Elektra--- electrocuting ennui

Title:
Elektra (B-)
PH Release Date:
January 26, 2005
Actors:
Jennifer Garner, Terence Stamp, Goran Visnjic, Jason Isaacs, Kirsten Prout, Will Yun Lee, Bob Sapp
Director:
Rob Bowman
Story & Screenplay:
Based on Marvel Comics / Rob Bowman
Cinematography:
Bill Roe
Music:
Christophe Beck
Producer:
Mark Steven Johnson, Gary Foster et al.
Studio:
Marvel and 20th Century Fox


Born to fight, trained to kill….. if looks can kill….. I’ll be dead by now…

Comic books and superheroes aren’t really my thing, but if it involves a hot lass who kicks good butt, I’m totally down with it. It’s a spin-off from the so-so movie two years ago and well, if not for Jennifer Garner I won’t be watching it but since I already did let’s stop the mumbling and get right into it…

Elektra (Garner) is back from the dead, and she’s out on her own. She works as an assassin and when a high-paying job came she immediately grabbed the assignment. She met Mark (Visnjic) and his teenage daughter Abby only to find out that she’s there to obliterate them. She’s turning back on an assignment for the first time, and the client is not too happy. The Hand sends out Kirigi to take care of the treasure. But before he can do so, he must face the woman gone rouge… Elektra…

Daredevil was an okay movie. I enjoyed it more than some critics did and especially since it’s where I became conscious of the existence of evanescence. The first time I heard that they’re gonna do a spin-off for Jennifer, I wasn’t too ecstatic, knowing that in the movie, she already died. And I believe no no great writer can justify resurrection of any character unless it’s Jesus. And well, what do you expect, I was right…



The movie’s mood was dark from the beginning; I must admit I found it very interesting. Though the lines were trivial, excitement spread out my body (and I mean my entire body). Jennifer was just sizzling hot on that red skimpy leather dress. It’s alias without the gun nor the crazy disguises, but just those weird fork looking blades. That worked for me for a few minutes but after awhile the story started to not sink in! I have tons of questions in mind, and I’m afraid they failed to answer half of them. It was a simple story made complicated by the director.

The script is bad, the story was so simple but yet they found a way to make it so frigging hard to understand! Have they forgotten that they’re making a superhero movie not an art film??? It was so trying to be smart, trying to be dark, trying to be dramatic and just trying so hard to be something it’s totally not. It leaps from one conflict to another without resolving anything. I missed a lot of details because the direction, though it was good visually, the storytelling was appalling.

How much better it could have been if they were able to present some introduction or background to all the members of the quintet. All they did was made them show-off, test or hurt our hero, then later on be killed. All the antagonists were interesting, especially the poison ivy-like girl. Damn, she’s hot! And I love the tattooed man. Unfortunately the movie neglected to do so, like what they did with the rest of the elements needed to make this movie work.



The cinematography is good enough, but the photography is way too out off course. Their trying so hard to make this urban feel that just worked in the beginning but terribly failed as the movie went along. I dunno who’s decision was that, if the photographer was just following the director’s command or he’s doing it on his own, whatever it was, it was bad, plain and simple. The sound was good though. The fight scenes were so passé and so quick. They appeared so choreograph and sometimes lame. There were a couple of them that really worked but in general it wasn’t that strong to generate exhilaration. The visual effects of the movie rocks! It was very well made. Aside from Jennifer Garner and a couple of the antagonists, this made the movie tolerable.

Jennifer Garner is so on her element with this kind of movies. Yes it was like watching Sydney Bristow but you just can’t stop yourself from watching her. There’s something about the way she kicks butt that I find so alluring. She was definitely the star of this movie and no one else. I think that’s what the movie accomplished, making this all about her cuz it is suppose to be all about her. The rest of the actors were so-so. Goran did a not so good job, Kirsten though was god, at least for her age. She looks bratty in all aspect. Terence is old, ad I don’t like his acting. It was a good decision though n their part to acquire nameless actors to cut the cost, the box office hasn’t really been that generous to them, and maybe that’s also the reason why. I mean, if they’d bore the audience to death, they might as well give them some ice candy to drool on.

Elektra is definitely not a movie for everyone. It’s for those who wanna see comic book like characters come to life. It’s not for those who easily get bored. It’s for those Alias fans who wanna see Sydney push further on what she can do, thanx to the visuals. It’s not for those who’s fed up with superhero movies that just doesn’t work (remember catwoman?). If you’re after seeing Jennifer on a skimpy red dress, then go ahead but if you wanna see an electrifying movie, Elektra’s not for you….