The Fifth Element

Excited as I am for Luc Besson’s upcoming Valerian film (I’m even currently re-reading the Valerian graphic novels), and also the new Blade Runner film coming out later this year (for which we just got a great new trailer), I decided to do a double bill last night of the two films that connect to these upcoming releases. First up was The Fifth Element, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary. I’ve always loved this film, from the fantastically joyous performance by Milla Jovovich (“Multipass”), to the very European sci-fi setting, that put to film the kind of sci-fi we’d see in French/Belgian comics, and stuff like Heavy Metal magazine. I know some people can’t stand it, but I love it for all its weirdness, and was happy to see that it’s aged quite well, and even still looks really good. It’s about time we get another big sci-fi film from Besson.