PATRON TAKES - The Fifth Element (1997)
We are expanding PATRON TAKES to our Audience Cut series with a small twist. We will be asking for your takes after posting our full uncut reaction to the movie. This way you can respond to how we reacted to the film and have a bit more of a dialogue about it. This should be a fun way to to involve you, the Patron, in our discussion of the movie.
You do not have to respond directly to our reaction in your take though, you can still do all the normal things such as a brief review (3-4 sentences) of why you like/dislike the movie, a question for us or a fun fact about the film.
We are discussing the movie on Wednesday, so have your takes posted by then!
Comments (12)
A great movie that is all about the world building and wacky characters in great action scenes for me. It also feels more like a comic book adaptation, than anything else. Always love to come back to and rewatch it from time to time.
The Fifth Element got a PS1 tie in game... and it is the most uncontrollable piece of shit. After watching the movie back in the day I was so excited, and then I started trying to control low poly Bruce Willis... GARBAGE! You want to know what pain is? Play The Fifth Element on PS1.
At the time I thought it was great in the theaters. In fact I still have a soft spot for it. It has good rewatch value, It's more than a little quotable, and the effects still mostly hold up (maybe not the rubber Bumble Balls in the landing gear) Chris Tucker proved he can do action and comedy way before Rush Hour, and Ian Holm made an impression way before LoTR, and Milla Jovovich proves she can kick ass way before Resident Evil. Bruce Willis is basically playing himself in an orange backless Gaultier number. And hey! They still got Mickey D's in the future! "Two Golden Menus!" How much do I like this movie? I like it one VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, 4K and Streaming later... 👍🏻👍🏻
I hated this movie the first time. It's one of my favorites now. Give it another chance sometime. I'm glad I did.
Josh, they can't all be Logan's Run ok?
I hope you guys do give it another watch sometime. This is a well loved flick full of visual spectacle, great action, great practical effects, iconic moments and characters, and I'm only being honest here because you wanted takes on your reactions, I think as soon as you picked up on the comedic tone of the film, you checked out and stopped giving it your buy-in. So, is it on us, at least a tiny bit, for not setting a better expectation for you pre-watch of what genres might be being blended here? Would that have primed you for it better?
I think this film is great! It's certainly on my top 20 list. I really appreciate good imagination and this film had it in droves! And I love the acting.
A frenetic film for sure. And unlike Wrath of Khan, the hero and villain don't even share a word with each other. It's a visual feast, and if the humor works for the viewer, it REALLY works. Unfortunately it didn't seem to quite land for you guys a lot. As for me, multiple quotes from this movie live in my head rent free. I can never again eat chicken without at least thinking "Chickan - GOOOD." Oh, and IMO the late 90's/early 2000's was the peak time for VFX, model work being blended with burgeoning CGI looks so much better than CGI alone. Lotta good looking films from '97 to '01.
"Moolti-pass"
I like 5th Element for its obvious weirdness. It feels like a "European" movie (because it basically is) given a huge budget. The visual spectacle of the megopolis city and alluring alien opera side by side with the quiet American in Willis and the obnoxious "influencer" in Tucker makes an odd and (for me) fun combination that I don't normally find in a lot of mainstream Hollywood movies. Being a fan of the 80's "Métal Hurlant" / "Heavy Metal" magazine, and specifically Moebius/Jean Giraud's art style and story 'Airtight Garage' (which I think this is based on), helps a lot in accepting the scripts natural imbalance. I think in the end, I feel the movie is missing a middle scene that would have made the film tighter and flow easier for the general public. The bonus? Milla Jovovich is suuuper hot in this movie and is hilariously entertaining.
Chris Tucker's character almost ruins this film for me. And I'm not saying that lightly, or exaggerating. I find him so annoying it makes me want to stop watching or never start. It's a crazy, wacky sci-fi film that I appreciate for not being a typical sci-fi movie, having a sense of humor and not being afraid to get silly. But I absolutely hate that character.
I think he's absolutely hilarious. But not, perhaps, why you may think. He's prophetic: he is just as ridiculous, over the top, preposterous, and STUPID as today's "social media' influences are!