Susan Granger’s review of “Elektra” (20th Century-Fox)
With her hot bod and built-in “Alias” fan base, Jennifer Garner is the latest television star to don a Madonna-inspired red bustier and make the big-screen leap as a Marvel Comic superhero. Devised by cartoonist Frank Miller in the 1980s, Elektra Natchios was created as a romantic interest/nemesis figure in “Daredevil.” Clad in sexy bondage attire, charismatic Jennifer Garner stole every scene from hapless Ben Affleck in that forgettable flick with the same name. In this spin-off, sinewy Elektra, who previously died, is revived by her blind mentor (Terence Stamp). She becomes a paid assassin who sent to a remote island in the Pacific Northwest to execute lethal “payroll reduction” on Mark (“E.R.’s” Goran Visnjic), a single dad, and his teenage daughter (Kirsten Prout), only to discover that they’re being menaced by a supernatural Asian gang called the Hand. Since these nefarious ninjas, led by Kirigi (Will Yung Lee), were also responsible for the deaths of Elektra’s parents, it’s chaotic, butt-kicking vengeance – big-time! In the shaky hands of “X-Files” director Rob Bowman and “X-2” screenwriter Zak Penn, plus several cohorts, it abandons the good-vs-evil-duality-within-a-superhero and becomes “Kill Bill”-gone-bad. The action sequences are lame, the dialogue is ludicrous, and the acting is laughable. “Elektra, like the tragedy,” muses Mark. “Your parents must have had a sense of humor.” Too bad that’s not true of the film-makers. Elektra going gooey maternal? Gimme a break! On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Elektra” is a listless, power-failing 4, clocking in at 93 minutes. But anyone who makes a critical judgment on sloppy movie like this can often be knocked over by teens and twentysomethings surging to the box-office. A new franchise is born!
