History Film / TheFifthElement

* MayflyDecemberRomance: Leeloo and Korben, due to the former being at least 4000 years old.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: The head scientist, while referring to the [[FromASingleCell still-a-sample]] Leeloo, says "I can't wait to meet him.", even though he has complete access to her DNA, so he ''really'' should be able to notice the lack of a Y chromosome. So he either a) misled the general for no good reason, b) gave Leeloo a GenderBender for no good reason or c) he's incredibly incompetent and has this job.

** The battleship captain says that the Dark Planet is giving conflicting temperature readings varying from one million degrees to -5000. There is no temperature scale that goes to -5000, as absolute zero (or 0 Kelvin) is only -273 Celsius. Of course, this could simply be a result of the sensors being jammed, as was mentioned just prior.

* BallisticDiscount: Subverted, where Zorg shows the Mangalores all the fancy special features of the consignment of assault rifles they've ordered, and they walk off with them without completing their side of the bargain (they ''did'' destroy the assigned target, the MacGuffin just wasn't actually there). Turns out his insurance policy was to show them all the fancy special features ''except'' explaining [[WhatDoesThisButtonDo What That Little Red Button Does]] -- it's a high-explosive self-destruct. Played straight in a more non-traditional fashion when Korben tricks the mugger into disabling his gun, then pulling his own sidearm and stealing the mugger's gun.

** Not Big, but definitely red, is one mentioned by Zorg: "I hate warriors, too narrow-minded. I'll tell you what I do like though: a killer, a dyed-in-the-wool killer. Cold-blooded, clean, methodical and thorough. Now a real killer, when he picked up the ZF-1, would've immediately asked about the little red button on the bottom of the gun." Immediately after, Arnot the Mangalore pushes that button, and the weapon {{self destruct|Mechanism}}s. [[StuffBlowingUp Impressively.]]

* EvilOverlordList: Zorg practically quotes Number 68 as he lets Cornelius go after Cornelius and saves his life.

* IJustShotMarvinInTheFace: At the opera house, the inexperienced Ruby kills a Mangalores prisoner with an accidental discharge of the weapon handed to him by Korben.

* {{Irony}}: Zorg's first attempt to get the stones is thwarted by Atnok and his men bringing him the empty case that had held the stones, [[ExactWords since he asked for a case;]] Zorg blasts them for their stupidity. Later in the film [[spoiler:Zorg steals what he believes to be a box holding the stones, but he makes the exact same mistake as Atnok and doesn't check to see that they're actually in there]].

* NeverTrustATrailer: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3Hart3UKEQ&t=3s&ab_channel=BreadCrustCouncil teaser]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLwb5brB3lA&t=11s&ab_channel=BreadCrustCouncil trailers]] seems that will be a science-fiction horror mystery thriller film in vein of ''Film/TheThing1982'' and of course ''Film/EventHorizon'', or some kind of serious modern alien invasion film in vein of ''Film/IndependenceDay''. When the film was released, the film turns out to be nothing but another humorous action flick in a similar way to films ''Film/DieHard'' (in which Bruce Willis also starred) and of course ''Film/DemolitionMan'', but with a bit of violence toned-down.

-->'''Zorg''': Is that you? What an ugly face! It doesn't suit you. Take it off. ''(The Mangalores shed their human forms, revealed as brutish creatures)'' That's better. Never be ashamed of who you are. You're warriors. Be proud!

* PsychicNosebleed: Happens twice -- first to General Staedart, the commander of a battleship before Mr. Shadow destroys it, and then to Zorg when Mr. Shadow calls him on the phone. Oddly, the bleeding always starts somewhere at or above the hairline, raising the question as to just ''where'' exactly they are bleeding from. Rather than blood it appears to be some kind of black ichor; Zorg wipes his forehead after the phone call, and the fluid is thick and oily in appearance. The Commentary confirms it was Hersey's Chocolate.

