Science fiction movies are not always created by experienced, visionary directors. In the case of a true classic, the creative mind behind it was even just 16 years old.
Which movie is being talked about? The Fifth Element is a film by the French director Luc Besson. It belongs to the genre of science fiction and has developed into a modern classic since its release in 1998.
In it, Bruce Willis plays a taxi driver in the distant future who encounters the mysterious woman Leeloo, portrayed by Milla Jovovich. Together, they must save the world and all its living beings from destruction by evil.
The film is among the best works of Bruce Willis, even though the actor and his director did not get along particularly well. Luc Besson ended up bringing the film even more fame than he already had. Before The Fifth Element, Besson directed films such as Léon: The Professional or Nikita.
The idea for his science fiction epic is older than all his films. It actually comes from his youth.
A lot of time to think
When did Luc Besson get the idea for the film? In an interview with Nerdist, the director talked about the development of the film. According to him, he got the idea already at the age of 16.
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 mind, it wasn’t a film. I never thought about turning it into a movie. So it was a novel for a long time, and at some point, ten years later, I said: “I would like to make a film 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 the work on the film project began. It wasn’t until the age of 30 that Besson started with the first tests and filming.
“I started writing at 16 and began shooting at 30, so I had enough time to think about it.”
Luc Besson via Nerdist
And that’s certainly not a disadvantage. Because on one hand, the long consideration of such a complex idea can certainly not hurt, on the other hand, Besson was able to refine the ideas he had at 16 with increasing life experience and maturity.
How did the film perform? Only at the age of 38 was Besson able to bring his long-term project to theaters. The Fifth Element received mostly positive reviews and currently has a score of 71% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The visionary images, quirky characters, and eccentric style are particularly praised. After all, the film stands out significantly from other science fiction classics like Star Wars. Although George Lucas’s franchise remains very popular, MeinMMO editor Niko Hernes has something to criticize: Star Wars currently has a big problem, and that problem happens to be the Jedi.
