# For fans of The Fifth Element **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [May 19, 2022, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718 "2022-05-19T22:41:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2022, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/1 "2022-05-19T22:41:05Z")
> **[The Fifth Element Returns to Theaters for Its 25th Anniversary](https://gizmodo.com/fifth-element-rerelease-luc-besson-bruce-willis-milla-j-1848936706)** > > Luc Besson's bonkers sci-fi epic gets a special screening along with some special features, too. Doesn’t like there’s been a recent thread about the movie. I liked but didn’t love _TFE_ the one time I saw it; it’s certainly become a cult favorite, though. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2022, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/2 "2022-05-19T23:50:14Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I liked but didn’t love _TFE_ the one time I saw it; it’s certainly become a cult favorite, though. Luc Besson’s work always feels to me as if he combined the vision of Alejandro Jodorowsky with the commercial sensibilities of Ridley Scott, and then ran it past some censors to remove the more rapey parts. _The Fifth Element_ is kind of the epitome of this; looks beautiful, hyperactive script, plot makes zero sense. I might watch it on a lazy Sunday afternoon but I can’t bring myself to go watch it in cinema again. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/3 "2022-05-20T00:13:20Z")
For all of it’s many, many flaws, it is eminently quotable, which counts for a lot with my crowd. So it’s visually fun to watch, and it’s fun to sling out the quotes with my friends. Doesn’t make it a ‘good’ movie, but good enough methinks. Not that I’d blow $12+ bucks to see it in the theaters again especially when I have it on DVD. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/4 "2022-05-20T00:51:59Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > Not that I’d blow $12+ bucks to see it in the theaters again You should get a Multipass. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/5 "2022-05-20T01:04:02Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I might watch it on a lazy Sunday afternoon but I can’t bring myself to go watch it in cinema again. Well, if you ever happen to be in Australia, every year [on 5 May SBS VICELAND screens Luc Besson’s delirious, garish, Euro-pop sci-fi epic, The Fifth Element, over and over and over.](https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2019/04/29/why-fifth-element-improves-more-you-watch-it) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/6 "2022-05-20T01:46:55Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > > [@ParallelLines](#): > > > > Not that I’d blow $12+ bucks to see it in the theaters again > > You should get a Multipass. - A _Corbin Dallas_ Multipass. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/7 "2022-05-20T02:01:04Z")
Mul-ti-paaass. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/8 "2022-05-20T02:39:52Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > You should get a Multipass Bzzzt! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/9 "2022-05-20T02:56:06Z")
Great Heavy Metal style of movie. Bruce Willis was born and lived his life just to play that very role some day, and the rest of the casting was equally brilliant. Just a stunning visual presentation that take fantasy to the edge of reality. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/10 "2022-05-20T02:59:04Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > Mul-ti-paaass. She knows it’s a multipass! (we all see what I meant about quotable) ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/11 "2022-05-20T03:05:31Z")
Love it. Such a good fast paced mix of things. Sure there may not be some Oscar worthy thing in the mix. But I just enjoy it all. Good movie and great long format music video. Got it on Bluray. Watch it a couple times a year. I got the 20th anniversary 4K UHD edition. Was not impressed. Not a big improvement over standard Bluray. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/12 "2022-05-20T03:28:50Z")
I saw that in the theater when it came out, with my sister (I was visiting, we were stuck for something to do). I had a hard time explaining why I was laughing uncontrollably when Ruby Rhod came on. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/13 "2022-05-20T04:15:22Z")
> [@Kedikat](#): > > Good movie and great long format music video. Hehehe, yeah. If they made cereal commercials that looked this good, I watch them any time they were on, too. Even without the other, umm, “elements”, it’s a visual delight. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/14 "2022-05-20T04:22:34Z")
I rewatched it a couple of weeks ago. The visual effects still hold up pretty well! Chris Tucker really steals the show whenever he’s on screen. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/15 "2022-05-20T04:35:11Z")
Looks like on June 29, at 7 pm, I have a movie to watch… And it must POP, POP, POP! ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/16 "2022-05-20T04:57:19Z")
[![](https://i.imgur.com/whcG2Ji.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/whcG2Ji.jpg) I saw this when it came out, I saw the 20th anniversary screening, and I’d go see this screening if I could. The world Besson creates is detailed, expansive and beautiful. The effects hold up on the big-screen today - or at least five years ago. If you like this movie at all, it’s worth seeing at the theater. If you get the chance, Besson’s less-loved movie, “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” is worth it as well. The casting was questionable at best, but the effects and world he creates are on a par with, or exceed that of, The Fifth Element. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/17 "2022-05-20T05:04:35Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > If you get the chance, Besson’s less-loved movie, “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” is worth it as well I’ll agree to disagree. I actually don’t think it is worth it unless you are bored, in much the same way I don’t really think Avatar is worth it (anymore). For me there has to be something more than just some good visuals. I really like The Fifth Element, but I found Valerian hard to sit through. Besson is pretty hit or miss for me. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/18 "2022-05-20T06:00:16Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I had a hard time explaining why I was laughing uncontrollably when Ruby Rhod came on. You mean because of the laser reference? (Even if that’s _not_ what you meant, it is only now occurring to me that that was something that might fly past most people.) ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/19 "2022-05-20T06:16:47Z")
Yeah, Valerian had an interesting world aspect. But there was not a good variety of characters and their interactions. Fifth Element had great characters and intertwining of their threads. I did not get into any characters in Valerian. Even one scene characters in Fifth Element were memorable as hell. The ticket taker. She was such a great character to interact with, three main characters and their plot threads? Each scene was just so good and integral. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718/20 "2022-05-20T10:44:27Z")
I agree entirely with **Kedikat**. I started _Valerian_ but I just couldn’t keep watching. It was entirely “look at this cool world we made”, with no plot or character hooks that made me want to keep going, and I was actually **bored** despite the cavalcade of pretty CGI being paraded in front of me. In _TFE_ pretty much _every_ character, including the crazy neighbour, the ticket taker and Dallas’ mother, was compellingly entertaining; it was a popcorn-devouring kind of film. Yes, the plot got increasingly silly but it was a helluva ride. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fans-of-the-fifth-element/964718.md?page=2)