** The [[BigRedButton little red button]] on the ZF-1 is a powerful [[SelfDestructMechanism self-destruct]], as a hapless Mangalore discovers through WhatDoesThisButtonDo. Lampshaded.

* WhatDoesThisButtonDo: When the case Zorg hired the Mangalores to bring him is empty, Zorg reneges on the deal of giving them four crates of the new [[SwissArmyWeapon ZF-1]], however, when Aknot insists on compensation for risking their live [[ExactWords to bring him the case]], Zorg orders that they be given one crate, "for the cause." Outside the meeting he tells his assistant:

--> ''[As the other Mangalores [[FunnyBackgroundEvent play round with their ZF-1s']], Aknot curiously notices the red button and presses it, [[StuffBlowingUp resulting in the self-destruct mechanism going off]]]''

* FaintInShock:
** In the DistantPrologue, Professor Pacoli (the archaeologist) faints after being confronted to the Mondoshawan aliens.
** Vito Cornelius drops stiff after realizing that the unconscious woman Korben Dallas has brought to his office is in fact the Fifth Element.

* FaintInShock: Vito Cornelius drops stiff after realizing that the unconscious woman Corben Dallas has brought to his office is in fact the Fifth Element.

* TrophyViolence: After the military rigs the contest so that Korben can go to the resort and get the sacred stones, Father Cornelius tries to talk him into handing over the tickets. After the cops interrupt him, Corben brings Cornelius and Leloo out of hiding. While Corben is distracted, Cornelius grabs a bronze trophy, knocks him out and takes the tickets.

* UniversalDriversLicense: At one point, it's explained that Corben's training and experience in his former military unit qualifies him in the operation of a list of vehicles that extends to several pages.

* InstantMassJustAddWater: Leeloo creates instant food by putting a bowl with food pills into a microwave for a few seconds and out comes an entire roast chicken with vegetables.

* PsychicNosebleed: Happens twice -- first to General Staedart, the commander of a battleship before Mr. Shadow destroys it, and then to Zorg when Mr. Shadow calls him on the phone. Oddly, the bleeding always starts somewhere at or above the hairline, raising the question as to just ''where'' exactly they are bleeding from. Rather than blood it appears to be some kind of black ichor; Zorg wipes his forehead after the phone call, and the fluid is thick and oily in appearance.

* OverlyLongScream: Ruby Rhod is prone to these when things get hectic. The biggest explosion in the film is ''accompanied by one''. He even stops halfway through to draw some ragged breaths before going right back to screaming his lungs out.

* OutrunTheFireball: Korben pushes Zorg’s ship to its limit to outrun the massive explosion that annihilates the Phloston cruise ship.

* CatchPhrase:
** Zorg: "I know."
** Ruby Rhod: "Are we green?" and "BZZZZZZZZ!" (while flapping his hands at someone he wants to leave him alone).
** A Creator/RatPack catchphrase of old, "badda-boom!" gets a new lease on life, too.

* ChanceActivation: As they are trying to activate the stones, there are no instructions or directions found. David lets out a frustrated sigh, accidentally blowing air onto the Air stone. It reacts by slightly opening. After he alerts the others, David remembers about the breath and Korben surmmizes that the stones are simple: air (David's breath) for Air, water (Cornelius' sweat) for Water, earth (dirt) for Earth and fire (Korben's match) for Fire. Good thing he hadn't given up smoking!

* FaintInShock: Vito Cornelius drops stiff after realizing that the unconscious girl Corben Dallas has brought to his office is in fact the Fifth Element.

* LiteralSurveillanceBug: One of [[TheDragon Zorg]]'s minions uses a cockroach fitted with a [[IncrediblyObviousBug hilariously conspicuous transmitter]] to spy on the president. The roach also seems to have a brain implant that allows him some rudimentary control over it. The president eventually notices the bug and squashes it, causing painful feedback for the listener. (Note that this is a parodical exaggeration. Despite the film being set a few centuries in the future, in real life the technology already exists to do this trick more effectively.)

