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Fifth Element (The) (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Pathé Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (28th April 2013). |
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The Film
 ***This is a technical review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Bruce Willis plays Korben Dallas, a New York cabbie who picks up the type of fare that only comes along once every 5,000 years. Leeloo (Milla Jovavich) isn't just the perfect beauty; she's also a perfect weapon. As planet Earth is about to be wiped out, the pair set off on a deadly mission to find a set of stones that represent the four elements and unite them with the fifth. But what is the fifth? From Luc Besson, the acclaimed director of 'Leon' and 'Nikita' comes a film that reinvents the sci-fi genre. The Fifth Element takes you on an adrenaline-filled journey to a new dimension of sumptuous visuals and spectacular explosions.
Video
Where to start? The Fifth Element has so far been the recipient of three different transfers on blu-ray. The first, released in America in 2006, used a MPEG-2 codec and came out to universally poor reviews, upsetting fans everywhere. So much so, Fox did a remastered release in 2007, using an AVC-MPEG-4 codec. In 2009, the first releases of the third transfer started to appear on the market. Luc Besson approved, the third transfer is courtesy of French studio Gaumont and has boosted contrast and an altered colour scheme. The differences between the 2007 Fox remastered and 2009 Gaumont transfers has opinions divided, but having never seen the 2007 remaster I can't comment. Instead, I'll simply talk a little about the Gaumont transfer - the one this UK release from Pathe uses. In my opinion, there is a lot more to be happy about than there is to be disappointed in. The transfer is a marked improvement on the dvd releases and initial 2006 US blu-ray, but alas, not without some minor problems. The first thing you will no doubt notice is the colour boosting. In most instances, this is fine and really suits the world of The Fifth Element. Yellows, oranges and blues are vivid and really jump out at you, and the definition and sharpness in the blacks is very good indeed. However, the whites and lighter shades are at times overly bright, causing a bit of downturn in the sharpness of some scenes. Faces sometimes shine a little more than I would hope, especially on Diva (some shine is expected due to the setting, but not this amount of glare), but it isn't nearly enough to spoil your enjoyment of the main feature. The shine on the faces may be more a case of slightly too much digital noise reduction in parts and there is a little edge enhancement at times, but overall I feel this boosted colour scheme works and Gaumont's effort is certainly commendable.
Audio
The disc contains the following audio options: - English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 - English Dolby Digital 5.1 For whatever reason, the movie plays with the Dolby Digital track by default, so be sure to change to the lossless DTS-HD MA one via the menu screens before hitting play. I've owned several releases of The Fifth Element over the years and found the superbit DVD release to be the one to beat, at least up until now. Dialogue is clear and concise throughout and there is no sign of any sort of damage to the track at any time. The LFE gets a reasonably good workout and isn't overly done, and the surrounds are used to good effect, most notably for gunfights, explosions, traffic, and Eric Serra's score. Subtitles are available in English HoH. They are white in colour and easy to read, but sometimes stay on the screen just a fraction too long.
Extras
 The extras start off with an audio commentary involving various members of the special effects team. Although it isn't the most exciting commentary I've ever listened to, there is enough information here to keep special effects enthusiasts happy, as well as enough antecdotes about filming and things that happened on set to keep everyone else listening. There are a couple of minor quiet moments, but they do well to keep things moving.
"Discovering The Fifth Element" documentary (48:19) is an in-depth look at how the project got started and many of the concepts used. It uses plenty of behind-the-scenes footage interspersed with interviews of various members of the cast and crew. We also get to see some of the concept art, hear details of the prosthetics used and how/why Besson got Bruce Willis on board. It's more than your average Hollywood EPK-style documentaries and well worth a watch. "Imagining The Fifth Element" featurette (5:13) is a quick look at the world and look of The Fifth Element and features interviews with various members of the special effects crew. It's an interesting little featurette for those interested in the process of coming up with the look of a film and the general set designs. It came out just as silicon gel for creatures started to make a splash and we also hear a little about the mix between animatronics and CGI. "The Art of Jean-Claude Mézières" featurette (5:30) is an interview with Mézières, who drew the concept art and ultimately designed the infamous police cars and the taxi. He talks about his ideas behind the city landscapes, making a vision of a busy futuristic city whilst maintaining a little of the current architecture. "An Audience with Diva Plavalaguna" featurette (5:13) is a closer look at the design and thoughts behind making a singling alien diva. As is an on-going theme with these featurettes, we get to see concept art of Diva, and get some interview snippets with the creature designer and a couple of other crew members. The costume was made using foam latex and it was filmed using what producer Patrice Ledoux calls a 'real opera team' and computer trickery to hit the high notes. "Elements of Style" featurette (5:12) is a closer look at the costume design by the highly annoying, yet obviously talented, Jean-Paul Gaultier. Milla Jovavich's clothing in the film has become instantly recognisable and there isn't a fancy-dress party I have been to where some lass dresses up as her character. For this, I thank him immensely. "MTV Cannes Première" documentary (47:12) is essentially a long fluff piece aimed more at those with a wondering attention span. We get red capet footage from afar, poorly narrated by John Amies, but we also get some good interviews with the main stars and other names such as Mike Leigh, Julie Delpy and Greta Scacchi. Worth a look, but this is of lower quality and of less interest than the rest of the extras on the disc. It is worth checking out 90's fashion at its worse on the red carpet though, and old relationships that are no more such as Bruce Willis and Demi Moore. The extras end with a selection of trailers and TV spots:- Theatrical trailer (1:34) Teaser trailer (1:26) 5 TV spots: - "Adventure" (0:32) - "Race" (0:32) - "Summer" (0:22) - "Sidekick" (0:21) - "It Must be Found" (1:35) It should be noted that the extras are all in standard definition and at times of debatable picture quality.
Overall
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