In 1914, aliens known as Mondoshawans arrive at an ancient Egyptian temple to collect, for safekeeping, the only weapon capable of defeating a great evil that appears every 5,000 years. The weapon consists of four stones, representing the four classical elements, and a sarcophagus containing a fifth element in the form of a human, which combines the power of the other four elements into a divine light capable of defeating the evil. The Mondoshawans promise their human contact, a priest from a secret order, that they will come back with the element stones in time to stop the great evil when it returns. In 2263,[b] the great evil appears in deep space in the form of a giant ball of black fire, and destroys an attacking Earth spaceship. The Mondoshawans’ current contact on Earth, priest Vito Cornelius (Ian Holm), informs the President of the Federated Territories (Tom Lister Jr.) of the history of the great evil and the weapon that can stop it. As the Mondoshawans return to Earth they are ambushed by Mangalores, a race hired by the industrialist Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman), who has been instructed by the great evil to acquire the stones. The Mondoshawans’ spacecraft is destroyed, though the stones are not on board; the only item recovered is a hand of The Fifth Element. Scientists take it to a New York City laboratory and use it to reconstruct a humanoid woman who takes the name Leeloo (Milla Jovovich). Terrified of the unfamiliar surroundings, she escapes confinement and jumps off a ledge, crashing into the flying taxicab of Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), a former major in the special forces. Dallas delivers Leeloo to Cornelius and his apprentice, David (Charlie Creed-Miles), whereupon Cornelius learns that the Mondoshawans entrusted the four element stones to the alien Diva Plavalaguna (Maïwenn Le Besco), an opera singer. Zorg kills many of the Mangalores because of their failure to obtain the stones, but their compatriots determine to seize the artifacts for themselves. Upon learning from the Mondoshawans that the stones are in Plavalaguna’s possession, General Munro (Brion James), Dallas’ former superior, recommissions Dallas and orders him to travel undercover to meet Plavalaguna on a luxury intergalactic cruise; Dallas takes Leeloo with him. Meanwhile, Cornelius instructs David to prepare the ancient temple designed to house the stones, then stows away on the space plane transporting Dallas to the cruise liner. Plavalaguna is killed when the Mangalores attack the ship, but Dallas succeeds in retrieving the stones. During his struggle with the Mangalores he kills their leader. After shooting and seriously wounding Leeloo, Zorg finds a carrying case which he presumes contains the stones, and takes it back to his spacecraft, leaving behind a time bomb that forces the liner’s occupants to evacuate. Discovering the case to be empty, Zorg returns to the ship and deactivates his bomb, but a dying Mangalore sets off his own device, destroying the ship and killing Zorg. Dallas, Cornelius, Leeloo, and talk-show host Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker) escape with the stones aboard Zorg’s spacecraft. The four join up with David at the weapon chamber in the Egyptian temple as the great evil approaches. They activate the stones, but having witnessed and studied so much violence, Leeloo has become disenchanted with humanity and refuses to cooperate. Dallas confesses his love for Leeloo and kisses her. In response, Leeloo combines the power of the stones and releases the divine light; the great evil, now dormant, becomes another moon in Earth orbit.
1914年，来自外星的蒙督沙瓦人到达一座古埃及神庙，取走了四块石头和一具石棺，相传有一种可怕的恶魔每隔5000年就会试图摧毁宇宙中所有的生命，这四块石头分别代表四种元素，石棺中则是第五元素，五种元素相结合可以产生一种光束，是唯一可以抵抗恶魔的武器。 2263年[13]，恶魔再度归来，在太空中的形象仿佛一颗巨大的黑色火球，受到人类战舰的攻击后不但没有被毁，反而更加强大，并通过反击摧毁了人类战舰。神父维托·维托科尼利厄斯（Vito Cornelius，伊恩·荷姆饰）是蒙督沙瓦人在地球上的联络人，他告诉地球总统（小汤姆·利斯特饰）这种恶魔的来历，只有五种元素结合才能打败它。蒙督沙瓦人在前来地球的路上遭孟加罗人雇佣兵伏击，飞船在地球坠毁，这些孟加罗人是由实业家让-巴蒂斯特·伊曼纽尔·佐格（Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg，加里·奥德曼饰）所雇，佐格答应恶魔，为它取得那四块石头。 四块石头并不在蒙督沙瓦人的飞船上，军方从残骸中找到一只手，并将之带到纽约的一间实验室，由科学家通过基因克隆技术将之再造，出现的是位名叫“莉露”（Leeloo，米拉·乔沃维奇饰）的人形女性。莉露对周围的一切深感恐惧，逃出实验室后，她从楼层的外沿跳了下去，正好掉进前特种部队少校科本·达拉斯（布鲁斯·威利斯饰）所开的出租车裡。 达拉斯把莉露送到维托科尼利厄斯家里，维托科尼利厄斯从莉露口中得知，蒙督沙瓦人把四种元素的石头转交给了外星歌剧歌手迪娃（Diva，麦温·勒·贝斯柯饰）。另一边，由于未能取得石头，愤怒的佐格杀死了前来交货的所有孟加罗人。得知石头在迪娃手中后，曾是达拉斯上级的蒙罗将军（布里翁·詹姆斯饰）请达拉斯再度出山，前去太空豪华游轮与迪娃碰头并取得石头，达拉斯便与莉露一同前往。同时，维托科尼利厄斯派自己的助手大卫（David，查理·科里德-米尔斯饰）前去古埃及神庙做准备，自己则设法混进达拉斯乘坐的航天飞机前往豪华游轮。 孟加罗人决心为同胞报仇，取得石头逼佐格就范。他们攻击了豪华游轮，迪娃在此期间被杀，但达拉斯还是成功取得了石头并杀死了孟加罗人的首领。佐格也来到船上，他以为莉露手中的箱子里就装着石头，因此开枪打中她的腹部，带着箱子回到自己的太空船，还在游轮上安装了定时炸弹。游轮上的探测系统发现炸弹后自动发出疏散警报，船上游客匆忙撤离。佐格发现箱子里又是空的，于是再度回到游轮并解除炸弹，但这时一个存活的孟加罗人启动了他们的炸弹，炸毁了游轮，佐格也因此丧生，达拉斯、莉露、维托科尼利厄斯，以及谈话节目主持人鲁比·罗德（Ruby Rhod，克里斯·塔克饰）则及时乘佐格的太空船逃离。 科本等人返回古埃及神庙，恶魔也接踵而至。几人虽成功启动了石头，但身受重伤的莉露由于得知人类充满暴力的历史和本性，觉得心灰意冷，没有坚强起来 对抗恶魔的意愿。达拉斯向莉露表白，说自己爱她，两人深深拥吻。莉露与四块石头的力量结合并发射出圣光击中恶魔，恶魔很快失去了火焰，变成地球轨道上的另 一颗卫星。