The Fifth Element [Soundtrack]

I tend to buy a lot of film soundtracks, particularly from science fiction and fantasy related films. "The Fifth Element" is a soundtrack I have never gotten tired of. I've had it since the film came out (3 differing copies, no less!), and while some soundtracks will fade into obscurity in my collection, this is the outstanding piece. If you enjoyed the movie, then this is a highly recommended soundtrack. You literally envision the parts of the film each song pertains to. While I love "Lucia di Lammermoor" and "The Diva Dance," my favorite track is #8, "Five Millennia Later." It is the track to which Leeloo escapes the Nucleo-Lab and finds herself crashing into Korben's cab. I love the mix of techno and piano--usually techno bores me but this song keeps the beat moving and I never lose interest. I spent a high amount of time tracking down the special edition disc which contains an interactive track on it for computer users. But the spoiler came when I laid my hands on a copy of "The Fifth Element: The Complete Score." It is a two-disc set, and it was an accident that I found it. It is not a standard factory produced set; it is one of few copies which were produced to be sent to the record company so they could preview it and pick out the songs they felt would most benefit the finished product for public purchase. Many of the titles on this set differ from the finished product. I definitely feel there is some material the public missed out on--the humor of Zorg's cherry choking scene, and some pounding music associated with the Managalores. The CD opens with the first rumblings of the film, and the eerie landing scene in Egypt--the rest of the music follows the path of the film with few exceptions. Cheb Khaled's "Alech Taadi" (cab chase scene) is present on this set, albeit with sound effects from the film included (no dialogue), but it is there nonetheless. Some of the songs are of a higher quality than others, and disc two contains unreleased music scored for the film but not present in the finished product. One song with a Middle Eastern flavor is simply beautiful--a haunting, sad woman's voice--but it trails off and the song is never completed. I was amazed to find this gem--and as you can tell, I loved the soundtrack so much I had to have three different copies. If you enjoy the unusual mix of music this soundtrack has to offer--rai music, Middle Eastern themes, opera, some mainstream scoring, techno, and music with a Jamaican flavor, then I highly recommend this disc. The music clearly reflects the film's imagery--in your face, eye-popping, colorful, and boisterous, occasionally confused--sometimes reflective and pensive, but never boring.

I particularly like this soundtrack as it captures the unique vision of the director. It is great to listen to an album that depicts the movie's essence so well. The only thing I wish they had included was Alech Taadi as it added so much color and ethnicity to the movie and as well made that car chase scene so much more enjoyable and somewhat playful.

The quality is excellent. The composition is good. But, I found it draggy in spots. That's about all I have to say about the score.