One of the earliest popular DVD releases, Luc Besson's fanciful, visually striking 1997 sci-fi epic The Fifth Element has a surprisingly spare presentation: it includes standard and widescreen aspect ratios, as well as Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo Audio in English and Spanish -- and that's it. While both the sound and audio preserve the film's intricate, and often witty, details, it's still a slightly disappointing package; filmographies, a making-of featurette, or even a trailer would make the disc more substantial. Though the film's fans would want it in any DVD version, The Fifth Element deserves a more thoughtful presentation than this, and Columbia TriStar obliged by releasing a deluxe edition in early 2005.

Eight years after its release, The Fifth Element finally gets the love it deserves on DVD with this Ultimate Edition from Columbia TriStar. Released in tandem with a two-disc of another Luc Besson masterpiece, Leon: The Professional, The Fifth Element boasts the same Superbit transfer from the 2001 release, and the film looks and sounds simply incredible on whichever system you're running. With utterly amazing levels of detail and color saturation, the 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image will astound you over and over again, while the 5.1 Dolby and DTS tracks will leave you with your jaw on the floor long after the action is over and love has conquered all. Packaged as a two-disc, the first is dedicated solely to the film, with one exception -- a fact trivia track packed with trivia and ridiculous humor that somehow fits the film's goofy tone. The second disc is stuffed with enticing extras that boast featurettes, galleries, test footage, interviews, and outtakes. The supplemental disc starts off with the visual side of the film as it focuses on the two graphic artists on whose vision the story was originally based. Jean-Claude M~zi~res and Jean Moebius Giraud are two of the most renowned comic artists in France, and their interviews here are the highlight of the disc. The rest of the extras cover all other aspects of the production; from the digital aspects to the makeup and costumes, each department is thoroughly explored, including some extremely rare test footage of deleted scenes, along with never-before-seen interviews and countless behind-the-scenes glimpses. There are only two drawbacks to the entire package: one, that Luc Besson refused to supply either a commentary or interviews for the discs, and two, that the production felt the need to use one of the most annoying voice-over artists for the featurettes (the guy sounds like he's voiced one too many E! Entertainment Spring Break specials). All in all, though, this release is one wallop of a good time that's worthy of being on anyone's DVD shelf.