* FaintInShock: Vito Cornelius, when he meets Leeloo for the first time and realizes who she is.

* OutrunTheFireball: Korben and the gang speed to outrun a giant explosion that engulfed everything around their spaceship, except the windshield, prompting Bruce Willis to dramatically scream and coax the craft ever so faster to suddenly outrun the blast into orbit.

[[TheFuture 2263]], when the Great Evil is starting to form itself. On their way to deliver the five elements back, the aliens are shot down by a ship of [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy another race of proud warrior aliens]], who steal the box which would contain the stones. The remains of the "fifth element" are found and Earth scientists reconstruct it, generating an [[HeroesWantRedheads orange-haired]] MysteriousWaif named [[OverlyLongName Leeloominaï Lekatariba Lamina-Tchaï Ekbat De Sebat]], or "Leeloo" for short, who breaks out of the lab and [[CarCushion dives into a taxi]] driven by ex-soldier Korben Dallas. With the Great Evil getting closer, Korben has to help Leeloo save the planet.

''The Fifth Element'' is a [[TheNineties 1997]] English-language French ScienceFiction {{Film}} produced by Creator/{{Gaumont}}. The brainchild of producer, director and screenwriter Creator/LucBesson, it stars Creator/BruceWillis, Creator/GaryOldman, Creator/MillaJovovich, Creator/ChrisTucker and Creator/IanHolm. The soundtrack was composed by Besson's longtime collaborator, Music/EricSerra. It was released by [[Creator/SonyPictures Sony Pictures Releasing]] under Creator/ColumbiaPictures in North America, while in France it was released by Creator/{{Disney}} under Gaumont Buena Vista International.

''The Fifth Element'' is a [[TheNineties 1997]] English-language French ScienceFiction {{Film}} produced by Gaumont. The brainchild of producer, director and screenwriter Creator/LucBesson, it stars Creator/BruceWillis, Creator/GaryOldman, Creator/MillaJovovich, Creator/ChrisTucker and Creator/IanHolm. The soundtrack was composed by Besson's longtime collaborator, Music/EricSerra. It was released by [[Creator/SonyPictures Sony Pictures Releasing]] under Creator/ColumbiaPictures in North America, while in France it was released by Creator/{{Disney}} under Gaumont Buena Vista International.

* ContrivedCoincidence: Some of it is specifically invoked by characters, but the government fixes a radio contest to give Korben a cover story on Fhloston Paradise during his mission to retrieve the four elemental stones for them. He just happens to be the cab driver who, earlier, had Leeloo (the Fifth Element) drop in on him. He dropped her off with a priest, who later heard he won the contest CuteBruiseron the radio and shows up at Korben's apartment while the military is there to recruit him.

* ArtisticLicenseEconomics: Zorg espouses the "Destruction Equals Employment" mentality, and demonstrates it by destroying a glass and explaining how [[InTheFutureWeStillHaveRoombas the machines]] that clean the glass shards away employ so many people manufacturing them. However, Zorg doesn't mention that only companies like his, which profits off of war, stand to benefit, rather than society as a whole. It's a version of the Parable of the Broken Window, which is explained in more detail at Website/TheOtherWiki.[[labelnote:short version]]Destroying something only benefits those companies that can replace that destruction and nothing else. The theory is that a windowmaker hiring someone to go around breaking windows may benefit the windowmaker (in the short term), but does nothing for society as a whole, as money spent replacing windows is money that cannot be spent elsewhere, and is spent simply on restoring the status quo. Also, disasters are not profitable, as money is spent restoring a status quo that could have been spent on improvements elsewhere absent the disaster in question. War is also a useless expense, as money is spent on bullets that fire and bombs that explode that destroy buildings and machines that money has been spent to create. Money spent on war and the military and the industries that support them are by definition a necessary sunk cost, as a state-sponsored military cannot generate profit or become self-sustaining (relying on continuous infusions of taxpayer money to function) and, at its most basic level, their function is to blow shit up and kill people, neither of which have an inherent economic benefit. This doesn't mean war cannot in the long term create conditions where future economic expansion can flourish, but that is outside the scope of this theory.[[/labelnote]]

