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"She is the final weapon in an ancient war."
This should have been, first in a series is steeped too much in mysticism, more than I remember while reading
Elektra and Daredevil comics but luckily it works reasonable in the film. Director Rob
Bowman tries hard to blend it well with the spectacular stunts and incredible marital arts sequences. He obviously
took the time to study last years
incredible martial art film HERO (starring Jet Li), for storytelling and action sequences. Do not get me wrong as
this is
not criticism because he made the scenes work well. Watch the fight sequence in a room full of fluttering and
whirling white sheets and see if you do not recognize where it came from. The film is well acted and well
directed so it should do well, pleasing both comic fanboys as well as the general movie going audience.
"You know, the better the assasin, the closer they get to you before you know they are there."
The premise is that Elektra, a motherless daughter, is the warrior who is destined to tip the hand between good
and evil. It is obvious that she leans to the evil side as we watch her stalk and kill a target who realizes
that there is no escaping her and easily acquiesces to her deadly skills. Even though she could have reached
and killed Bauer (Mark Houghton) without killing anyone else, she relished the idea of taking out as many as fourteen guards
to get to him. This opening sequence, of course, was to show the newer audience just how deadly Elektra is as
an assassin.
"I'm the best student here."
"Not the best...the most powerful."
The Hand, is a powerful and evil syndicate whose members practice the dark martial art of ninjitsu as well as
mystical arts. The Hand is in direct opposition to the White Ninja Clan led by Stick (Terence Stamp) who has
been Elektra's master, as we see in flashbacks. He was also responsible for rescuing and resurrecting the warrior
woman. Using trickery, Stick puts Elektra on the path of Mark (Goran Visnjic) and Abby Miller (Kirsten Prout),
a father and daughter who have been targetted by the Hand for death or so it seems. She has been paid to
assassinate these two, but after she spends time with them, she can't do it and ends up protecting them from
The Hand's ninja killers. I'm going to keep you in the dark as best as I can as to why these two are targetted
for death. You have to go and see the movie to find out why.
"Elektra, like the tragedy. Your parents must have had a sense of humour."
"Not really."
Director Bowman takes lots of time in short flashback sequences to fill us in on Elektra's past, from young
child to her time in training. Actually her entire life has been one of training as we find out. She was always
pushed to be the best and the toughest. During these flashbacks we see that Elektra holds dearly a prized trinket
that belonged to her assassinated mother. Elektra will meet her mother's killer in a superb battle after she
has some deadly battles with some of the Hand's extraordinary killers.
"The war is over."
"The war has just begun."
"Another day old man."
Besides Kirigi, played by Will Yun Lee, Elektra must also take on some deadly characters. Typhoid Mary(Natassia
Malthe) has the power to suck out the energy from her victims by making them ill to the point of death. Tattoo
played by Chris Ackerman was my personal favourite even though he was based on a DC comic charcter rather than
a Marvel character. For those of you who go back a way, you will remember an old enemy of Green Lantern called
the Tattoo Man. he had the power to bring the tattoos covering his body, to life to do battle with the hero.
This character even goes back to Ray Bradbury's THE ILLUSTRATED MAN novel about a tattooed man. Rod Steiger
played the tattoed man in the film version of the novel. Bob Sapp plays Stone a big black mountain of a man who
seems to be based on Marvel hero, Luke Cage. Both these characters are invulnerable to bullets and knives and
nothing seems to be able to penetrate his skin. This makes his dispatch in the film a little silly and somewhat
disappointing because it makes little sense. If his skin was so tough how could a falling tree kill him. Okay I
spoiled one scene for you. Wait, surely you realize that Elektra will kill lots of enemies in this film, right?
Good, I didn't want you to think this was a sanitized television version of Elektra.
"You know, I used to be the treasure."
When Jennifer Garner fights Will Yun Lee(Kirigi) in Elektra, we are treated to a top notch battle. Will Yun Li is a
real fighter, the real deal. According to Garner he really pushed her and she strugggled hard just to keep up,
but she found him incredible. Will Yun Lee's dad was one of the first big Tae Kwon Do instructors in the United
States. Will Yun Lee still has a dojo in San Francisco.
"This non-existent woman killed fourteen of them."
Aside from all this, from from the comic fanboy point of view that I may have about this film; I must say
that it has quite a few weaknesses that may detract most viewers. Elektra fails at being a tragic figure
as she is meant to be in the DAREDEVIL film. This is not Frank miller's ELEKTRA for sure.
The movie does not make Elektra that sympathetic a character and without her love for Matt Murdock this movie does
falter. The romance scenes between Matt Murdock and Elektra were some of the best scenes in DAREDEVIL and that is
something lacking in this film. Her two simple kissing scenes with Goran Visnjic do nothing to help it along on this
path. The constant change from mysticism and martial arts is somewhat confusing because it makes character's
actions confusing. This causes some weak plot devices and leaves it open to those infamous plot holes.
"You can't fight a ghost Bauer."
Anyway I really am not interested in saying anymore about the film because even though I enjoyed it on one level, I
was disappointed in the fact that it could have been so much substanctial and yet it was not. Now, I anxiously await
Frank Miller's SIN CITY in April. I'm sure since he is involved in that picture it is going to be the film noir
masterpiece that Elektra could have been. Hollywood can take something decent and all too often bent and twist until
it borders on indecent.
"Who are you? Don't lie to me. They won't just kill you, they'll kill Abby."
Though it is worth seeing for the action and the great apparel that Jennifer Garner wears, I doubt whether it
will take control of the boxoffice. Still a box of popcorn and a drink in hand will help to pass the time. It should
be great in a double feature. Now everyone let's just "sai" in disappointment. Sorry i couldn't help myself. Now go
away, I have to go see HIDE AND SEEK.
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