(The industrialist is a vile, twisted character. He sees destruction as a jobs program, and, as it turns out, he doesn’t even like the Mangalores. He says as much: “I don’t like warriors. Too narrow-minded, no subtlety. And worse, they fight for hopeless causes.” He’s just using them. And what does he give them for risking their lives? A box of guns.)

All seems lost. But wait! The stones were not onboard the destroyed ship but were in the care of an opera diva. And the military finds the hand of the fifth element, which scientists use to regenerate a Supreme Being humanoid. It’s a girl! After “birth,” she jumps off a ledge and lands in the flying taxi of an ex-special forces guy whom the government conscripts to get the stones from the diva.

The cabby retrieves the stones, readies the weapon, kisses the girl and she releases the Divine Light. This stops the Great Evil just minutes before it destroys the world.

Whew! So much drama. And it didn’t have to be.

I see two parallels.

First, there is no reason that we should be in this pickle. The debt ceiling has been raised numerous times with a simple vote. But Grover Norquist’s Tea Party pledglings shot that down. And now they can’t agree to a “grand bargain” because of their Faustian pact with big money. We shouldn’t have to wait till the last minute to see the light and prevent cataclysm.