Netflix Just Dropped One of the Most Visionary Sci-Fi Films Ever — Don’t Miss It

The Fifth Element is 29 and somehow behaving like a brand-new summer smash. Netflix put it back on the service in April, and the 1997 sci-fi fever dream promptly elbowed its way into the streamer’s top 10 movies. Not bad for an “old” movie that, frankly, hasn’t aged a day. I still think it’s one of the most visionary sci-fi films of the 90s, and it’s more inventive than a lot of what’s releasing now. I keep rewatching it because it just hits that timeless, weirdo sweet spot.

Jovovich turns Leeloo into a star-making weapon

Milla Jovovich pretty much launched her action career here as Leeloo, the literal embodiment of the Fifth Element. She barely speaks English for most of the movie, yet she sells every syllable of her invented alien language so well that it’s weirdly charming instead of grating. There’s a moment that still kills me:

"Multipass"

I’ll let you discover the setup if you’ve somehow missed it. What matters is how completely she owns the role. Jovovich has a slight build, but the way she moves through the fights makes it easy to buy that she can steamroll a room. She feels like a template for a lot of the female action heroes that followed: vulnerable and open-hearted, but absolutely lethal when it counts. She carries a huge chunk of this movie on her shoulders.

Bruce Willis, right in that sweet spot

When The Fifth Element hit theaters, Bruce Willis was the marquee name, and he earned the top billing. He plays Korben Dallas, a former soldier turned cabbie in the 23rd century, where flying taxis rule and ride-share never happened. A lot of his most acclaimed performances were earlier in the 90s, but he’s terrific here as a burned-out veteran who gets yanked into Leeloo’s orbit—literally, because she crashes into his life.

It’s obvious early that Korben falls hard for her, despite the language gap and the emotional minefield. That’s why he signs up for her totally bonkers mission to stop an 'ultimate evil' and save, well, everyone. He’d move worlds for Leeloo and probably put in a lot less effort for the rest of humanity. Crucially, Willis still plays like an everyman even while blasting his way through alien firefights in space. The movie doesn’t work without that.

Gorgeous, messy, and impossible to look away from

Yes, parts of the lore get tangled. The whole 'great evil' mythology does a few laps around the track and not all of it makes sense. Luc Besson isn’t exactly meticulous with the fine print. But the imagination on display is the point—and it’s relentless. Back in 1997, we hadn’t had a major space opera since Return of the Jedi in 1983. This one swaggered in and filled the void with opera-singing aliens, aggressively oddball villains, and production design that looks like a European sci-fi comic sprung to life.

That’s a huge reason it popped on Netflix in April: it’s still flat-out beautiful to look at. More importantly, it’s a blast. The renewed attention is deserved.

The Fifth Element is streaming on Netflix right now, and as it nears its 30th anniversary, it’s playing like it has zero miles on it.