After a post yesterday over at ectoplasmosis trying to drum up business for his SciFi Scanner blog, John Brownlee today goes directly to the copyblogger playbook and boldy digs in on the wrong side of a hot-button SF issue in order to boost traffic. The issue: is The Fifth Element any good?

Seriously? You want to debate The Fifth Element on its merits? Isn’t that sort of like debating ice cream on its merits?

To even have this gig Brownlee must know that The Fifth Element is on many a fan’s desert island disks list (including mine). It’s fun and it’s gorgeous (the whole thing, not just Mila), and the mythos-/technobabble is the best since Ghostbusters (in fact don’t both films refer to “slightly greasy” atomic particles?). And to borrow from Jorn Barger’s canon rating system, it’s got a high “escape” quotient (high payoff for effort). It’s not deep, but The Fifth Element is both highly watchable and easy to re-watch.

Basically, it’s broad-spectrum porn. Sit back, relax and enjoy.