The Fifth Element

Rating:
Summary: All Around Good Film, Excellent DVD
Review: This was my first Superbit purchase, and to say the least, I am impressed. The picture is noticeably better than other DVDs (including standard DVDs with excellent transfers). My surround system has not arrived yet, so I can't test out the revamped audio till late next week.

This is one of Bruce Willis' best performances in my opinion; not too much "drama", but not mindless action either. Excellent plot and storyline, and gives a convincing view of what the 23rd century might be like.

The absolute worst part of the movie is Chris Tucker's character. Prepare to be annoyed out of your skull. Some parts are amusing, especially during the final firefight. I don't think the action scenes could've gotten much better. Realistic and very violent. The Diva's operatic performance gives an excellent soundtrack to the initial hijack of the pleasure liner as well.

All around good film, with a decent plot, good acting, plenty of action, unfortunately a little too much of Chris Tucker.

In other words, if you've seen the movie and liked it, or are a general sci-fi/action fan, buy this DVD. You will not be disappointed with the sheer quality of the Superbit transfer.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome reference disk!
Review: The original release of the Fifth Element was considered a reference quality DVD and rightly so. With this new Superbit version, the video bitrate and audio are improved which makes this THE reference quality DVD to own!

The colors are vibrant and the picture is extremely sharp, especially when viewed on a 16x9 Widescreen HDTV. Don't get me wrong, the original release is still damn good, this one is just a teeny bit better. What makes this disc awesome is the inclusion of a DTS track which really rocks.

This disc may not be worth getting if you already own the original release and don't really care about the DTS track, but if you don't already have The Fifth Element, then this is the version to get!

Rating:
Summary: S, Shaw, [e-mail]
Review: The Fifth Element- what can I say? It's a movie you can watch over and over again, seeing and hearing new bits and pieces every time you watch the movie. The first release was a five star in the 5.1 Dolby Surround. The picture was stellar, but the (Superbit Collection)is a 10. You can see and hear the difference. Trust me, you will be very glad to have it in your DVD collection.

Rating:
Summary: Stick to your old DVD !
Review: If you already owned the first edition of the Fifth Element DVD, I strongly suggest you hold on to it as upgrading to this superbit collection is not worth it. The old DVD is still highly rated in both picture and sound quality. The new disc add DTS encoding which I could only detect minor improvement (if any at all). This is the only superbit edition that I tried and frankly is disappointed by the hype printed at the back cover stating that the DVD is mastered using double rate compared to conventional DVD. Not worth upgrading.

Rating:
Summary: Could Have Been Great!
Review: The premise of this movie is great! As the story unfolds, there are scenes that rate nothing less than 5 stars. Unfortunately, there are other scenes that left me thinking, "Why in the world did they write this into the movie?"

The DVD has 36 chapters. I was truly enjoying the film up until the 20th chapter which is entitled, "Ruby Rhod." This character couldn't be more obnoxious! I believe whole-heartedly that had the makers of this film not included this character, the film might have been a huge success.

If you're a science fiction ADDICT, then this flick is a must-see for the special effects are endless. Bruce Willis is, as always, excellent.

Rating:
Summary: I don't understand why every loves this so much...
Review: Please no more reviews recommending this movie for "scifi lovers"

- All these reviews saying it's great scifi don't make sense to me, simply cuz of the main premise: a ball of evil threatening earth. Just thinking of it makes me chuckle.

- And "love" being an "element" whatever that means, destroys said ball of evil. This is "sci"fi???????? I watched it hoping for a good scifi flick and got a magical fantasy instead. Disapointment.

- practically the best special effects ever and set designs. This is the only reason I give it even two stars

Rating:
Summary: The BEST picture and sound on ANY DVD!!!
Review: FIfth Element is a raucous sci-fi journey that plays like a 2 hour MTV music video. Strap yourself in, and enjoy the ride.

The plot...the personification of all that is EVIL in this world is on a crash course with earth. Corbin Dallas(Bruce Willis) is an unknowing hero sucked into the chaos that unravels in this non-stop action movie. He must unite the 4 elements(wind, earth, fire, water) with a mysterious 5th element before the EVIL destroys Earth.

Other than Bruce Willis' straight man role, virtually every other performance is WAY over the top. Opitimized by Chris Tucker in his debut role as a Futuristic Radio DJ of the #1 Galatic Show. And in this case, Over-the-Top is good. For it marries perfectly with Luc Besson's directorial style. You feel like Bruce Willis' character being swept into a whirl-wind world that is glitz, glam, grunge, techno to the MAX.

The most enjoyable parts of the movie are the Music Montages. There are several with which Luc Besson shows off his roots(directing music videos) in a brilliant array of MUSIC, ACTION and tremendously fast-paced cut scenes.

The DVD is absolutely stunning. If you are into featurettes, cast/director commentary, dvd-rom, and other ancillary items...this DVD is not going to please your palette. The 4 menu items are: Play Movie, Audio Set Up, Subtitles, Scene Selection. Basically the barebones of DVD features. But do NOT be turned of by this. Because if you are an audio/video-phile looking for the BEST image quality and the BEST sound quality...this dish will feed your hunger. This DVD is one of the first 5 SUPERBIT encoded DVD's ever. Basically, the information on your DVD is bits of digital information. Your DVD player will get information from the DVD in bits/sec. Now double the bits/sec of a standard DVD, and the result is crystal clear image quality(the best I've ever seen on ANY DVD), and ear shattering sound(once again, the best I've ever heard on ANY DVD). Star Wars, Episode I is close, but this is the king of the hill right now. I couldn't imagine a better movie to show off the Super Bit technology.

This DVD may lack the frills of a "Collector's Edition" DVD, but the great story, incredible directing, and superlative image and sound quality makes this DVD a must have. Especially if you have a 5.1 stereo and HD-TV that you want to show off. But do keep the Subwoofer down, you'll wake the ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD.

Rating:
Summary: what an entertainment
Review: This is one of the funniest action movies i've ever seen along with Die Hard. You gotta love Bruce Willis...

I loved it even though the movie is based on a stupid story... it was made for entertainment only and did its job superbly

Rating:
Summary: Superbit is only as good as your system.
Review: Unless you're using 480i component out to a screen 36" or bigger, the chances of you being able to say "wow, this is alot better" are not very likely. For those of you complaining that there are no more extra features than there were on the standard release, take a moment to understand something.. Superbit discs are NOT directors releases NOR are they special editions. They are merely a 'reference grade' version of the movie. So, by reallocating space on the disc NORMALLY used for value-added content (trailers, behind the scenes, etc), Superbit DVDs can be encoded at double their normal bit rate while maintaining full compatibility with the DVD video format. Aside from the technical jargon, the superbit version of TFE is incredible. If you've invested a good deal of money on a home theatre system, this DVD will more than likely be what you use to demo the abilities of your equipment with. HOWEVER, if you don't have the equivalent of the cost of a honda accord invested, don't waste your money!(...)

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME reference disk!
Review: This original release of the Fifth Element was considered a reference quality DVD and rightly so. It is almost as good visually as the new Superbit edition.

The colors are vibrant and the picture is extremely sharp, especially when viewed on a 16x9 Widescreen HDTV. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack rocks. This is the version to get if you don't want to spend the extra 6 bucks for the DTS version with a little bit sharper picture.