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Elektra (2005)
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I'm not a comic book buff, but have a reasonably strong background in action movies; more specifically, my father raised me to revere the canons of Schwarzenegger and Segal. So it was with some anticipation that I went to see ELEKTRA, a spin-off from the 2002 film DAREDEVIL. Starring Jennifer Garner, ELEKTRA delivers as a slick piece of fluffy entertainment complete with super-vixen fighting gear for its heroine.
The action hero has definitely changed since the Reagan-era days of my childhood, back when Arnold battled an alien in a South American jungle with fellow future governor Jesse Ventura. Instead of a brawny, He-Man type of figure, today our popular heroes are from comic books (SPIDER-MAN) and Middle Earth (LORD OF THE RINGS), with characters who have more emotionally fraught back stories. ELEKTRA follows in that same vein, but shallowly: the titular resurrected assassin is haunted by memories of her mother's death and of her own brutal training, an insomniac loner with OCD tendencies.
ELEKTRA's greatest strength is Jennifer Garner. She's a potent combination of sensual beauty, wholesome goodness, and lethal powers; this girl could kill ten ninjas and then bake you an apple pie. Further, she elevates the material to emotional heights surpassing expectations. As Elektra is drawn to young Abby (the sometimes annoying Kirsten Prout) and her handsome father Mark (Goran Visnjic), who are being pursued by the nefarious (and lame) The Hand, she is faced with the challenge of caring about other people. The obvious eventual love connection between Elektra and Mark is perfunctory and kind of silly.
The fight scenes – that's why you're at an action movie, right? – are okay. Nothing very thrilling or transportive is happening here, but Garner does a good job and is obviously very fit (i.e., both in shape and totally hot). The villains of The Hand are kind of fun to watch, and have nice names like Typhoid and a way of slinking around with knowing smirks before a fight. The coolest part of the movie is the lake house that Elektra rents when she goes on a new job.
In short, I'd recommend ELEKTRA if you are a big fan of Jennifer Garner or the Daredevil series (although, strangely, Elektra's part in the story of the previous movie isn't mentioned here). It's fun to watch, but easily forgettable.
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