joins the trifecta of perfect sci-fi films that also includes Starship Troopers and Galaxy Quest.
I enjoy these retrospectives so damn much. They just exemplify all the reasons why I love these films and series... thank you Rowan, sincerely, for the content you create for us.
Oops,
i know, taste is relative, but i expected that your third movie would be Back to the Future
or at least Men in Black
@@mrJety89
Men In Black would definitely get an honourable mention... but Back To The Future was always a bit too slapstick for me personally.
I'm going to go Ditto as well but with Provisos. First, "Starship Troopers" was a pretty darn good film but it is nowhere near representative of the novel it was based on, so it needs to be appreciated with a doctor's note warning about the health risks of eating too much Salt.
Secondly, No argument about Galaxy Quest. It was a perfect sci-fi film which didn't even need to bust the 4th Wall to engage the Audience. If only Hollyweird could learn.
Thirdly, I have always loved "5th Element" and while I know many people don't like Luc Besson for one reason or another, it is tough to argue against the vision and the execution of "5th Element". It is without a doubt the best Editing in any of his films, not to mention the snappy script, and some pretty darn good casting.
@@jamespfp
Starship Troopers being different from the book is a huge plus point, owing to just how truly terrible the book is.
The film is satirical.
The book was not.
@@Andrew-pr9xv ... you mean horseshit I guess. I never really noticed that as any kind of deficiency really. Nor did any of the critics of the movie that I had ever listened to.
One of my all time favourite movies! It's full of heart and happiness and cheese, and finds just the right balance to be just a damn fine experience. It's never too slow or too hectic, Jovovich shows why she now rules the land of badass actresses, and Willis gets a lot more to do to show his talent for genuine emotion than a lot of his more recent movies.
What I love about The Fifth Element is it’s just plain fun. The combination of practical and digital effects give it a look that adds to the realism. The mix of action and humor is pitch perfect.
An excellent movie, one of my favourites. I particularly love Eric Serra's score, it's a masterpiece.
I love the soundtrack for this film. I revisit it a couple of times each year.
I don't know why, but this is my favorite movie of all time. Ever since I saw it in cinema back when it was released, nothing ever came close to kicking it from the throne for me. It's just the right amount of crazy and scifi.
Dude, this film has been on my mind for the last two weeks. What a coincidence you're covering it. I've loved this film since I saw it as a kid.
I wish films today were as bold to be as crazy as this. And when I look back on it now, I feel it sums up the 90's. From a Brit persepective anyway, as a crossroads of culture. American blockbusters, French fashion, British faces etc.
Love it to death.
How can anyone not like this movie? It's a continuous eye candy, a sequence of feel-good scenes, with a nice happy ending. It's a hugely satisfying fairytale in space with loads of action. This movie creates a universe and explains every part of it to the audience without any need for lenghty introductions. The narrative flows and never contradicts itself. I must have watched it a million times, and it's time to watch it once again.
As I always say when this movie comes up, my friends and I had bought tickets for Batman and Robin, when one of my friends saw someone he knew coming out of B&R, saying how horrible it was. We immediately asked if we could change our tickets, and exchanged them for this movie. It was definitely a great move.
Lucky catch
If there is one thing the Retrospective/Review series has taught me it's that a staggering amount of a production happens by accident. Chance encounters between prospective actors and production staff, random ideas becoming core concepts, taking inspiration from the most unexpected places etc. It's such a facinating look into the tangled mess that is the creative process.
I showed my partner the trailer and she was like “oh no not sci-fi!” But I pushed on…. It’s now her favourite film.
Chris Tucker absolutely dominated in his scenes. Love, love his Ruby Rhod. "You can call me Ruby", I so want that to be one of his contributions to the dialogue.
saw this in the theaters when it came out, took a date to it. we absolutely loved it. have nothing but wonderful memories about this movie.
One of the few perfect movies out there. Somehow. The script, the production, everything is so punchy and funny. A meme movie before memes.
"Besson had a chance encounter with Jovovich at a hotel"
She knew how to deal with the French, I give her that.
