Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Fifth Element 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

2017 all over again.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III June 5, 2024

Essentially an exact copy of Best Buy'a exclusive Steelbook released all the way back in 2017, this limited edition 4K/Blu-ray reprint of Luc Besson's stylish sci-fi action film The Fifth Element is a bit of an outlier among Sony's usual UHD output. Their more recent catalogue cuts have saved the Steelbook packaging for definitive 100GB 4K releases that typically add in Dolby Vision compatibility to existing HDR10 masters, presenting them in a way similar to their old "Superbit" DVD releases of yore. This simply repurposes the same HDR10 master as before... and it's one that's good but not great, with so-so disc encoding and a smaller size (66GB) that holds it back a little. It's still a decent release, though, led by outstanding Dolby Atmos audio and a broad but familiar assortment of extras to dig through.

For a synopsis and appreciation of The Fifth Element, please refer back to Ben William's 2007 Blu-ray review. I'm not quite as head-over-heels in love with The Fifth Element as indicated by my more modest rating above, but still consider it to be uniquely entertaining sci-fi fare in its own right. This was one of 1997's most memorable theatrical experiences for yours truly as a teenager, and I never felt quite the same way about medical gauze after that. Yowza!

The Fifth Element 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the included Blu-ray disc.

For details about the included 4K and Blu-ray's respective 2160p/HDR10 and 1080p/SDR transfers, please see Martin Liebman's 2017 review of Sony's standard-issue combo pack. More than ever I think viewing either disc in 2024 shows that there's clearly at least a little room for improvement here, both in overall disc encoding and size as well as the 4K's continued lack of Dolby Vision, which again is reflected in my slightly lower scores above.

The Fifth Element 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dolby Atmos audio still rocks the house, however, and is likewise detailed in Martin Liebman's 2017 review. I'm just docking it a half-point for the lack of original 5.1 audio, which is a personal pet peeve, but I can also appreciate those who see the Atmos track as a total replacement. Geez, I guess I'm just a tough grader today.

The Fifth Element 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in Steelbook packaging with eye-catching artwork depicting Leeloo's daring escape with a fleet of hovering police cars in pursuit. A blue-green dominant color scheme with bold orange background sky elements gives the front cover an immediately striking appearance with the title printed in yellow above. The back cover is less impressive but at least continues the overall design scheme, but the interior print is a big missed opportunity -- there's just a boring metallic blue-green flat color throughout, rather than more contrasting artwork or even a few stills from the film. Both discs sit on overlapping hubs to the right and a Digital Copy slip is tucked inside.

The included bonus features are identical to those mentioned in Martin Liebman's 2017 4K/Blu-ray review, which in turn points also back to Sony's Mastered in 4K Blu-ray release for the bulk of the HD extras.

The Fifth Element 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Luc Besson's The Fifth Element is still a fun and stylish sci-fi thrill ride, but this limited edition 4K/Blu-ray Steelbook is just a reprint of one of Sony's good but not great releases during the format's infancy. As such it doesn't reach the A/V heights of their newer 4K Steelbooks (which are typically 100GB discs with Dolby Vision), yet it's still a decent release stacked with plenty of familiar extras. At this point I'm not sure if a definitive edition will be released, but it's one of the most well-represented titles on home video so there's a good chance that might happen in the future.