"Elektra"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Jennifer Garner as ELEKTRA Terence Stamp as STICK Kirsten Prout as ABBY Goran Visnjic as MARK Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as ROSHI Will Yun Lee as KIRIGI Rated PG-13 Studio: 20th Century Fox Directed by: Rob Bowman Back to DVD Review Home |
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There seem to be three tiers of superhero films. There are the great ones, like the “Spider-Man” and “X Men” series. These are also the bottom dwellers like “Catwoman,” that are embarrassingly bad. Fortunately in this latest wave of superflicks, these have been relatively few. “Elektra” falls in that midland between these types. It shares the stage with films like “The Hulk” and “The Punisher,” which weren’t great, but still worth watching on DVD or cable.
“Elektra” picks up years after “Daredevil” left off. Elektra has been raised from the dead and studied under Stick, a blind martial artist. However, after being rejected by his group, she turns to a life of assassinations. She becomes the best in her business, but when her next assignment makes her think too much about her past, Elektra becomes a protector rather than a killer.
When I first saw “Elektra,” I had no idea what a dismal year 2005 was going to be for movies - at least for the first four or five months. “Elektra” was a January release, which is usually a bad sign. But looking back at the accompanying films, it wasn’t that bad. In fact, it was pretty good, stacked up against garbage like “The Ring Two” and “Boogeyman.”
This movie seems to work better on DVD than in the theatres. Maybe this is because the special effects seemed overblown on the big screen. Maybe it’s because the plot is light enough that you can do some household chores while you watch it and not miss much.
I had some complaints about this film initially, including a question of why they didn’t tie it in with the Daredevil character. However, watching the deleted scenes, I got a chance to see Ben Affleck reprise his role as Matt Murdock in a cut dream sequence. Sure, this wasn’t the best call-back to the earlier film, but at least it pays respect to Elektra’s backstory.
There are two other deleted scenes in the special features, along with the trailers and “The Making of Elektra” featurette. In lieu of a director’s commentary, Rob Bowman offers “Inside the Editing Room” clips, which are shot interviews about how he composed scenes or utilized special effects. These tidbits are a bit overstylized but still give an interesting look behind the film.
One piece I found amusing was Jennifer Garner’s “Elektra” promo that was presented at the San Diego Comic-Con. I’ve been to Comic-Con several times myself, and I understand how important this Mecca of geekdom is to promoting a superhero movie. However, I cringed at Garner’s insincerity in this presentation, which is something that bleeds through her star facade in almost every interview I’ve seen with her.
The biggest weakness to “Elektra” is its story, which is pretty thin. There could have been more character development for her, rather than weird, hackneyed flashbacks to the death of her mother. Initially, I found the character of Abby (Kirsten Prout) to be needlessly irritating, but I give the writer credit. When some secrets are revealed, her actions at least seemed plausible.
The other albatross around the neck of “Elektra” is its rip-off potential. The battle in the house stole its design from “Hero.” The character of Typhoid is strangely reminiscent of Lady Deathstrike from “X2” (although I’d like a roll in the hay with her, kiss of death or not). But what can you expect from Hollywood?
Ultimately, “Elektra” is a vehicle for Jennifer Garner to show off her butt-kicking abilities as a Sydney Bristow wannabe. It’s a role that works for Garner, much more than it did in “Daredevil.” And she does look mighty good in a red leather corset.
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5. Surround Sound. DTS 5.1 Surround. Widescreen (2.35:1). French and Spanish language tracks. Spanish subtitles. English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
