Starring Bruce Willis, Ian Holm, Gary Oldman and Milla Jovovich Directed by Luc Besson Rated PG-13, with violence and brief nonsexual nudity Running time 127 minutes Jack gives this film a rating of 8 out of 10

(May 9, 1997) -- Fans of visionary science fiction and elaborate special effects -- a combination more rare than cynics might think -- will want to line up for the next new thing. It's call The Fifth Element.

Bruce Willis stars for imaginative French filmmaker Luc Besson in this English-language futuristic saga that deserves a place on the same shelf with such other innovative trend-setting films as Star Wars, Star Trek, Alien, Blade Runner and Brazil.

The Fifth Element carries echoes of all five of those films, particularly Blade Runner and Brazil, but also manages to display its own highly elaborate universe and distinctive, entertaining aura.

With The Fifth Element, Besson uses his considerable cinematic skill to explore a story he first conceived in his youth. He imagines the existence of an alternate universe of antimatter, a dark presence of pure evil that would destroy everything we know if both universes ever came together.

In his saga, it is the 23rd century, and a door which opens between the universes every 5,000 years is about to open. But our world has previously been saved when the classic four elements -- air, water, earth and fire -- were combined with The Fifth Element to create a protective energy. The Fifth Element is what some call God, while others consider it the ultimate life force. (In fact, in the world of Star Wars, it IS The Force.)

In this particular variation, the Fifth Element is a gaminlike young woman named Leeloo (Milla Jovovich). (Doesn't it seem so French that the ultimate life force would be a punk-styled young woman with spiked hair?)

The task of saving the world from the alternate universe has been handed down for centuries through an order of priests. The current guardian is a Father Cornelius (Ian Holm). When Leeloo arrives on the scene, he knows what must be done.

But he also is a bit of a befuddled wimp, so he needs help. Enter Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas, a harried New York City cab driver who recently quit the government security forces where he was a top agent. As the encroaching antimatter threatens humanity, Korben's nation and president (Tiny Lister Jr.) call, so Korben joins forces with Father Cornelius to try to convey Leeloo to the proper place to save the universe.

In their path is Zorg (Gary Oldman), an eccentric arms dealer who is the agent of evil on Earth. Zorg has a virtual army of slugs and vermin to do his bidding.

Yes, I know; the plot sounds silly like this. However, in the incredibly imaginative, densely conceived world of Luc Besson, it takes on an unexpected reality and urgency. Besson's vision of 23rd-century New York imagines a continuing explosion of population, skyscrapers to the heavens and the traffic of flying cabs, cars and police vehicles in several tightly packed vertical layers.

The strongest influence is Blade Runner, which imagined a similarly dark and polluted Los Angeles of the future.

But while the world of The Fifth Element is also claustrophobic, crowded and not especially appealing, Besson's vision is less cynical. He manages to inject a surprisingly light-hearted element of humor into his film, particularly in the brash attitude delivered convincingly by Bruce Willis. The film also offers a portrait of humanity in which many of us continue to be resilient, imaginative and brave.

And Besson surrounds his colorful characters and eccentric myths with a world of incredibly detailed richness. He fills every inch of every frame with imagination. The Fifth Element demands to be seen on a big screen and, I suspect, repeat viewings will reveal even more wonders.

With true summer still a month away, the season of escapist fables and fantastic visions is off to a rousing early start.