Has there ever been a cinematic vision of the future as delightfully weird and strangely stylish as The Fifth Element? Probably not! One part DayGlo Blade Runner and two parts Jean-Paul Gaultier fever dream, the 1997 film is overflowing with ideas, images, and the color orange. Want to see the 4K restoration on the big screen? Join us on Wednesday, March 18, when we’ll screen it at Avalon Atmospheric Theater. The movie begins at 6:30 p.m. Multi passes—er, tickets—are $6 and are available NOW.
The Fifth Element tells the timeless 23rd century story of a giant fireball—1,200 miles in diameter!—headed straight toward Earth, and the grizzled military-major-turned-taxicab-driver (Bruce Willis) and bandage-clad humanoid/super-weapon named Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) who try to stop it. As Joe Bob Briggs would say, sure we’ve seen it before, but have we seen it with a scenery-chewing Gary Oldman as the bad guy, a scenery-chewing Chris Tucker as a talk show host named Ruby Rhod, and on-again-off-again wrestler Tommy “Tiny” Lister Jr. as the President? Oh, Ian Holm plays a flummoxed priest, there’s a four-hour electro-opera performance by a blue alien, and the late Luke Perry shows up in the first few minutes. Aziz! Light! Hoo boy, this movie rules.
Again, the screening is set for Wednesday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $6 and are available NOW. The event is sponsored by Lakefront Brewery—who will have a few beers on tap at the event—and Educators Credit Union. Dress up if you want, howl along to the craziness if you want, and always remember that the most important element is [SPOILERS].