Leeloo is an ancient superhuman warrior who protects all life from heinous evil and destruction. In other words, she’s an ultimate bad ass. She hails from 1997’s sci-fi action comedy The Fifth Element, a film that still holds up pretty damn well today.
Leeloo is resurrected using super high tech medical science and finds herself in an entirely foreign time and place wearing nothing but a few “thermal bandages”. She proceeds to teach herself our language and adapt to her surrounds at a rapid pace, due to her advanced intelligence. Her superhuman intellect, strength, and combat skills easily outpace her companion Korben Dallas, an experienced military veteran played by Bruce Willis when he still had just a bit of hair left.
Leeloo has a penchant for flashy, skimpy clothing and loves to eat whole turkeys. She’s also all about consent. When Korben tries to lay a kiss on a sleeping Leeloo, she responds by putting a pistol to his temple, and saying “Never without my permission”. Lesson learned!
Though Leeloo does get with Korben in the end, their romance and her sexuality are not the focus of the film, and are pretty much tacked onto the end so that we all know what the “fifth element” is: love. (Cue sappy violin music)
Leeloo is tough, but vulnerable, she dresses however she wants, she’s strong and smart, but not infallible. Her character could have easily veered into Mary Sue territory, but thankfully we got a feminist icon instead!
Comment below and let me know what silver screen feminist icons you’d like to see featured on the Daily Geekette! And also what you’d order from that awesome dude who delivers Thai food to your window in the Fifth Element.
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