The Fifth Element: Critic Reviews

Mr. Besson directs with ceaseless flamboyance and with an obvious enthusiasm for his film's comic book conceits. But the tone of The Fifth Element is often terribly shrill, especially when attention shifts to grating minor characters.

An overblown cosmic comic book.

One of the great goofy movies -- a film so preposterous I wasn't surprised to discover it was written by a teenage boy.

A hodgepodge of elements that don't comfortably coalesce.

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.

A lot of money was spent on this film, but $100 million doesn't guarantee a good product. Maybe someone should have thought of spending a few more dollars on a better script.

There's no doubt about it, when it comes to saving the world, Bruce Willis is your man. He does it with smarts and style, humor and courage.

Stylish and very violent sci-fi action flick.

Pure eye-candy and a rollicking good-time.

It's a triumph of form over content, but it's a stunning triumph.

I knew where it was going at all times, but the ride was excellent.

Besson's futuristic fable is flawed by a messy narrative which strains to incorporate far too many grotesque and eccentric characters.

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).

Besson has done a solid, if not outstanding, job in bringing his story, written as a teenager, to the big screen.

A motion picture with the body of a mainstream blockbuster but the spirit of a trendy cult flick.

The special effects provided Besson with the tools to provide the movie with the spectacular images, displaying the eagerness of a child in a candy store.

It's cyberpunk!

Everything from the visual effects to the costume design seems to shout out like a precocious child: "Look at me!"

The best-looking science fiction movie to come out in years, with fabulous sets, costumes and special effects, but its plot doesn't quite measure up to its appearance.

Fifth Element doesn't reach the level of great sci-fi to which it clearly aspires because it has too many characters doing too many things for too few reasons. Still, it's a lot of fun.

don't mind the one-dimensional characters and the sci-fi nonsense, but I really could have done without the unfunny, very French humor.

Slam-dunk sci-fi extravaganza.

The Fifth Element has to be the most creative visualization since Tim Burton's first Batman in 1989. On top of that, it's a whole lot of fun.