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Fifth Element - Superbit, The
Columbia/Tri-Star // PG-13 // October 9, 2001
List Price: $27.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Although I've warmed up to it in the years since I first saw it in the theater, I remain as one of what seems like a rather small group who've consistently disliked director Luc Besson's "The 5th Element". Although I've enjoyed the director's other efforts, "Element" has always seemed like an overlong effort that was visually stunning, but rather empty when it came to both plot and characters. The film's jokey tone is obviously an attempt by the film not to take itself seriously, but it goes overboard and occasionally becomes almost too silly.
The film's plot concerns a giant, evil force that resembles a planet, which is heading towards Earth. It's found that the only thing that can stop the force from destroying the planet is "The 5th Element". This element turns out to be a being named Leeloo (Milla Jovovich, who was once Besson's wife), who finds herself literally falling into the life of cab driver Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis). The duo must find the other four elements and combine them somehow to save the planet from the evil force before the villianous Zorg (Gary Oldman) finds them first.
The film's real star is the work by Digital Domain ("Armageddon", the upcoming "Scorpion King"), who has created breathtaking digital cityscapes, populated with multi-colored cars, signs and other touches. While the visual effects and often marvelous, the film combines the effects with fantastic costume (by Jean-Paul Gaultier) and production design. During the shots where visual effects aren't completely involved, the work of Besson's usual cinematographer Therry Arbogast (whose outstanding work can also be seen in this past Summer's "Kiss Of The Dragon")'s work is stylish and enjoyable.
With such a heavy amount of visuals, the characters and story do sometimes seem to get pushed into the background. Willis is actually rather successful, though. He's already a fine action hero, but he also doesn't seem to want to go along entirely with the film's humor, which is certainly a good thing. On the other hand, Oldman olverplays as the villian, but just perfectly. Jovovich is okay, while the great Ian Holm doesn't get much to do. Last and least is Chris Tucker, who I've generally liked a great deal in other films. Here, as DJ Ruby Rhod, he's meant to be irritating and Besson keeps the character around for longer than he should have.
On a purely visual level, "Fifth Element" is often magnificent (the film's 90 million dollar budget certainly went somewhere), but the film doesn't offer much of interest elsewhere and does run somewhat overlong at over two hours.
The DVD
VIDEO: I suppose this is as good a place as any to discuss the studio's new "Superbit" line. The studio's experts in the DVD transfer department have come up with a line of "pure performance" DVDs. All of the supplemental material has been dropped in order to give the audio and video information the maximum amount of possible space on the DVD, allowing the video presentation especially to be presented at a higher bit-rate for what should be maximum picture quality. Yet, many believe the original presentation of "The Fifth Element" to already boast what many would consider "maximum picture quality". The original release was one of the earliest from the studio, providing the film on a dual-sided/single-layer disc which housed the widescreen and pan & scan versions on the two sides. Even with the limited space of the single-layer side, the studio was able to deliver a mostly stunning widescreen presentation.
The new "Superbit" title delivers a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen edition that is, impressively, even a bit better than the previous edition. While not astoundingly better, this new picture smoothed out and polished what was an already wonderful effort. Sharpness and detail were already fine on the original edition, but seemed even stronger on this edition, providing stronger depth to the image. Background details that were not defined on the previous edition are crisper here, and, as with a highly visual movie like this one, there's a massive amount of detail to nearly every sequence.
As previously said, the new "Superbit" image seemed to smooth out the slight concerns that the previous presentation showed. Some slight shimmering was occasionally seen during the original presentation that doesn't appear again here. Unfortunately, although minor, a few tiny speckles and other slight print flaws that were seen on the original do return again here. A tiny touch of edge enhancement appears again here, as well, but isn't likely to cause either distraction or concern. Pixelation was not seen, nor were any other problems.
And actually, there were even further improvements noticed with the presentation. The film's vibrant and lively color palette looked even richer and bolder here; although not by a massive amount, colors did look improved. Black level appeared stronger, while flesh tones remained generally accurate and natural. Overall, a very nice, if not massive, improvement over an already impressive effort.
The "Superbit" process doesn't seem to have kept the studio from putting on lots of subtitle options, though. The film is presented with English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Thai subtitles.
SOUND: As with the other "Superbit" titles, both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtracks are included. While not a wall-to-wall assault, the film's sound design (by John P. Fasal, who also did "Independence Day" and "The Thin Red Line") is certainly highly agressive when it needs to be. Several of the film's action sequences provide intense use of the surrounds for sound effects and I was pleased to hear that the sound didn't stop there, continuing to use the surrounds generously for interesting ambient sounds, as well.
