The Fifth Element 4K Blu-ray delivers truly amazing video and audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
Set in the 23rd century, New York cab driver Korben Dallas didn't mean to be a hero, but he just picked up the kind of fare that only comes along every five thousand years: A perfect beauty, a perfect being, a perfect weapon. Now, together, they must save the world.
For more about The Fifth Element 4K and the The Fifth Element 4K Blu-ray release, see the The Fifth Element 4K Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on July 13, 2017 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.5 out of 5.
The Fifth Element is a movie that seems, lately, anyway, inexorably joined at the hip with The Professional.
Both were directed by
Luc
Besson. Both seem to lately release at
the same time to home video, both are fan favorites, both star Gary Oldman in unforgettable roles, both are
cash cows for Sony on the rebuy market with every new must-have home theater tech, yet both couldn't otherwise be more
dissimilar. The
Fifth
Element is a spectacle of internally smart yet externally absurd Sci-Fi action and humor while The Professional is
a more dour piece
about love and maturity in the
midst of violence. Yet here they are, bedfellows of the home theater market, each previouslyreleased to Blu-ray (The Fifth Element following up
on a poorly
received
2006 release), followed by mastered in 4K 1080p presentations that both came to market on
the same day. It's
been a
long
road to this point, and with so many releases and choices, the question remains: are these twin UHD releases finally
the definitive home
video versions of two
of
the great fan-favorite films of the 1990s?
For a full film review, please see the official Blu-ray.com review as written for the 2007 release here.
Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.
To be perfectly frank about it, the average new release UHD isn't that impressive when compared to a top-of-the-line
Blu-ray, which most
of today's major studio releases that earn a companion UHD generally are. With a barrage of digitally photographed movies
finished at 2K and
presented at an upscaled 4K
picture and tweaked with HDR coloring that sometimes seems to just darken the image, it's occasionally hard to remember how
special the format
can
be when it's done right, when the source is of a high enough quality (which much more often than not means the movie was
shot on film) to really
make a difference. The Fifth Element is one such movie. Sony's UHD is so good it doesn't even need the usual A-B
comparison. Right off the
bat, the overall quality of the image is obvious. The desert and rocky terrain, the earthy colored clothes, and skin are all so
remarkably sharp, purely
and organically filmic, and insanely detailed that the difference between this and practically any high end comparable Blu-ray is
unmistakable. The image is beautiful. Grain is constant, very light, and complimentary. Details are sharp as a tack and
effortlessly
presented. HDR colors are very complimentary, darkening the image a bit but, here, offering a significant increase in contrast
and depth. Brighter
shades, whether Dallas'
orange shirt, Leeloo's hair, the blue singer, or plainer backgrounds offer exquisite nuance and saturation that's amazingly deep
and detailed with
incredibly fine transition
and clarity.
Making that largely needless comparison to the Blu-ray anyway -- and the "Mastered in 4K" version at that -- does
indeed show just how
special a
presentation this really is. While the 1080p disc is of reference quality for that format, the UHD destroys it in every way
imaginable. Immediately,
the
striking difference in textural detail is obvious. Rocky formations and skin textures are practically smeary by comparison on the
Blu-ray. The
elevation
in detail is
substantial and the increase in color depth and saturation, even if the image is a bit darker overall, is obvious. On the slight
downside, a few high
contrast edge halos are visible, very minor print debris is exhibited at times, and effects shots show their age and limitations
(though such is
inherent to the elements). Nevertheless, this is easily a reference UHD and Sony
continues to dominate the arena with its classic, shot-on-film re-releases that truly demonstrate UHD's full potential.
While the previous "Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray featured a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, Blu-ray.com was then not equipped to cover it.
While this is not a
full-fledged review as most everything from the previous review and the core Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track still applies, here is a brief
update. The Atmos
track does indeed expand on the track in meaningful ways at several junctures. Right off the bat ("Aziz, light!"), the increased
overhead saturation is
obvious as voices marvelously, almost sonically miraculously, filter overhead in a full, detailed sort of way that almost literally
transforms the listening
area into the location and places the listener right in the middle of the exchange and some of the more intensive elements to
follow. Various action
scenes find additional, and suddenly crucial, top-layer components as well and the track in general presents with a much greater
sense of overall place
and space even in more reserved scenes, but that
opening, as simple as much of it may be, is a clear-cut reference moment for Atmos. Please click here for more.
This UHD release of The Fifth Element does contain one new extra of note that's exclusive to the 4K release. The
Director's Notes: Luc
Besson Looks Back (2160p, standard color, 10:29) features the acclaimed filmmaker reflecting on his writing career, the
origins of The Fifth
Element, inspirations, preparations, obstacles, casting and characters, visual effects, and audience reaction. It's amazing
just how much work
Besson put into the project. This is a very strong supplement that offers a nice overview of the movie from a number of angles.
The disc also includes
the usual stable of Sony UHD goodies, including cast and crew stills and a collection of Moments (2160p/HDR/Atmos):
Korben Dallas,
Leeloo, Ruby Rhod, and Zorg. As for the remainder of the supplements, they're included on the Blu-
ray, which is identical to
the "Mastered in 4K" release from a couple of years back. Please click here for a full review.
The Fifth Element is not only a great film that stands up to the test of time, it's earned a definitive home video
release. The UHD picture quality is absolutely spectacular, the Atmos soundtrack is the perfect compliment, and the special
features, which include a
new and very well done director retrospective, are very enjoyable. Very highly recommended.
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