Science fiction films are not always conceived by experienced, visionary directors. In the case of a real classic, the creative mind behind it was only 16 years old.
Which film are you talking about? The Fifth Element is a film by French director Luc Besson. It belongs to the science fiction genre and has become a modern classic since it was published in 1998.
In it, Bruce Willis plays a taxi driver in the distant future who meets the mysterious woman Leeloo, played by Milla Jovovich. Together they must protect the world and all its living beings from destruction by evil.
The film is one of Bruce Willis’ best works, even if the actor and his director didn’t get along particularly well. The film ended up bringing Luc Besson even more fame than he already had. Before The Fifth Element, Luc Besson made films like Léon the Professional or Nikita.
The idea for his science fiction epic is older than all of his films. It comes from his youth.
The Fifth Element – Trailer for the cult sci-fi film by Luc Besson
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Lots of time to think
When did Luc Besson get the idea for the film? In an interview with Nerdist, the director talked about the making of the film. According to him, the idea came to him when he was just 16 years old.
At that time he formed a concept of the world and its inhabitants and wrote the first drafts of the story.
When I started writing at 16, it was more like a novel. In my head it wasn’t a movie. I never thought about making a film out of it. So it was a novel for a long time and at some point, ten years later, I said, “I’d like to make a movie out of it.” But I started changing a lot of things because a novel is really different.”
Luc Besson via Nerdist
Many years passed before work on the film project began. It wasn’t until he was 30 that Besson began his first tests and filming.
“I started writing when I was 16 and started filming when I was 30, so I had plenty of time to think about it.”
Luc Besson via Nerdist
And that is certainly not a disadvantage. On the one hand, thinking about such a complex idea for a long time certainly can’t hurt, but on the other hand, Besson was able to improve the ideas he had at 16 with increasing life experience and maturity.
How was the film received? It was only at the age of 38 that Besson was able to bring his long-term project to cinemas. The Fifth Element has received mostly positive reviews and today has a score of 71% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Above all, the visionary images, the shrill characters and the eccentric style are praised. After all, the film stands out clearly from other science fiction classics like Stars Wars. Although George Lucas’ franchise remains very popular, MeinMMO editor Niko Hernes has something to complain about: Star Wars currently has a big problem and that is the Jedi