SummaryNew York cab driver Korben Dallas didn't mean to be a hero. But he just picked up the kind of fare that only comes along every five thousand years - a perfect beauty, a perfect being, a perfect weapon. Now, together, they must save the world. (Columbia TriStar)
Directed By:Luc Besson
Written By:Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
The Fifth Element
Metascore
Mixed or Average
52
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.1
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
45% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
41% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
14% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
80
An entertaining tangle of pop aesthetic and comic book myth that occasionally bogs down, but manages to be ingratiating for all its defects.
75
It's ludicrous, but it's fun. Besson is a filmmaker so in love with his own daffy excesses that he's able to pull us, laughing, right into his world of loony pop. [9 May 1997]
User score
Universal Acclaim
85% Positive
373 Ratings
373 Ratings
11% Mixed
46 Ratings
46 Ratings
4% Negative
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
Sep 19, 2025
10
This is simply the greatest film of all time. It does everything that a film should do, action, science fiction, comedy, romance, excellent cinematography, likable characters and amazing visuals especially for the time that still hold up. This is definitively the greatest film ever made to me and I'm a huge film buff.
Jun 8, 2025
10
The Fifth Element" (1997) is a superb escapism. Saw this movie many times in my life, and the last one just recently on 4K UHD release by Studiocanal, so i can safely say - this is a pure escapism that never looked and sounded better than now. Performances were fun by all involved - but it's a Chris Tucker who steals the show in the last act. Speciall effects are truly special, while sound, music (great stuff), art design, costumes are great as well. While this movie still drags a bit in it's second act (at Korben Dalla's apartment) by the time the third act begins and Chris Tucker steps in - it is a blast till the very last second. And Gary Oldman shines as a villain with that southern accent - it's a thing to be hold. The diva sequence is legendary by now. Overall, if "The Fifth Element" would have been created today, it probably would have been rated as one of the worst movies of the year. Because it's so over the top and plot is ridiculous. But as it was done back in 1997 - it is (and was) a helluva escapism. Great vision, superb effects, great acting and pure energy from creators still makes this movie a must see. Great, pure action adventure fantasy cartoon.
70
Too long by half, burdened with shabby F/X and offering up some seriously weird performances, this pricy foray into science fiction is a muddle of miscues and narrative bloat--along with a lot of frivolous fun.
50
The story is such a cut-rate kid's sci-fi fairy tale that at one point Evil actually calls Gary Oldman on the phone (and it isn't played for laughs).
50
Besson may have misfired with The Fifth Element, but at least he does it with flair and a sense of humor.
40
Ultimately a mess of diverse ingredients that sorely could have used a rigorous screening process to eliminate all the chaff.
10
As you sit through the interminable two-hours-plus that constitute The Fifth Element -- a colossally stupid, overbearingly pompous new movie by Luc Besson -- you can expect to become acquainted with boredom on the most elemental level.
May 13, 2024
10
one of the best movie of history, but a trilogy that develops a little wider would have been appreciable
Nov 19, 2015
6
I do not think this is as good as most people say. Gary Oldman is especially good and there are many undoubtedly funny parts but other times it's just plain annoying instead of funny. The ending is dripping with romance and Chris Tucker is unbearable.
Sep 19, 2013
6
So ridiculous. I’m not sure if I liked the film or not, but I will certainly remember it as a very silly and whimsical sci-fi action movie aimed at kids, that is not meant to be taken seriously.
Jul 4, 2015
2
This movie takes all the reject aliens from Star Wars, the slapstick comedy of a cartoon, the dramatic elements of Blade Runner, and ends up being one of the stupidest films I have seen in recent memory. Not all of it is bad though (Bruce Willis does he can with the script, Gary Oldman's accent is amazing and Chris Tucker is noteworthy). But the story is simple awful, the practical special effects look nice in some areas but then look awful in others, the acting isn't great and the editing of the last hour or so of this movie is atrocious. I can see where people can like it, but with many, many better sci-fi movies out there, it's just not my thing.
Jun 18, 2021
0
This is a very epic sci-fi film that honestly is a bit too much. The cast overacts everything to the point where it just becomes annoying, The story makes very little sense, and it never seems to find even the slightest footing when it comes to consistency in the tone/characters. It's a mess. It's the kind of movie that was destined to be a cult classic and nothing more.
Production Company:
- Gaumont
Release Date:May 9, 1997
Duration:2 h 6 m
Rating:PG-13
Tagline:It Mu5t Be Found.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Online Film & Television Association
• 2 Wins & 12 Nominations
César Awards, France
• 3 Wins & 8 Nominations
