The Fifth Element, My Favourite Alien Movie || Cine TV Contest #74

The Fifth Element is a sci-fi action film about aliens and the four elements. A group of aliens called Mondoshawans meet with a priest in an ancient tomb in Egypt where four crucial stones, representing the four elements, are kept. The priest is told an evil is coming and only the stones can defeat it.

The Mondoshawan are the good guys tasked with carrying the elements in their spaceship to a safe location so they can use them against this great evil. Mercenaries called Mangalores are hired by Zorg (played by Gary Oldman) who works for the great evil to destroy the elements. They nearly succeed until a severed metal arm is recovered and cloned. It produced a humanoid who happens to also be the fifth element, Leeloo (played by Milla Jovovich).

We are taken to the future 2263, in New York City, where cars fly. Korben Dallas (played by Bruce Willis), a cab driver and former special forces officer was 'flying' when Leeloo escaped her chamber and fell on his cab. They become acquainted. As this evil flies towards Earth in the shape of a fiery fireball, Korben Dallas and Leeloo are tasked with saving the planet from this great evil. How will they stop it?

The aliens in this film are the Mondoshawans, the Mangalores and of course, the fifth element, Leeloo.

The plot of the film is straightforward—an evil is coming to destroy Earth and the weapons to defeat it are the four elements harnessed by the special one, the fifth element. But the storytelling, special effects, cinematography and acting brought out the beauty of this film.

Luc Besson did great by creating a science fiction movie that is rich in imagery and for my young mind, it was an indelible and lasting experience. Every scene in the two hours was captivating and there were no dull moments. The special effects and cinematography were superb and realistic. The action sequences were gripping and well done.

The actors swept me off my feet with their excellent performances, especially Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich. Once a sleeping Milla Jovovich's Leeloo is revealed in the cloning chamber and she opens her eyes, I remember my young mind then thinking, "Wow, she will be a great fit for Bruce Willis' Kroben Dallas". Face palming.

When the film later showed the two actors falling in love and kissing each other, I cheered but even though it was a movie, their acting was almost real. Their chemistry was like fire.

Another scene I enjoyed is the showdown that takes place at the alien opera singer's concert. Every interested party in the element stones converged there because the singer who is an alien, Plavalaguna, had the stones hidden inside her. Sadly she was killed by the ugly-looking Mangalores and Kroben Dallas took the stones out of her. The scene is fast-paced and action-packed. Ruby's (played by Chris Tucker) drama adds some humour to the chaotic scene.

So if there's one go-to sci-fi movie with aliens, then it's The Fifth Element for me. The actors are older now but whenever I watch the film, I'm reminded of my impressionistic young mind. I believed everything I saw on the screen that day! Hopefully soon, cars start to fly and the traffic on the road will be less.

This is my entry to the Cine TV Contest #74 and you are invited to participate.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

^{Other images are screenshots from the movie}