UK Edition
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Having died in Daredevil, Elektra has returned without a vengeance to bore us all to death.
Elektra tells the non-story of an assassin for hire, who predictably saw her parents killed - thus putting her in an eternal cranky mood. In the beginning she is chucked out of ninja school for being too violent (just an excuse to get rid of her, I think), and then ends up being a rather lame super-heroine/contract-killer. In the movie, her agent sends her on a mission which at first seems to entail sitting on an island looking moody, but then it's revealed that she is supposed to kill (conveniently) her next-door neighbours, who are to all intents and purposes the only other people on the island.
However, Elektra has a heart and lets them live only to find that she has to protect them for the rest of the story, such as it is, because she falls for the dad (Goran Visnjic) and discovers that the daughter (Kirsten Prout) is 'the treasure', who must be kept from the evil ninja syndicate called ‘The Hand’. We’re not really let in on the reason why she’s so important, but before long you’ll stop caring anyway.
In theory, the film could have been quite a bit better, even with its non-existent storyline, which is a flaw that superhero movies can get away with if they do well in other areas. Unfortunately, Elektra does awfully in every area going, except perhaps her wardrobe.
With a pout which might be an official challenge to Angelina Jolie, Elektra (Jennifer Garner) struts about the place in a mood and does little to get us interested in her. In the standard will-she-win-or-won’t-she scenes, I really couldn’t have cared less either way. It’s made very easy to go through the whole movie without feeling any emotion towards the woman at all.
The heroine’s powers are a bit lacking too, and her enemies are at least a bit more interesting if not powerful. One of the bad guys has an array of bestial tattoos which pop out and have a life of their own to aid their master. Another goes around killing plants.
A movie’s lack of storyline is often made up for by its special effects or gripping action sequences. Here, the special effects aren’t all that special. The final showdown employs a wind machine to add atmosphere, while slain enemies disappear in a dramatic puff of smoke.
As for action sequences, they are few and far between considering the genre of the film. This is probably because much of Elektra’s time is spent sitting around in different locales waiting to be attacked.
In conclusion, it’s hard to say why they bothered bringing the poor woman back to life – she was better out of her misery. The sitting around and waiting to be attacked whilst protecting a girl who could change the balance between good and evil was reminiscent of a very long, humourless and boring version of a Buffy episode. Fans of the comic book may appreciate this film, but even they might wonder why the characters haven’t been made more three-dimensional for the big screen.
Also reviewed this week: Ray
