The Fifth Element
Luc Besson, France, 1997o
In the 23rd century, evil is moving toward Earth in the form of a comet. The cosmic people of the Mondoshawan possess a weapon against it, but are wiped out on their way to Earth. From its remains, scientists reconstruct the female being Leeloo, who has special powers. Leeloo escapes and ends up in the car of a cab driver. In the hands of the two now lies the future of humanity.
In the year 2263, the mysterious Leeloo falls out of the blue into the car of cab driver Korben Dallas. To make matters worse, she is also the key to a galactic threat that Korben must avert with her help. This doesn't just sound like a teenage fantasy: French director Luc Besson, who later became a cult name with thrillers like Subway and Léon, began writing the screenplay when he was just 16 years old. Twenty-two years later, he was able to realize it, and the wait was worth it, because his vision required a big budget and creative minds: the costumes were designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier, comic artist Moebius created the set designs, and the top-notch cast - Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman - lends charm to the quirky characters. The result is a unique blockbuster whose ingenuity and opulence are unparalleled.
Moritz HagenGalleryo
