Elektra ** (2005, Jennifer Garner, Goran Visnjic, Terence Stamp, Kirsten Prout, Will Yun Lee) – Classic Movie Review 570

In the 2005 spinoff from the 2003 Daredevil, Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck)’s sidekick Elektra (Jennifer Garner) is resurrected after her seemingly mortal wounds incurred in the first movie.

As well as a good and lovely actress, Garner (then the star of TV’s Alias) proves a sexy class act as high-kicking assassin Elektra, sent to kill Mark Miller (Goran Visnjic, then the star of TV’s ER) and his feisty teen daughter Abby (Kirsten Prout). Elektra has to battle an evil sect seeking the treasure that Prout owns. Garner makes a fine action heroine, though you get the impression she isn’t comfortable in such a no-acting-required role.

Alas, the first half hour is terminally slow. But the middle section sparks alive with exciting action and scary characters, including a killer whose animal tattoos come to life.

And then, just when the film’s swung you over to its side, the finale is a letdown, with a lot of wasted time for Terence Stamp’s blind martial arts master and mentor Stick to murmur mystical nonsense in Cockney! Stick is the man responsible for Elektra’s resurrection, so he’s a man to listen to, apparently.

Insultingly, Ben Affleck’s cameo as Daredevil/Matt Murdock was cut out after his career nosedived over his romance with Jennifer Lopez, but it can be seen on the DVD.

Based on Frank Miller’s comic book characters and Mark Steven Johnson’s motion picture characters, the screenplay’s serviceable if a bit basic, underpowered and insufficiently imaginative. The character of Stick was originally introduced in the Frank Miller era of the Daredevil comic book as the man who taught Matt Murdock martial arts and how to control his heightened senses, rather than serving as Elektra’s instructor as he does here. All details relating to Stick’s connection to Daredevil were omitted in the Elektra film.

Two versions: the 97 minute cinema release and the 100 minute director’s cut, which was actually the R-rated original cut that the director Rob Bowman was obliged to tone down. Like Daredevil, Elektra was far from a big hit. It cost $43million and grossed $24million in the US. Both films have failed to gather much critical reputation either.

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© Derek Winnert 2013 Classic Movie Review 570

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