The Fifth Element (1997)

In a different direction to his previous films, Luc Besson directs Bruce Willis in this science fiction action film filled to the brim with beautiful visuals, costumes, humour, spectacular explosions, and yes, Bruce Willis in a blood stained white T-shirt. Korben Dallas is an ex-marine turned taxi driver and from the moment the fifth element drops in for a ride in his taxi it is all go. The evil Zorg and his bunch of space pirate pursue them to Fhloston paradise in an attempt to recover the ancient stones. OK, so the plot is as thin as you can get, but with these special effects you just don't care.

I cannot stress enough how stunning the visuals are in this film and is a shinning example to what the DVD medium can produce. If you are fortunate enough to own a Dolby Digital set-up then your ears are in for the thrill of the century. The stand out section of the film is when the pair are in 'Fhloston paradise' with the singing deva (simply stunning) mixed in with Leeloos fight scenes. Chris Tucker makes his first 'a' list appearance playing the galaxy 'radio' presenter Ruby. Every time I heard his annoying voice and girly screams I just wanted to throttle him! There's even room for Lee Evans to get in on the act.

The menu system is good, although the navigation buttons are a little naff, with scenes from the film played in the background. The region 2 version also has an 'Easter Egg' hidden feature that can be accessed by using the following instructions: -

Go to the main menu and highlight, but don't select, the 'chapters' icon. Now press the down arrow, the highlight disappears, and then pressing 'Enter' takes you to a still from the film. Now in sequence slowly press left, right, up and then finally down. Each key press is accompanied with a stunning still from the film. You will now see a widescreen, and Dolby Digital trailer of the film.