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Review of The Fifth Element (Eric Serra)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... only if you are fond of the film itself, for Eric Serra's
score is nothing more than a frightfully obnoxious and loyal souvenir
from an equally insufferable film.
Avoid it... if you refuse to own any reggae, techno, opera, rap, pop, and classical film score (all in one) that explicitly mixes the sounds of a female orgasm into its ranks.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
The Fifth Element: (Eric Serra) What? $100 million
bought this? Luckily, nothing about the production of The Fifth
Element took itself seriously, or the film would literally have been
among the worst ever promoted as a summer blockbuster. Director Luc
Besson's completely nonsensical 23rd Century adventure flick is about as
corny and dumb as a film can possibly be, but at least it looks
incredible. If ever there was a definition of eye candy, it would be
The Fifth Element. Trying to explain the plot would be futile,
but for the purpose of reviewing the soundtrack for the film, it's also
unnecessary. That's because the film jumps around in style and genre so
often that Besson's usual collaborator, Eric Serra, was forced to write
music that jumped through the same hoops while also extending the
obvious sense of humor that Besson was giving the topic. In the end, all
that mattered was that, from a compositional standpoint, The Fifth
Element was the perfect opportunity to write the ultimate parody
score, and only a few hints here and there of a serious dramatic edge
distract from its wacky, strange, and psychotic stance. Serra had not
endeared himself to the American film score community by 1997; his score
for Goldeneye was a definite low point in the James Bond
franchise, and David Arnold had not yet washed out that sour aftertaste.
Serra's often wild and highly unpredictable methodology, as well as his
work with Besson in Europe, had given him the label of a rising star in
the late 1990's, but he never took advantage of that opportunity. If
anything, his music for The Fifth Element was so appropriately
bizarre that it may have done little more than prove that he could be
obnoxious in nearly every genre of music in existence. It's a score that's
impossible to either recommend or trash, if only because it is perfect
for its film. It just so happens that the film is so outrageously stupid
that any music that rides along for the ride is doomed to cause some
head-scratching.
As in most scores, however, the soundtrack for The Fifth Element does feature some highlights. Serra does indeed provide a main theme for the film, though a casual browsing of the album will barely reveal it. This theme is the only truly orchestral idea in the entire effort, representing the concept of humanity (and, to a lesser extent, its savior in the form of Milla Jovovich) that is threatened in the story's barely lucid plotline. This theme is previewed in "Koolen," but finally receives full treatment on strings in "Leeloominai," "Human Nature," and "Protect Life." During a particularly disturbing sequence about the history of war, this theme receives a brief blast of disharmony ("Pictures of War"). The three or four minutes of this theme's statements on the album will definitely not be worth the price for standard orchestral score collectors, because the remainder of the score makes absolutely no sense. Serra flips the pages of every genre during the effort, from the electronic droning of a suspense score to the hip reggae of a romantic comedy in the Caribbean. The historical parts of the plot are handled with heavily cliched Middle Eastern string movements over incongruous pop rhythms while the forces of evil are provided with pounding electronic hits, intentionally harsh and nearly intolerable, and with the occasional help of a chorus. To call The Fifth Element eclectic wouldn't do it justice, with violent mood swings at every turn. Somewhat more consistent is Serra's use of looped drum pads and the incorporation of sound effects, highlighting the theme for "Korben Dallas" (Bruce Willis). The three songs prominently featured in The Fifth Element could not be any more diverse themselves. While "Little Light of Love" is the somewhat standard European-sounding rock piece heard over the end credits, the rap song "Ruby Rap" simply makes you want to throttle Chris Tucker. The opera piece performed on the cruise ship in space ("Lucia di Lammermoor") is beautifully performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Inva Mulla Tchako. The transformation of the piece into a modern dance bonanza in the following "The Diva Dance" is frighteningly interesting in an exotic way. Serra's expansive use of not only his vast library of synthetic rhythms and sound effects, but also those directly from the film is intriguing and, if it catches you in the right mood, quite funny. The sounds of meowing cats, banging doors, random guitar strumming, and sloshing water are catchy, but their mixing is harsh and bombastic and therefore highly distracting. Serra is sure to make it known that this technique is done for purely humorous reasons by the time you get to "Aknot! Wot?," the concluding track on the album. This recording takes the hip rhythm from the "Korben Dallas" cue and accentuates every musical aspect of it before inserting snippets of spoken dialogue and many more sound effects from the film in synch with its movement. This cue is both hilarious and utterly intolerable, perhaps the most awkwardly unique single track appearing on any soundtrack album in the 1990's. If you need something to drive away potential mates or make nearby drivers flee you at intersections, crank up "Aknot! Wot?." The sounds of female orgasms alone could do the trick. Overall, this score was obviously written to deviate from the norm. Because it matches the careless and flamboyant personality of the film, you can't denigrate Serra for producing it. At the same time, however, it's a nearly impossible score to sit through from start to finish, because along the journey through the genres of reggae, techno, opera, rap, pop, and classical, the album fails to convey any kind of connecting tool with which to identify the whole work. It serves as, in many ways, a promotional sampler of Serra's talents, and while you might be inclined to take three or four tracks off of the album for your own compilation, the entirety of the album fails. Thus, it wasn't surprising to see almost every film score reviewer give The Fifth Element a neutral rating. If you lived in Fhloston Paradise, then it might work, but on 21st Century Earth, it just doesn't make sense. If not for the fact that the album (with several different covers released internationally, all containing the same music within) has been out of print and expensive, the "Aknot! Wot?" track alone would be worth some morbid curiosity. You couldn't get a better souvenir from the film anywhere else. ***
TRACK LISTINGS:
All Albums:
Total Time: 62:54
NOTES & QUOTES:
Neither insert includes any extra information about the score or film.
The American album features Courier "type-writer" font on its packaging that
is very difficult to read.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from The Fifth Element are Copyright © 1997, Virgin Records (American), EMI/Virgin Music (International) and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 5/10/97 and last updated 3/25/08. |