** During the climax, the Dark Planet is described as having been stopped 62 miles from impact. Previously, the Planet was described as being 1200 miles in diameter. This means an object about half the size of earth's moon is parked in an orbit no more than 62 miles above earth's surface. That's ''closer'' than the orbit of a geosynchronous satellite. Not only would such an orbit be untenable, but an object ''that'' size orbiting ''that'' close to Earth would wreak utter havoc on the planet's surface due to tidal forces. In fact that's so close the limb of the Dark Planet would be ''inside earth's atmosphere''.

** When the Mangalores fail to deliver the stones to Zorg, [[spoiler:he tricks them into blowing themselves up with the ZF-1's self-destruct function. Guess what happens to Zorg on the ship later?]] Zorg disparages the Mangalores afterwards, saying he prefers cold-blooded killers to warriors, because warriors prefer to fight for honor and hopeless causes. The last words by the Mangalores right before [[spoiler:Zorg is blown up]] is that he's doing it for their honor.

** Ruby Rhod and his entourage play every camp stereotype to the hilt, even though they're not gay. Just because Ruby owns a collection of lycra catsuits doesn't mean he isn't a ladies man. As evidenced by his tryst with a flight attendant during the takeoff of the ship to Fhloston Paradise. According to the DVDCommentary, Ruby (originally named "Loc") is a combination of Music/{{Prince}} and Lenny Kravitz. Ruby even oddly uses the female pronoun when referring to himself on radio, calling himself ''Miss'' Ruby Rhod.

* CassetteFuturism: The film has a distinctive aesthetic that looks like a lot of '90s music videos. It's deliberately futuristic looking but also quite campy.

* ChekhovsGun: If you want an example of how to use this trope well, look no further. Almost everything important in this movie is introduced in a previous scene. A partial list includes Korben's matchbook, Leeloo reading about martial arts, and the Mangalores being able to shapechange.

* CreatorsCultureCarryover: Korben lives in New York, and loses all five points left on his driver's license. In America, points are added for traffic violations, whereas in France, points are removed. Partly justified with the story being set 300 years in the future.
* CryLaughing: Zorg, after recovering the chest that he thought contains the alien elemental stones, start laughing as he opens it, which quickly turns into crying as it's empty.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Korben barely reacting to a mugger at his apartment door threatening him with an enormous gun, tricking him into turning it off, and then taking his gun from him and putting it in a rack with half-a-dozen others, implying that this happens to him all the time.

* EverybodySmokes: Korben, Ruby Rhod and Zorg all smoke. {{Subverted}} in that cigarettes are reversed from their real world counterparts, being mostly filter and a tiny part being actual tobacco. And Korben, who is automatically dispensed four (and only four) when he wakes up, is trying to quit.

* EvilOverlordList: Zorg practically quotes Number 68 as he lets Cornelius go after Cornelius saves his life.

* HarmlessFreezing: General Munro and two of his men are stuffed in the freezer by Korben Dallas to get them out of the way when Leeloo reappears at his door. He frees them after a couple of minutes; they're already frozen solid, but later on the General seems to be OK again.[[note]]In the novelization, it's not so harmless: the General is later described to have had a couple of fingers amputated as a result.[[/note]]

** The French comic series ''ComicBook/{{Valerian}}'' by Jean-Claude Mézières and Pierre Christin features a near-identical flying taxi in the album ''Circles of Power'', though with driver whose personality has little in common with Korben's. Much of the costume inspirations also comes from this comic. Mézières was one of the film's Production Designers. (The other was Jean Giraud, a.k.a. Creator/{{Moebius}}). Creator/LucBesson would later create [[Film/ValerianAndTheCityOfAThousandPlanets a more direct adaptation]] in 2017.

