Milla Jovovich is an American actress, model, and musician, with an established career starring roles in numerous science fiction and action films such as The Fifth Element and the Resident Evil series. The Fifth Element and The Messenger: Joan of Arc – both from director Luc Besson - are available in brand new re-releases for the first time on digital download, and on Blu-Ray™ and DVD from today (24th August), and to celebrate the release we are taking a look at some of Milla Jovovich’s best movie roles so far...
Dazed and Confused (1993)
In 1993, Jovovich starred in Richard Linklater's coming-of-age comedy alongside co-stars Ben Affleck, Adam Goldberg, Renee Zellwegger and Matthew McConaughey. The plot follows different groups of Texas teenagers during the last day of school in 1976. Jovovich played Michelle Burroughs, the on-screen girlfriend to Pickford (played by her then-boyfriend Shawn Andrews). The film was a minor success at the box office, grossing less than $8 million in the United States. Despite this the film has enjoyed critical and commercial success over the years, later becoming a cult classic. In 2002, Quentin Tarantino listed it as the 10th best film of all time in a Sight and Sound poll.
The Fifth Element (1997)
Often cited as Jovovich’s breakthrough role, she starred alongside Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman in the French science fiction action film, written and directed by Luc Besson. She portrayed Leeloo, an alien who helps to save the planet. For the role, Jovovich co-created and mastered an alien fictional language of over 400 words. In 1997, The Fifth Element was selected as the opening film for the Cannes Film Festival earning a worldwide box office gross was over $263 million, more than three times its initial budget. In a 2003 interview, Jovovich said Leeloo was her favorite role.
The Messenger: Joan of Arc (1999)
Milla continued her trajectory in the action genre playing the title role in The Messenger: Joan of Arc, her second film under direction of Luc Besson. Besson's previous film, The Fifth Element, which also starred Jovovich, was a critical and financial success, and it had a positive influence on both their careers. She cut her hair short and wore armor in several extensive battle scenes. The historical drama did moderately well at the box office, gaining $66 million worldwide.
The Resident Evil film series (2002 – 2016)
Between 2002 and 2016, Jovovich portrayed Alice in the action horror film franchise Resident Evil, which went on to become the highest-grossing film series to be based on video games. Portraying Alice, the film's heroine, Jovovich had accepted the role because she and her brother Marco had been fans of the video game franchise. Jovovich had performed almost all the stunts required in the film, and trained in karate, kickboxing, and combat-training. The film was followed by five sequels: Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Resident Evil: Retribution (2012), and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016).
The Fifth Element and The Messenger: Joan of Arc – both from director Luc Besson - are available in brand new re-releases for the first time on digital download, and on Blu-Ray™ & DVD now.
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