Funny bit of trivia here, back during the late 90s when I still a teenager my Nan, who was brilliant at crochet and working on fabric showed me some work she was doing for a friend of hers who worked in films and on a very ornate piece of fabric I saw patterns of several big armadillo robot looking things and like most of the art pieces at the exhibits I was taken to I said, "that looks nice Nan, very well done." I only remembered that years later after watching the film on tv with my Dad, when he reminded me that she had worked on the film. Anyway, great video as always Rowan.
I remember watching this my now wife for the first time in college and wondering how I had missed seeing it sooner. One of my top 10 sci-fi films.
I had watched this movie on opening night, because it was made by Luc Besson.
He had had a streak of amazing movies before this: Subway, Le Grand Bleu, La Femme Nikita and Léon, all of which I loved, and The Fifth Element did not disappoint.
The Fifth Element is one of those movies such that if I encounter it while channel surfing I stop and watch it until the end not matter how far along it is. I recall laughing in a positive way when I first saw it because I felt Bruce Willis was having a ball hamming up his Die Hard role. Thanks for a great summary about this film. Cheers!
This movie is amazing. I've seen it countless times.
My favorite comic artist Moebius (Jean Giraud) did the production design on this movie, and it shows! He had a vivid imagination, and had a talent for making very convincing alien cities and environments. Moebius had the unique skill to make you believe the settings he created *were real* , both in his comic books and movie contributions.
Awesome film; I regard it as a cult movie. Thanks for the review, RJC.
This is actually a masterpiece: has any other movie combined opera, comedy and sci-fi? Extremely well made including the editing. Perfect cast and brilliant writing 🎉
The visual and tonal variety of this movie makes it one of my favourites. It feels like a real lived in world. Its part comic book, part dystopian militarist, cyberpunk, tech-noir, avant-garde, classical, grimdark all mixed in with near-contemporary styles. Its like if Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Judge Dredd and Warhammer 40k had a grandchild.
My fav parts are the interwowen scenes where lilu explains about the stone while zorg is stuck with an empty case and the shuttle departure. It's funny and dynamic and still explain and move forward the plot.
This is STILL one of my most treasured sci-fi movies
Can I just say bud, I came across your channel just after you released your third episode of the Trek retrospective (which I freaking love and tell all my Trek friends to watch).
The reason for this comment though is just to say your work is amazing! Anytime I see one of your videos drop I make sure I watch it ASAP. You really have given this fellow Scottish nerd a pure love of the films she grew up on.
Thank you!
this is my favorite movie. I actually saw it 13 times in the theater in highschool. every time a friend would ask about it, I would excitedly say, "let's go see it tonight! I'll watch it again."
One of the greatest sci fi movies of all time. The Fifth Element is a triumph.
The casting department also need congratulations for all the fantastically cast minor characters. So many character actors with great visual looks - the Mangalore human disguises, the Phlogston shuttle crew, musician Tricky as Right Hand, the quirky guests at the Diva's concert...
The miniatures is what makes this movie feel so much alive still to this day!
For the longest time I really had a hard time when someone asked me what my favourite movie is
Then I watched the fifth element
My answer has been the same ever since
Whenever my phone tells me "Rowan J Coleman uploaded XYZ" I feel like a little boy on christmas eve. And he never disappoints! Best channel ever.
This movie still holds my personal record for actual watching it in the theaters. I saw it 8 or 9 times (maybe even more?), can't remember as 1997 is far in the past. One of the greatest movies of all time, like seriously.
Thank you for this. I have lost track of how many times I've watched this film. I love the future of NYC... the government... corruption... the main "save the world" concept... and the perfect casting all around. And while it can be over the top in its action onboard the cruise ship, the ending is so touching it always makes me cry. Also, I felt lost during the 3 years I was an Uber driver in NYC. I had already seen the film multiple times by then, but I only just now clicked on why I now feel for Bruce Willis's character. I went through a "feeling lost" period myself. Then COVID shut down Uber in NYC and I found a new path. So, thanks for helping me see the film through this new "lost cab driver" light.