* MissedHimByThatMuch: Zorg and Korben's group miss each other by a literal ''second'' when the former is trying to retrieve the stones and the latter are trying to escape the soon to be destroyed hotel. Bonus points for this actually being the moment where Korben and Zorg, the main protagonist and the main antagonist, are closest to each other ''in the entire movie''.

* NeckLift: At the end of their first time meeting, Korben lifts Ruby Rhod by the neck and press him against a wall to make him shut up.
* NeverTrustATrailer: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3Hart3UKEQ&t=3s&ab_channel=BreadCrustCouncil teaser]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLwb5brB3lA&t=11s&ab_channel=BreadCrustCouncil trailers]] seems that will be a science-fiction horror mystery thriller film in vein of ''Film/TheThing1982'' and of course ''Film/EventHorizon'', or some kind of serious modern alien invasion film in vein of ''Film/IndependenceDay''. When the film was released, the film turns out to be nothing but another humorous action flick in similar way to films ''Film/DieHard'' (which Bruce Willis also starred in) and of course ''Film/DemolitionMan'', but with a bit of violence toned-down.

** Also, the scene where General Staedert realizes the hostile planetoid is eating up the most powerful weapons in his disposal and actually growing bigger as a result.

* PleasePutSomeClothesOn: Vito Cornelius and Korben Dallas simultaneously spin around when InnocentFanserviceGirl [[AlienAmongUs Leeloo]] suddenly undresses in the middle of Dallas's apartment, and engage in light conversation until she's put her clothes back on before looking again (Vito's a monk and Korben is just embarrassed). It happens with Vito and apprentice David too, exactly the same way.

** Or almost does, anyway. When Leeloo escapes, the police seem to arbitrarily take over and no-one informs them of who or what Leeloo is. They even lose sight of this halfway through and just start ''shooting at the car she's in'' because they've deemed the occupant a car thief. "We made this chick in a lab, she's kinda important, retrieve her alive and unharmed" would have been a simple enough order to give.

* PrefersTheTrueForm: Zorg meets a group of Mangalores disguised as humans and insists to see their real faces.

* PsychicNosebleed: Happens twice -- first to General Staedart, the commander of a battleship before Mr. Shadow destroys it, and then to Zorg when Mr. Shadow calls him on the phone. Oddly, the bleeding always starts somewhere at or above the hairline, raising the question as to just ''where'' exactly they are bleeding from. Rather than blood it appears to be some kind of black ichor; Zorg wipes his forehead after the phonecall, and the fluid is thick and oily in appearance.

* RubberForeheadAliens: Both played straight with Plava Laguna and averted with the Mondoshawans. The Mangalores subvert it, in that they appear to be inspired by Star Trek-type humanoid aliens but have high-tech anamatronic complete facial prosthetics that make them seem very authentic.

-->'''Zorg''': "I hate warriors, too narrow-minded! I'll tell you what I do like though: a killer, a dyed-in-the-wool killer. Cold blooded, clean, methodical and thorough. Now a real killer, when he picked up the ZF-1, would've immediately asked about the little red button on the bottom of the gun..."

* TimeBomb: There is one in the hotel room. The heroes do take a moment to decide whether or not they can disarm it, then decide to just run away from the thing. The villain who set it up does disarm it with five seconds on the timer. Then one of the aliens he pissed off earlier arms his own -- ''starting'' with a five second timer. Presumably just so that anyone who saw it when it was activated would have time to soil themselves before they died.

