I Don't Remember "The Fifth Element" on the Periodic Table...

Hold on!

The Story:

The Fifth Element is the ultimate weapon against evil.  It saves Earth once, but it's getting too dangerous, and must leave the planet for safety.  Don't fear though, it will return to save the day in the future.

Welcome to the future!  The Fifth Element is on its way to save the day when tragedy strikes.  Scientists however are able to recreate the element in the form of LeeLoo (Milla Jovovich).  She escapes to try and complete her mission and is rescued by Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) former military, now cab driver.    It's up to Dallas to help LeeLoo save the planet from Evil, and evil's # 1 henchman, Mr. Zorg (Gary Oldman).  With a little luck from the clergy (Ian Holm)...it just might work!

I've got nothing but love for this film.

They had fun, but take the premise seriously...at least seriously enough.  : )  The tongue is never too far from the cheek as the situation dictates.

This is another Luc Besson masterpiece that he did double-duty on this time as both the writer and the director.

Gary Oldman runs around the movie as the scenery chewing bad guy, and he's just having a blast.

Bruce Willis plays to his strengths, the wisecracking hero who saves the day, and that's perfect for this film.

In fact, all of the supporting cast is enjoyable throughout the movie.  I suppose I should give special mention of course to Chris Tucker.

This was my first exposure to his work, and I would say that the first time I saw this film, I absolutely hated him.

Talk about annoying!

Then the years passed, and the Rush Hour series came along. 

Then I've come back to this film every once in awhile in the 16 years since it came out...

Does it trouble anyone else that all of these movies are getting up there in how old they are, or is it just me??!!

: )

Anyway, Tucker's annoying Ruby Rhod grew on me, and now I look forward to seeing him having a ball onscreen.

Naturally, you also can't overlook Jovovich's launch to movie stardom from this film.  She is a force of nature, and it has translated successfully to the Resident Evil franchise as well.

Movies like this are a perfect example of why I love movies.  It's a B movie that tries to entertain and have fun with itself, and it translates well to the audience.

I would imagine that many Sci-Fi purists might hate this film, but for this guy?

Works like a charm.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I do own it, and again, it sees a spin every 3-4 years or so.

Seems Like Old Times..."The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

There and back again...

The Story:

Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) decides it is time to recount the epic story of his journey years prior with Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and a group of dwarves who set out with Thorin (Richard Armitage) to reclaim their abandoned kingdom that had been overrun by the dragon, Smaug.  The movie then flashes back to young Bilbo's (Martin Freeman) adventures in the wild.  Naturally, the adventure is only halfway done by the time the credits roll...

Could it have been told in one movie? Yes.  I see what they are going for here, besides the money, they are trying to recapture the majesty and triumph of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and on that note, they succeed.

Back in the director's chair, after claiming he wouldn't, is Peter Jackson.  Really, if you're going to wrap up the Tolkien series with a big fat bow, you might as well bring the guy with the vision who did it all already, back to the fold.  That and he brought back a whole host of characters from the trilogy to make a cameo or extended appearance including Frodo (Elijah Wood), Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), Gollum (Andy Serkis) and Saruman (Christopher Lee).

Which is both interesting, and annoying, at the same time.  Naturally, as I lamented when it first came out, I would have preferred that the Hobbit had been filmed first since story-wise it came first, so that when you meet these people, it would have been for the first time.  But alas, what can you do at this point?

Very nice that they were able to all come back and reprise their characters, though not having read the book in 25-30 years, I can no longer remember if all of the scenes they were in were even in the book.  My first thought is no, and this was simply a further means to tie the Hobbit closer to the Rings trilogy...

: )

The cinematography once is again is spectacular as Middle Earth comes to life by way of New Zealand.  The movie is a bit long, with many extended sequences of walking (marching) through the wilderness that could have been trimmed for time... but when you're going in planning on making a 2 parter, I suppose you pad for the sake of making it worth our time and money, and not stretching too far that you turn it into a trilogy!

Anyway, I quite enjoyed the return to Middle Earth, and I look forward to the epic conclusion.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Low.  I own the Lord of the Rings trilogy and have never watched them again since the first time.  Hard to work in such a massive time consuming epic into a busy life.  Though given the choice, I would prefer to watch this over the Trilogy any day.  Just like the book.