FUN FACT: The Alien Opera/Aria in this movie is INSANE popular in China.
there have been women/girls who used it to audtiion for various voice talent shows.
I've watched this movie so many times my family absolutely refuses to watch it if I'm anywhere around. I can recite the whole movie. If I had to pick 1 movie to watch the rest of my life it would be this one.
The movie is great fun but the standout feature of it is the soundtrack for me. I LOVED the playful and exotic sound design on many of the tracks and the emotional resonance they had on me as a kid. I had The Diva Dance on blast on a loop on my MD-player forever, and Koolen/Mina Hinoo to fall asleep to. So much amazing music where you least expect it, there's been nothing like it since.
Alech Taadi by Cheb Khaled from the taxi chase scene and No Cash-No Trash from the airport scene have been on my regular playlist for decades.
@@jackdoud Bangers!
@@jackdoud And if I ever dive to the Titanic or go to Space I'll play Plavalaguna on loop for the atmo
This is definitely one of those movies that re-categorizes your life as “Pre watching” and “Post Watching”.
The Fifth Element is beyond fantastic, Beyond Magical, I feel the same raw excitement each time I watch it.
The Actors were perfectly cast, all of them, to me this film is one of the best things I have ever seen in my life.
One of my favourite 90s movies, right alongside Men in Black and Jurassic Park 😊
This is propably onle movie I saw in theater 4 times. Every actor in this is brilliant. Even the smallest roles are unique. Trully masterpiece.
One of my all time favorite scifi movies. It shaped much of what i want out of scifi in general
Every time I enjoy a new retrospective that you create, I almost immediately rewatch the film you cover. Your research and passion are evident. Thank you!
Every clip from the movie that you played, with no sound, was so clear in my head. Such a distinctive movie
That Cab Chase still today gets me pump up !!! One of a kind Movie..
Seriously, one of the most underappreciated sci-fi movies. It looks beautiful, the attention to detail is incredible, the music and costumes are gorgeous, and the chemistry between Willis and Jovovich is palpable. I can't count how many times I've watched it.
I remember watching this in the theater and enjoying every minute of it. Still fun to watch to this day. Thank you for your retrospective, as always very clear and informative observations. Helps me to appreciate it even more.
This was a great movie when it came out and still holds its own. I remember watching it in the theater when I was stationed at Ft. Lee in Virginia in 1997.
Cheesy and wholesome is exactly what we need in all forms of movies even today. The Fifth Element was and IS a great movie in its own right where I have yet to meet a person who didnt like it. Which ironically I cannot say for other sci-fi movies.
One of my favorite movies of all time. And Im glad I had the chance of seeing it in theaters.
(12:11) I love all of the trophies and awards he has on his shelf. There are so many little details in this movie! You find new one's every time you watch it! 😎
The late 90's churned out some incredible films. Watched this in the cinema, was really something 👌
A childhood classic for me. I grew up watching the 5th element on repeat along with the Mask and Toy Story and Small Soldiers
AZIZ LIGHT!
I loved this movie. So did all my friends at the time it came out. Must have rewatched it 100 times. One friend even named his first son Corbin. The mom thought it was silly but better than what she had in mind so they went with it. It was the first movie i got in Blu-Ray format. Some of the shots are a little soft but it looks amazing. So many quotable lines. "Sir do you identify as human?" "Negative, I am a meat popsicle" The old asian guy "As my grandfather say, cant rain every day. You are fired!"
Its amazing that the hero and villain never meet and it still works.
this movie blew my mind when i was 12. i mean, i could go on about the born sexy yesterday tropes and not passing the bechdel test, but i will always have a deep place in my heart for this gem
This film was great cinema fun in 1997 and probably still would be today. Great work.
One of those rare movies that left me wanting for more when it was over. 🌠
In my opinion. This is 1 of the best films ever made. I quite often re-watch the Diva"s song on CZcams. In fact, I think I will again right now.