Otherwise, Eric Serra's score sounds excellent as well, with a very strong, deep presence that really thumps away wonderfully. Bass is very deep and very strong at times, as well. Dialogue is crisp, clear and easily understood. This is a very impressive soundtrack and although it's not the most remarkable I've ever heard, it's certainly very well done. The Diva scene is a particularly great one in terms of sound, as are the film's many explosive action scenes.
The film does boast both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 soundtracks. The differences between the two were fairly minimal; both provided an excellent listening experience, although the DTS version seemed to have slightly stronger detail and clarity than the Dolby Digital edition.
MENUS:: As with all of the Superbit titles, the menus look very basic and have no animation or other touches at all.
EXTRAS:: As with all "Superbit" editions, there are no extras, which have been dropped for optimal audio/video. It doesn't seem as if "The 5th Element" will ever recieve special edition treatment. Although I'd actually like to hear and see more about the film's effects, I've heard that Besson apparently isn't interested in providing supplements.
Final Thoughts: I have mixed feelings about the "Superbit" line and I think they'll vary from title-to-title. Although I'm certainly not entirely negative about the line, I can understand where many who seem to be are coming from. DVD buyers, over the past year or two, have been presented with "Ultimate", "Collector's" or the "Super Genius" edition (bonus points if you know what DVD that comes from). To be presented with another opportunity to re-purchase a title they've already bought likely makes many weary or even irritated. Yet, I believe that the idea of maximized presentations does certainly appeal (although the differences/improvements are going to vary by how much on a case-by-case basis, as seen on these first titles in the series). I think that maybe this can be re-thought somewhat for future titles - a 2nd disc with an additional non-"Superbit" widescreen edition and paired with commentary and other features, maybe?. Either way, part of me is excited and wants to see more - anything like this that pushes the format's ability to present extremely high-quality audio/video to its limits is a welcome concept.
Although I'm still not as positive on "The Fifth Element" as many seem to be, I've warmed up to it in the years since I originally saw it in the theater. The visual effects are still stunning and the performances aren't too bad, only occasionally getting overshadowed by the busy visuals. The "Superbit" DVD presentation does prove to be an improvement, offering the film with stronger detail and a more three-dimensional look. The sound presentation remains strong, as well.
Those who own the original DVD and are satisfied will likely not desire an upgrade. Those who don't already own the film or are seeking a better (if only somewhat so) presentation than the original should go with the "Superbit" edition. Unlike some of the other "Superbit" titles, gains in presentation quality meant losses of the supplements on the previous editions. With "The 5th Element", there are only gains (if not major ones) in comparison to the original (and also supplement-free) edition.
Although I've warmed up to it in the years since I first saw it in the theater, I remain as one of what seems like a rather small group who've consistently disliked director Luc Besson's "The 5th Element". Although I've enjoyed the director's other efforts, "Element" has always seemed like an overlong effort that was visually stunning, but rather empty when it came to both plot and characters. The film's jokey tone is obviously an attempt by the film not to take itself seriously, but it goes overboard and occasionally becomes almost too silly.
The film's plot concerns a giant, evil force that resembles a planet, which is heading towards Earth. It's found that the only thing that can stop the force from destroying the planet is "The 5th Element". This element turns out to be a being named Leeloo (Milla Jovovich, who was once Besson's wife), who finds herself literally falling into the life of cab driver Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis). The duo must find the other four elements and combine them somehow to save the planet from the evil force before the villianous Zorg (Gary Oldman) finds them first.
The film's real star is the work by Digital Domain ("Armageddon", the upcoming "Scorpion King"), who has created breathtaking digital cityscapes, populated with multi-colored cars, signs and other touches. While the visual effects and often marvelous, the film combines the effects with fantastic costume (by Jean-Paul Gaultier) and production design. During the shots where visual effects aren't completely involved, the work of Besson's usual cinematographer Therry Arbogast (whose outstanding work can also be seen in this past Summer's "Kiss Of The Dragon")'s work is stylish and enjoyable.
With such a heavy amount of visuals, the characters and story do sometimes seem to get pushed into the background. Willis is actually rather successful, though. He's already a fine action hero, but he also doesn't seem to want to go along entirely with the film's humor, which is certainly a good thing. On the other hand, Oldman olverplays as the villian, but just perfectly. Jovovich is okay, while the great Ian Holm doesn't get much to do. Last and least is Chris Tucker, who I've generally liked a great deal in other films. Here, as DJ Ruby Rhod, he's meant to be irritating and Besson keeps the character around for longer than he should have.
On a purely visual level, "Fifth Element" is often magnificent (the film's 90 million dollar budget certainly went somewhere), but the film doesn't offer much of interest elsewhere and does run somewhat overlong at over two hours.
The DVD
VIDEO: I suppose this is as good a place as any to discuss the studio's new "Superbit" line. The studio's experts in the DVD transfer department have come up with a line of "pure performance" DVDs. All of the supplemental material has been dropped in order to give the audio and video information the maximum amount of possible space on the DVD, allowing the video presentation especially to be presented at a higher bit-rate for what should be maximum picture quality. Yet, many believe the original presentation of "The Fifth Element" to already boast what many would consider "maximum picture quality". The original release was one of the earliest from the studio, providing the film on a dual-sided/single-layer disc which housed the widescreen and pan & scan versions on the two sides. Even with the limited space of the single-layer side, the studio was able to deliver a mostly stunning widescreen presentation.
The new "Superbit" title delivers a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen edition that is, impressively, even a bit better than the previous edition. While not astoundingly better, this new picture smoothed out and polished what was an already wonderful effort. Sharpness and detail were already fine on the original edition, but seemed even stronger on this edition, providing stronger depth to the image. Background details that were not defined on the previous edition are crisper here, and, as with a highly visual movie like this one, there's a massive amount of detail to nearly every sequence.
As previously said, the new "Superbit" image seemed to smooth out the slight concerns that the previous presentation showed. Some slight shimmering was occasionally seen during the original presentation that doesn't appear again here. Unfortunately, although minor, a few tiny speckles and other slight print flaws that were seen on the original do return again here. A tiny touch of edge enhancement appears again here, as well, but isn't likely to cause either distraction or concern. Pixelation was not seen, nor were any other problems.
And actually, there were even further improvements noticed with the presentation. The film's vibrant and lively color palette looked even richer and bolder here; although not by a massive amount, colors did look improved. Black level appeared stronger, while flesh tones remained generally accurate and natural. Overall, a very nice, if not massive, improvement over an already impressive effort.
The "Superbit" process doesn't seem to have kept the studio from putting on lots of subtitle options, though. The film is presented with English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Thai subtitles.
SOUND: As with the other "Superbit" titles, both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtracks are included. While not a wall-to-wall assault, the film's sound design (by John P. Fasal, who also did "Independence Day" and "The Thin Red Line") is certainly highly agressive when it needs to be. Several of the film's action sequences provide intense use of the surrounds for sound effects and I was pleased to hear that the sound didn't stop there, continuing to use the surrounds generously for interesting ambient sounds, as well.
Otherwise, Eric Serra's score sounds excellent as well, with a very strong, deep presence that really thumps away wonderfully. Bass is very deep and very strong at times, as well. Dialogue is crisp, clear and easily understood. This is a very impressive soundtrack and although it's not the most remarkable I've ever heard, it's certainly very well done. The Diva scene is a particularly great one in terms of sound, as are the film's many explosive action scenes.
The film does boast both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 soundtracks. The differences between the two were fairly minimal; both provided an excellent listening experience, although the DTS version seemed to have slightly stronger detail and clarity than the Dolby Digital edition.
MENUS:: As with all of the Superbit titles, the menus look very basic and have no animation or other touches at all.
EXTRAS:: As with all "Superbit" editions, there are no extras, which have been dropped for optimal audio/video. It doesn't seem as if "The 5th Element" will ever recieve special edition treatment. Although I'd actually like to hear and see more about the film's effects, I've heard that Besson apparently isn't interested in providing supplements.
Final Thoughts: I have mixed feelings about the "Superbit" line and I think they'll vary from title-to-title. Although I'm certainly not entirely negative about the line, I can understand where many who seem to be are coming from. DVD buyers, over the past year or two, have been presented with "Ultimate", "Collector's" or the "Super Genius" edition (bonus points if you know what DVD that comes from). To be presented with another opportunity to re-purchase a title they've already bought likely makes many weary or even irritated. Yet, I believe that the idea of maximized presentations does certainly appeal (although the differences/improvements are going to vary by how much on a case-by-case basis, as seen on these first titles in the series). I think that maybe this can be re-thought somewhat for future titles - a 2nd disc with an additional non-"Superbit" widescreen edition and paired with commentary and other features, maybe?. Either way, part of me is excited and wants to see more - anything like this that pushes the format's ability to present extremely high-quality audio/video to its limits is a welcome concept.
Although I'm still not as positive on "The Fifth Element" as many seem to be, I've warmed up to it in the years since I originally saw it in the theater. The visual effects are still stunning and the performances aren't too bad, only occasionally getting overshadowed by the busy visuals. The "Superbit" DVD presentation does prove to be an improvement, offering the film with stronger detail and a more three-dimensional look. The sound presentation remains strong, as well.
Those who own the original DVD and are satisfied will likely not desire an upgrade. Those who don't already own the film or are seeking a better (if only somewhat so) presentation than the original should go with the "Superbit" edition. Unlike some of the other "Superbit" titles, gains in presentation quality meant losses of the supplements on the previous editions. With "The 5th Element", there are only gains (if not major ones) in comparison to the original (and also supplement-free) edition.
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