The Fifth Element
Hacker ApprovedRanked 4 of 29 science fiction films by recommenders
Colorful, inventive sci-fi people rewatch for its design, practical effects and fun tone. Critics often cite Chris Tucker's pacing-breaking character.
Colorful, inventive sci-fi people rewatch for its design, practical effects and fun tone. Critics often cite Chris Tucker's pacing-breaking character.
27 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 24
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 89%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 24 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Visual effects and futuristic city design
“deserves a special place right up there with Star Wars and Harryhausen for its practical effects”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “Creating the Futurescape for the Fifth Element [2019]” “The overall vision for the city is implicit but wildly creative”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “Creating the Futurescape for the Fifth Element [2019]” “it has aged really well, particularly the special effects”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “Creating the Futurescape for the Fifth Element [2019]” Energetic, colorful and fun
“It's so full of life, creativity, color, humor, and themes we can all relate to”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “Creating the Futurescape for the Fifth Element [2019]” “a fun and relatively wholesome movie like Fifth Element”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “Creating the Futurescape for the Fifth Element [2019]” “love the energy and pace of The Fifth Element”
Comment from 23 Aug 2026 in “The Art and Beauty of Blade Runner (2015)” Loved and rewatched often
“I was completely blown away, and have watched it dozens of times over the years.”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “Creating the Futurescape for the Fifth Element [2019]” “I love this movie so much it's _unreal_. What an experience, every single time.”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “Creating the Futurescape for the Fifth Element [2019]” “The firth element is probably my favorite movie”
Comment from 10 Apr 2026 in “Creating the Futurescape for the Fifth Element [2019]” - Comment from 26 Nov 2025 in “Space Truckin' – The Nostromo (2012)”
Humor and strong cast
“Ruby being Ruby is a great bit of levity that really adds to this film.”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “Creating the Futurescape for the Fifth Element [2019]” “The cast is just perfect IMHO.”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “Creating the Futurescape for the Fifth Element [2019]”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Chris Tucker's character breaks pacing
“Besson had toned down the occasionally exaggerated tomfoolery, like Chris Tucker's character”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “Creating the Futurescape for the Fifth Element [2019]” “Chris Tucker broke the pacing too many times for a general audience”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “Creating the Futurescape for the Fifth Element [2019]” “he was a distraction in The Fifth Element as well”
Comment from 23 Aug 2026 in “The Art and Beauty of Blade Runner (2015)”
Other science fiction films people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction films, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blade Runner | 54 | 11 | 83% | 10 | 34 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Colossus: The Forbin Project | 35 | 2 | 95% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Jurassic Park (1993 film) | 32 | 7 | 82% | 8 | — | Approved |
| The Fifth ElementThis page | 24 | 3 | 89% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Terminator 2: Judgment Day | 21 | 7 | 75% | 6 | — | Approved |
What people said
25 of the 29 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“love the energy and pace of The Fifth Element”
“he was a distraction in The Fifth Element as well”
“Came here to say the same”
“The firth element is probably my favorite movie”
“It is just a poor production gamble to place Rudy, Jar Jar Binks, or most Jim Carrey characters in a genre outside absurdist slapstick comedy.”
“Ruby being Ruby is a great bit of levity that really adds to this film.”
“struck by how much "personality" it has”
“I was completely blown away, and have watched it dozens of times over the years.”
“a fun and relatively wholesome movie like Fifth Element”
“While I enjoyed watching the movies, I feel like I would have to point out this dynamic if I were to show the movie to my kids.”
“The overall vision for the city is implicit but wildly creative”
“Besson had toned down the occasionally exaggerated tomfoolery, like Chris Tucker's character”
“it has aged really well, particularly the special effects”
“The cast is just perfect IMHO.”
“Unfortunately the movie doesn't do it for me”
“deserves a special place right up there with Star Wars and Harryhausen for its practical effects”
“they didn't milk it through a bunch of sequels”
“It's so full of life, creativity, color, humor, and themes we can all relate to”
“I have very vivid memories of watching it for the first time in the cinema”
“I have fond memories of the Fifth Element, as one of my first PG-13 movies at the cinema”
“Chris Tucker broke the pacing too many times for a general audience”
“I love this movie so much it's _unreal_. What an experience, every single time.”
“The Fifth Element is another good example, and almost 30 years old.”
“Now I watch The Fifth Element and that's about it.”
“they're un-ironically some of my favorite films”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.