* TravelingAtTheSpeedOfPlot: The movie as a whole doesn't pay a lot of attention to logical progression of time. When the 23nd century sequences begin, it's said that the "Evil" will arrive in only ''48 hours'', yet far more than 24 hours worth of activities take place (not the least of which is the recovery of Leeloo's remains) before Korben Dallas is assigned to go to Fhloston Paradise several hours after it is mentioned that the Diva will be performing "in four hours". Yet Fhloston is located in another solar system, so to travel there requires the passengers to be put to sleep for an unknown length of time, and it's later indicated that the actual concert takes place about a day after the flight. Oh, and we also have to factor in the flight back to Egypt and getting to the chamber. Did I mention all of this is supposed to have taken place in ''less'' than 48 hours?
* TreasureChestCavity: Plava Laguna keeps the stones inside her chest for safe keeping. Well, OK, not her chest, her stomach. There's a couple of things in the way [[IncrediblyLamePun for them to be in her chest]].

** Korben and Zorg never meet or even know about each other and that they're competing for the same goal. They come within feet of one another on an elevator landing and Zorg just keeps on walking because, again, he doesn't even know Korben ''exists''. Korben doesn't know Zorg is behind the Mangalores' activities or that he's working for Mr. Shadow. For that matter, Korben knows nothing of Mr. Shadow -- only that it's an encroaching threat. Also, Zorg has no idea that Korben stopped the Mangalores on the cruise ship or that he's helping Leeloo. Zorg doesn't even know who Leeloo is when he tries to kill her, not even knowing that if he had succeeded, he would have no need for the stones. Only Cornelius has met Zorg and then only briefly on screen. The most direct harm that Zorg ever does to Korben in the film is fire him from Zorg Industries... via a form letter... that Zorg didn't even write himself... or send himself.

* VictoryThroughIntimidation: "Anyone else want to negotiate?" - Korben Dallas, after some AggressiveNegotiations.

* WeAreStrugglingTogether: [[TheFederation The Federated Territories]], [[BenevolentPrecursors the Mondoshawans]], [[AncientOrderOfProtectors their priests]] and [[TheHero Dallas]] are all fighting for the common goal to stop the BigBad from destroying all life, but half the movie's conflict is them working against each other. The Mondoshawans distrusted mankind and kept [[MacGuffin the elemental stones]] necessary to stop the Evil out of their reach. The government is trying to contain Mr. Shadow in any way they can, but they ignore the Mondoshawan high priest's advice. [[MysticalWaif Leeloo]], who is also [[PhlebotinumGirl the weapon created to stop Evil]] becomes a fugitive after being revived by the government, escaping their facility, [[CrashIntoHello crashing into Dallas' cab]], which also makes him pursued as an accomplice. The priests themselves also distrust Dallas, thinking he is a nobody that got dragged into a mess he can't possibly understand, despite him being a former soldier that was reactivated to find the stones by his superiors from TheFederation.

-->'''Zorg:''' I like killer. A real dyed in the wool killer. Cold-blooded. Clean. Methodical. Thorough. A killer, when he picked up the ZF-1, would've immediately asked about the little red button on the bottom of the gun.
--> ''[As the other Mangalores [[FunnyBackgroundEvent play round with their ZF-1s']], Aknot curiously notices the red button and presses it, [[StuffBlowingUp resulting in the self destruct mechanism going off]]]''

* TwoDSpace: The border of the Federated Territories is a massive line of buoys (presumably scanners) which detect incoming ships and turn green to indicate that they may pass. There's not even multiple lines.

* CrashIntoHello: Leeloo literally '''crashes''' through the roof of Dallas's car.

%%* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Again, Leeloo.

%%* TheTaxi: Dallas's job.

* WireDilemma: Subverted. When Ruby Rhod discovers a ticking TimeBomb aboard the Phloston Paradise cruise ship, Ruby asks Korben Dallas if he knows how to defuse a bomb. Korben stares in shock a bit, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere before cutting to them fleeing the ship]].

* WheresTheKaboom: Subverted. After planting a bomb to evacuate the cruise ship, Zorg stops the countdown himself with only five seconds to spare -- only to have his former underlings arm ''their'' bomb, right next to him, [[YankTheDogsChain on a five second timer]].