The Fifth Element, from the moment I saw it in theaters in 97, has been one of my favorite movies of all time. Yeah it's not deep or any of that but it's so much fun. I love the visual style, the music, the performances really sell the characters, it's funny as hell, and, as you say, out there enough in the realm of sci-fi to be memorable and just a good time. It's comfort food in movie form and I try to watch it once a year or so. 'Aziz, LIGHT!' and several other things from the movie have become running jokes among my friends because we've all seen it so much.
I loved this movie as a teen and still do. I made paper doll costumes from a lot of the designs. It is a lot and more style than substance, but that style is so good, it carries the film.
I was 12 when this movie released, and it is still my #1 favorite movie of all time.
The fact that I brought the video of this movie with me for both times for giving birth to my son and then two years later to my daughter approves the point of being a very favorite 😂😂😂
The fifth element was one of those movies that has enough world building to leave me wanting to know more about the lore of the universe. It’s a good thing when a stand alone movie can do that and not over milk the thing.
I love The Fifth Element!!! It's a wonderful blend of creative and stupid in just the right ways. I remember when my mom rented it, we watched it and immediately wanted to watch it again. I still have a copy on VHS and a poster for it.
By far one of the most rewatchable sci-fi movies ever to hit the silver screen.
One of my favorite movies of all time. Definitely in my top 5 of Sci Fi
I’m firing up the movie tonight! This totally re-fired up my love of this unique movie. Maybe double header with Valerian as well. I really wish Hollywood had the courage and vision to make more movies like this, or other countries the means to.
This movie is honestly one of my favorite movies. I watch it at least twice a year
A creative masterpiece by all involved. In much the same way that I'm suspicious of people who don't like cats ("Don't watch it all day Princess. It'll melt your brain.") I'm immediately suspicious of anyone who doesn't thoroughly enjoy this movie.
I never got to see The Fifth Element at the cinema at release but saw it on TV. I was an immediate huge fan and bought the DVD soon after.
A few years ago I flew a thousand kilometres from Brisbane to Sydney to see a special screening on one of the biggest screens in the city. Every screening sold out. ❤❤❤
This is one of those movies that, if stumbled upon while flipping through channels, gets watched until the end, no matter what time of day.
There are only a handful of movies like that for me.
First movie I ever saw on sky ppv. Saw the first 5 min preview and knew i had to see it. Also I think Luc Besson movies all have a distinctive look to them, you always tell its one of his movies within a few minutes without even checking. Didn't know this had a 4k re-release, think I'll be getting that.
In my top 10 films of all time. I can watch this any given moment. Saw in the cinema when it came out. Great retrospective.
I still have songs from the soundtrack in my normal playlist. Love Fifth Element.
Saw it in theaters when it came out in 1997 and thought, "Meh..."
Then watched it again a few years later and realized it is underrated and waaaaay better than everyone thought when it first came out.
It is now one of my favorite SciFi classics of all time.
I had the pleasure of watching it 5 times in the theatre. I think it was actually the first movie I went back to see again in the theatre. I still have an old Fifth Element poster hanging in my office.
Thank you for that very well compiled review. This has and always will be my favourite movie from the first time I ever saw it. I even learned a few more interesting facts from your detailed video. I hope that one day I can meet and thank Besson or anyone involved in the making of this fantastic film that has brought me so much happiness.
One of my favorite movies ever. Such a good movie. Gary Oldman is a very under rated, amazing actor
Aww hell yeah! I know what I'm doing the next 20 minutes! I freaking LOVE this movie.
I seem to recall it not being very well appreciated in its time, but I'm glad it is finally getting the recognition as the cult classic that it is.
One of my top 10 most loved movies of all time! Watched over 50 times.
Great job as always, but man, its sad to see how many beloved actors in this film have passed away. 😢👏🏾
One of my favourite movies, I've watched it so many times and I still do, enjoying it every time
Saw it in theaters, loved it. Eventually it ended up on cable tv every week or so (maybe even more if you had better cable than me), and was often the best thing on anyway so i'd proceed to watch it again and again and again..... and again.... possibly my favorite movie of all time.
I've always loved this movie, so creative and executed so well