This film is a visual delight - from the excellent special effects to the costumes designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier (perhaps best known for dressing Madonna occasionally). Perhaps the best is its overall look and feel: it manages to stay away from the Blade Runner-like post-apocalypse urban landscape that has become a cliché in recent science fiction movies. Its look thing is all its own. The last sci-fi movie with such an individualistic look was Total Recall (1990). While it doesn't go for the dark dystopic look, it does borrow liberally from the European Heavy Metal magazine's visual style (and most specifically, from the artist Moebius). It borrows more than that: viewers of the Heavy Metal (1981) movie will notice more than shades of the taxi cabby in the New York of the distant future story segment from that movie.

The Fifth Element movie takes itself more seriously than most. Sure, there's some unexpected humor in the film - but there's no self-conscious postmodernism. Another thing going for it is the sight of model turned actress Milla Jovovich gallivanting about in the scantiest of clothing, some excellent well-done bad guy aliens, great sets and more special effects. All with a distinct European flavor - after all, it is the most expensive European film ever made. (It is directed by Frenchman Luc Besson who scored hits with The Big Blue (1988), The Professional (1994) and The Messenger (2002).)

It involves the earth being threatened by an "ultimate evil" and Willis as a New York cabby in the 24th century becoming embroiled in a chase to track down four stones (each symbolizing the four elements from ancient Greek philosophy) to stop this evil. The fifth element, which triggers the other stones and unleashes the power to stop this evil, is Milla Jovovich herself.