Originally Posted by
pathoftheturtle
Nevertheless, I'm also here, besides seeing new ideas, to criticize what I have seen. I like that, in the constructive sense: attempting to advance the culture by promoting artworks which are congruent with its values and in others analyzing where the incongruity occurs. So if you happen to scroll up to where I said "...Fifth Element is a concept film..." again, Matt, please note that I said so in response to Jean comparing it to Inception and The Matrix, both of which I have previously defended to him on grounds of metaphysical and sociological themes. I think his issue is that he attends more readily to character driven material. And I think that's a fair complaint about all three examples. That's why I grade Matrix & Inception just somewhere in the range of a C+ to B+ (excluding sequels.) The protagonist in 5th Element really is resistant to growth and hardly changes at all through the picture until the very end. Rather like Neo, actually, although even that slightly truer depiction of the breakthrough of accepting love is not really quite all that. But, like I said in my previous post, at least you do get the proverbial and a bag of chips. Sadly, I did appreciate "a lot" in the details of 5E, particularly in the opening and early sequences, so if it's true that my expectations were too high, that might be the explanation. The languages were fascinating, and the glimpses of setting implied an apparent whole somewhat reminiscent of Blade Runner, which IS on my short A-list to win this whole tournament. Furthermore, right up there with it on that list is Twelve Monkeys, so you know I don't have a problem with Bruce Willis. Yet it is not so easy for some people to enjoy a work for the sake of enjoyment when it just doesn't hold appeal for them. As you pointed out, in place of a high concept this science fiction film simply deploys genre conventions on scant pretext. Not my cup of tea at all.