Something that occurs to me, as I watch The Fifth Element again this weekend– I think maybe the film was just too damned French to be successful in the US.

That’s about the only thing I can think of as a possible drawback. The film is just cool as hell–epic plot, great characters, and a universe which just screams “gaming setting”….but I guess the thing was just a bit too Metal Hurlant for American audiences. For example, the costumes by Jean-Paul Gaultier (and the accompanying bevy of models sprinkled throughout the cast) were just not US-Space-Opera-standard, I suppose.

Still…a lot of fun. It really deserved more success.

GMS