* WolfWhistle: When Ruby Rhod sees the sexy stewardess he intents on wooing, the background music of his radio show turns into a wolf howling.

* WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou: Mangelore mercenaries will not fight without their leader. Thus, when they take hostages and demand to negotiate, the best tactic is identifying the leader and blowing his head off.
--> '''Korben Dallas:''' Anyone ''else'' wanna negotiate?

* HiddenInPlainSight: Four out of the five titular Elemental stones are hidden inside the Diva Plava Lagunia, a renowned opera diva.

* InstantlyProvenWrong:
** Korben, fleeing from the cops after Leeloo has crash-landed into his taxi, breathes a sigh of relief and notes that "if they don't chase you after a mile, they don't chase you." ''Immediately'', four cop cars rise up behind him. [[VerbalBackspace "Maybe it's two miles."]]
** Upon boarding on the spaceship to Fhloston Paradise, Korben insists to the stewardess that he'd rather travel incognito for his vacation. That's the exact moment chosen by Ruby Rhod to make a BigEntrance, calling his name out loud. Ruby Rhod, who has ''50 billion'' "listening pairs of ears" following his radio show.
** After getting to the room where Leeloo got wounded in her fight with Zorg, Cornelius and Ruby notice the countdown clock on the door that was left behind.
--->'''Cornelius:''' It's a — it's a — it's a — it's a — it's a — it's a... \\
'''Ruby Rhod:''' No no no no no no. [[TemptingFate 'Cuz if it was a bomb, the alarms would go off]] 'cuz all these hotels have bomb detectors, right?\\
''[the alarms go off]''

* SummerBlockbuster: Whatever else the film has to offer, it was very successful as an exercise in spectacle and light entertainment.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Following the blunders of his own staff and the mercenaries he hired. Zorgs's attempts to take matters into his own hands fall foul to the same incompetence that his underlings had. Going by himself, he fails to check the case for the stones and is eventually blown up when his attempts coincide with the Mangalore's attack on the cruise ship.

* BulletDodgesYou: Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg demonstrates a gun that has avoiding friendly fire as one of its special features. Even if you ''aim directly'' at your own units, the bullets will just [[{{Roboteching}} navigate]] around them.

-->'''Zorg:''' Voila, the ZF-1. ''[activates a ZF-1 and holds it]'' It's light; handle's adjustable for easy carrying; good for righties and lefties; breaks down into four parts; undetectable by X-ray; ideal for quick discreet interventions. A word on firepower. Titanium recharger; 3000-round clip with bursts of 3 to 300. With the replay button, another Zorg invention, it's even easier. ''[lights reveal a mannequin in police gear]'' One shot...''[shoots mannequin]''...and replay sends every following shot to the same location. ''[turns around, shooting in the direction of the Mangalores; [[{{Roboteching}} bullets curve their trajectory and hit the mannequin instead]]]'' And to finish the job, all the Zorg oldies but goldies. ''[fires every weapon at the mannequin as he mentions them]'' Rocket launcher...arrow launcher with exploding or poisonous gas heads, very practical...our famous net launcher...the always-efficient flamethrower. My favorite. ''[winks at the Mangalores]'' And for the grand finale, the all-new 'Ice-cube System'. ''[fires a cloud of liquid nitrogen which freezes the remains of the mannequin. Mangalores applaud politely for the carnage.]''

* {{Roboteching}}: The ZF-1 does this with bullets. The ZF-1's Replay function was so iconic it inspired several guns in later works, like the Bullseye Rifle in ''VideoGame/{{Resistance}}''.

* SamusIsAGirl: The professor in the prologue refers to "this man, this perfect being..." Professor [=MacTilburgh=] assumes likewise before reconstructing Leeloo, only to be find out that she's... [[MsFanservice "I told you, perfect."]] Vito Cornelius is also surprised to find out the supreme being is female: