Fifth Element

"THE FIFTH ELEMENT" is a film that this reviewer absolutely despised during
its initial theatrical release. Not that it wasn't eye-pleasing to view
some of the best looking air stewards since "2001", but so much of the
film's plot, in spite of Besson's visual innovations, felt completely
derivative! The problems with the film begin almost immediately with an
opening sequence, offering Luke Perry in a part where he's totally wasted,
as an archologist. The introduction to "important" alien characters makes
them appear less likeable than the story demands them to be. Jumping ahead
to the future, our introduction to Bruce Willis is also less than
interesting. Besson clearly wants to go for a "rough" persona in Willis'
character, but it's too cold. Chris Tucker has a supporting role that
stands out above the rest of the cast, and his fans will love his work here.
However, more than anything, it's the visual effects and production design
that make "The Fifth Element" stand out, and this "SUPERBITS" presentation.

As with all "SUPERBIT" releases, the film is released with 16:9 enhancement
as well as its correct aspect ratio. But, due to the excision of
supplementary materials, more space is allowed for visual information,
allowing for a more detailed image. While the previous dvd of the film
looked great, it pales in comparison to this presentation in most instances.
There's just so much more detail and clarity here!

In the previous release, there were numerous instances wherein detail in the
background was somewhat muted. That's not the case here. While there's
only so much definition possible with any given image, when viewed
side-by-side, the depth and clarity of the images in the "SUPERBITS" version
is always better.

The contrast in both presentations is impressive, but the blacks and grays
are much deeper here. And actually, there were even further improvements
noticed with the presentation.

Both the Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 mixes are offered here, but as with
most DTS offerings, it's the better of the two, offering superior bass and
frequency response.

Besson likes to call attention to his frequent composer Eric Serra, and the
soundmix is a great showcase for his talent here. In particular a "Diva"
sequence, offers incredible layers of effects and clarity at the same time.
While both soundmixes present the scene well, it's the DTS version that
offers more clarity here too.