The Fifth Element

The Fifth Element (French: Le Cinquième Élément) is a 1997 English-language French science fiction action film directed and co-written by Luc Besson. It stars Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman and Milla Jovovich. Primarily set in the 23rd century, the film's central plot involves the survival of planet Earth, which becomes the responsibility of Korben Dallas (Willis), a taxicab driver and former special forces major, after a young woman (Jovovich) falls into his cab. To accomplish this, Dallas joins forces with her to recover four mystical stones essential for the defense of Earth against the impending attack of a malevolent cosmic entity.

Besson started writing the story that became The Fifth Element when he was 16 years old; he was 38 when the film opened in cinemas. Besson wanted to shoot the film in France, but suitable facilities could not be found; filming took place instead in London and Mauritania. Comics artists Jean "Moebius" Giraud and Jean-Claude Mézières, whose books provided inspiration for parts of the film, were hired for production design. Costume design was by Jean-Paul Gaultier.

The Fifth Element received mainly positive reviews, although it tended to polarize critics. It has been called both the best and worst summer blockbuster of all time. The film was a financial success, earning more than $263 million at the box office on a $90 million budget. At the time of its release it was the most expensive European film ever made, and remained the highest-grossing French film at the international box office until the release of The Intouchables in 2011.

Plot
In 1914, aliens known as Mondoshawans arrive at an ancient Egyptian temple to collect, for safekeeping from World War I, the only weapon capable of defeating a great evil that appears every 5,000 years. The weapon consists of four stones, containing the essences of the four classical elements, and a sarcophagus containing a Fifth Element in the form of a human, which combines the power of the other four into a divine light capable of defeating the evil. The Mondoshawans promise their human contact, a priest from a secret order, they will come back with the weapon in time to stop the great evil when it returns.

In 2263, the great evil appears in deep space in the form of a giant ball of black fire, and destroys an attacking Earth spaceship. The Mondoshawans' current contact on Earth, priest Vito Cornelius, informs the President of the Federated Territories about the history of the great evil and the weapon that can stop it. As the Mondoshawans return to Earth they are ambushed by Mangalores, a race hired by the industrialist Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg, who has been directed by the great evil (sending messages as Mister Shadow) to acquire the element stones.

The Mondoshawans' spacecraft is destroyed, and the only "survivor" is a severed hand in a metal glove from the Fifth Element's sarcophagus that still contains some living cells. Human scientists take it to a New York City laboratory where they use it to reconstruct a powerful humanoid woman who takes the name Leeloo. Terrified of the unfamiliar surroundings, she breaks out of confinement and jumps off a high ledge, crashing into the flying taxicab of Korben Dallas, a former major in the special forces.

Dallas delivers Leeloo to Cornelius and his apprentice, David, and it is revealed that she is the Fifth Element. As Leeloo acclimates to Earth and prepares to seek out the element stones, Cornelius learns from her that the stones were not on the Mondoshawans' ship, but were entrusted to an alien opera singer, the diva Plavalaguna. Zorg kills many of the Mangalores for their failure to obtain the stones, but the survivors are determined to seize the artifacts in revenge. Learning from the Mondoshawans that the stones are in Plavalaguna's possession, General Munro, Dallas' former superior, recommissions Dallas and orders him to travel undercover to the planet Fhloston to meet Plavalaguna in a flying luxury hotel where she is performing a benefit concert; a radio contest awarding a Fhloston vacation, sponsored by flamboyant talk show host Ruby Rhod, is rigged to secure Dallas’ passage. Dallas takes Leeloo with him after learning she and Cornelius are on the same mission he is. Meanwhile, Cornelius instructs David to prepare the temple designed to house the stones, then stows away on the spacecraft transporting Dallas, Leeloo, Rhod and his entourage to the cruise liner.

Plavalaguna is killed when the Mangalores attack the hotel during her concert, but Dallas succeeds in retrieving the stones from the dying diva. During his struggle with the Mangalores he kills their leader, rendering the remaining Mangalores unwilling to continue fighting. Meanwhile, Zorg arrives, shooting and seriously wounding Leeloo before taking a carrying case that he presumes contains the stones back to his spacecraft. He leaves behind a time bomb that forces the hotel's occupants to evacuate. Discovering the case to be empty, Zorg returns to the hotel and deactivates his bomb, but a dying Mangalore sets off his own device, destroying the hotel and killing Zorg. Dallas, Cornelius, Leeloo and Rhod escape with the stones aboard Zorg's spacecraft.

As the great evil approaches Earth, the four join up with David at the temple. They arrange the stones and activate them with their corresponding elements, but having witnessed and studied so much violence, Leeloo has become disenchanted with humanity and refuses to cooperate. Dallas declares his love for Leeloo and kisses her. In response, Leeloo combines the power of the stones and releases the divine light onto the great evil, destroying its power and stopping it. She and Dallas are hailed as heroes and, as dignitaries wait to greet them, embrace passionately in a recovery chamber.

Cast

 * Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas
 * Milla Jovovich as Leeloo Minaï Lekatariba-Laminaï-Tchaï Ekbat de Sebat
 * Gary Oldman as Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg
 * Ian Holm as Vito Cornelius
 * Chris Tucker as Ruby Rhod
 * Luke Perry as Billy Masterson
 * Brion James as General Munro
 * Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr. as President Lindberg
 * Lee Evans as Fog
 * Charlie Creed-Miles as David
 * Tricky as Right Arm
 * John Neville as General Staedert
 * John Bluthal as Professor Pacoli
 * Mathieu Kassovitz as Mugger
 * Christopher Fairbank as Mactilburgh
 * Kim Chan as Mr. Kim
 * Al Matthews as General Tudor
 * Maïwenn Le Besco as Diva Plavalaguna