The cast is a delight, but it's Willis who is the film's true "fifth element," giving it life, depth and humanity.
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Stack
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Stack
What an attempt, and what a work of the imagination. The Fifth Element' will change the look of science fiction and will probably be imitated for years.
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
The movie unreels like a depressive in a manic phase, a frenzy of lightning-fast cuts, cuts, cuts.
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The action is fast, furious, and as wacky as science fantasy gets.
As a yammering, swishy talk show host, Chris Tucker is flat-out incomprehensible, while Mr. Oldman preens evilly enough to leave tooth marks on the scenery.
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Besson may have misfired with The Fifth Element, but at least he does it with flair and a sense of humor.
50
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
But for all the fancy-schmancy effects (budget: $90 million-plus), the vision of a hypercongested metropolis is not much more sophisticated than an episode of "The Jetsons." [9 May 1997]
50
San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco Examiner
This is a prodigious something. It's just difficult to say whether that something is good or evil.
30
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Even the revelation of what the fifth element is at the end is disingenuous--in fact, the archness of this whole project is repellent.
20
SlateDavid Edelstein
SlateDavid Edelstein
It may or may not be the worst movie ever made, but it is one of the most unhinged.