A Review of Elektra Starring Jennifer Garner

Critics. I will never understand them. Why do they act like everything that illuminates the big screen is meant to teach us a lesson, to affect our views on society or the world, to help us find the deeper meaning of life? Sometimes it is almost as if they are peering through the looking glass, searching, straining for some greater consciousness and transcendence to a higher spiritual plane. I don’t know about you, but when I go to a movie, I just want to be entertained. And to that end, “Elektra,” the comic book turned motion picture starring Jennifer Garner, works.

I will be the first to admit, this is not an Oscar-caliber movie. And that’s fine – because that is something it doesn’t aspire to. The dialogue isn’t especially witty or clever, but hey, we’re not adapting a literary classic here or watching a Woody Allen flick. It’s a comic book, people. Take it for what it is. (I’ve always considered “comic book” to be a misnomer. Most of them for several years have been dark and serious. They should be called graphic novellas, but that doesn’t sound as cool does it?) And to compare it to Spider-Man 2 or even X-Men is ludicrous.

Yes, they all exist in a similar universe, but Spider-Man was an affable geek who had a bad reaction to spider venom, and the X-Men are genetically-challenged humans forced to fight for their right to survive. Their backgrounds are unique, their stories different and not nearly as tragic as Elektra’s. Hers must be taken in a completely different context. I do not recommend walking into the theater expecting to find the meaning of life, but if you want to be analytical, however, it can certainly be done.

Jennifer Garner’s portrayal of the crimson warrior is being criticized for being too stiff and cold. Well, hmm. I guess one would expect her to be jumping out of a jack-in-the-box in a big, polka-dotted clown suit with a rubber nose and goofy grin on her face. After all, this is a movie about an assassin for hire. Shouldn’t it be all fun, games, and smiley faces?

Please.

Consider how she came to be where she is: As we learned in Daredevil, Elektra’s father pushed her, something we glimpse in slightly more detail in this movie. He had her “train with different senseis” since she was very young. He didn’t want her to be a victim. He hardwired her, so to speak, to be strong and independent. In that movie, we saw inklings of an icy demeanor in the beginning, but she hadn’t completely frozen. We came to know that she witnessed her mother’s death (shown in flashbacks in this movie) at an age where a young girl needs the nurturing love of her mother.

Elektra had to grow up without such influence, only the painful resonant image of her mother’s bloody corpse lying on her bed, alongside the menacing presence that committed the crime, whose face remains in shadow. She lived under the heavy hand of her father, until she also saw him meet his demise in Daredevil. The event is not referenced in this film, but it is perceivable that she completely gave herself over to vengeance that obviously had been welling up in her heart since her mothers grisly end, only to result in being killed herself. Understandably, Elektra is tormented and filled with rage. Yeah, I think I’d have issues too.

This is where our story begins in Elektra. Having been resuscitated by her mentor, Stick, (the scarcely used, but effective, Terence Stamp) using a method called “kimagure,” Elektra, who shows signs of OCD by arranging her food and toiletries in unique patterns and counting her steps in fives, is glacial and disconnectedâÂ?¦and with good reason. She kills for a living because it is “the only thing she’s good at.” It is glaringly apparent that Elektra doesn’t kill because she wants to, but to her it is a penance, her punishment for the guilt she carries over the loss of her parents, whose images still haunt her; over her inability to avenge their deaths; over her betrayal and near murder of the man she loved, Matt Murdock.

Perhaps she feels she should have remained dead, that somehow her resurrection was injudicious, and therefore she sentences herself to the only life she feels worthy to live. These are not feelings expressed in words, but Elektra’s eyes clearly convey the sentiments of a tortured soul, one who is dead inside. Brava, Ms. Garner.

I laugh at the ignorance and shocking oversight of these details by critics. I would have especially expected them to pick up on the detail that she takes human lives for a living. To do so, one would HAVE to be cold and steely, almost morose. She is forced to isolate herself, shut down and close off her emotions and reject all unnecessary human contact. It’s what, apparently, makes her the best hired gun there is.

Notice how she refuses to chit chat with her contract agent when he asks “What’s the view like?” She clicks her cell phone shut. She doesn’t have the luxury of making friends or small talk in her profession. And when she’s offered a glass of wine, she flatly refuses. She must keep her senses sharp, stay isolated and focused. Intoxication could mean intimacyâÂ?¦.her own demise.

When her latest target is unveiled, she is unable to follow through. She meets a young girl, Abby and her father Mark Miller. Despite an instant attraction to Mark, Elektra remains shut off emotionally, that is until she begins to get to know Abby. She recognizes minor traits in Abby, obsessive counting most notably, that remind her of herself which progress until a brief visionary moment where Elektra sees herself as a young girl standing in Abby’s place.

Elektra’s expression in that moment reveals that she sees in Abby the opportunity for redemption. We see a light turn on, a flicker of hope. She eventually thaws and shows signs of a “pure heart” as the story and relationship progresses. To discuss their relationship and the events surrounding them would give away too much.

Enter the villains, known as “The Hand,” a group of mutant ninjas, each of whom possess extraordinary powers for surveillance and destruction. Kirigi, who possesses telepathic and teleportation abilities, is the ring leader. The remaining members are Typhoid, a woman with death breath and a lethal touch; Stone, impervious to bullets or knives; and Tattoo, with animal shaped body art which comes to life for various purposes. We do not learn much about these characters, and there really is no need. Their roles are quite adequate, especially Tattoo. We know they are after something called “The Treasure.” We do eventually learn the identity of the treasure, and it is not as incongruous as some critics make it seem.

It actually fits along with the story quite well, and helps to make better sense of why Elektra was pulled into the conflict in the first place. Side note: I was confused by Stone’s death; he is obliterated quite easily for a man who cannot be shot or stabbed. But it didn’t strike me until my sister pointed it out. We are not ever clued in on a weakness which can be exploited. But then again, Troy’s Achilles was immortal except for one minor spot on his body which was taken advantage of without the audience being explicitly told of the vulnerability. So perhaps Stone had one, which enabled his dissolution to come about as it did? It is certainly plausible.

Jennifer Garner is as capable and convincing in this role as any of her previous roles. She knows how to play a character, even one that is dead inside. Fans of her TV Show “Alias” should not expect a rehash of Sydney Bristow. Elektra is one nefarious chick, at least in the beginning. She doesn’t have Sydney’s quest for truth and honesty and happiness. The action will satisfy “Alias” fans and the costume is sure to entice. (Detractors and those who don’t “get the get-up” need to know that Elektra’s costume was very similar in the comic books. She was, after all, a lady for hire as well as an assassinâÂ?¦a tack the writers chose not to take in the PG-13 movie.)

If there is an obvious weakness to this film, I would have to say it is the direction. Rob Bowman, whose only big screen credit prior to this was the Matthew McConaghey dragon flick “Reign of Fire,” is no Quentin Tarantino, and this is not “Kill Bill Pt. 3.” The action sequences, are adequately crafted and executed, but at times it feels as if the editors were overdosing on Red Bull when piecing the scenes together. But they are still enjoyable nonetheless. As good as I think the movie is, part of me wishes a more experienced director had helmed it.

Ultimately, Elektra is a dark movie, yes. But Elektra is a dark character. As I said before, it’s not the best movie in the world, so don’t go looking for a female version of Spider-Man because you won’t get it. What you will get is an hour and a half of butt-kicking and superhero action. Don’t read too much into the subtext, and you’ll be fine. This is not a bad superhero movie as so many critics claim. For that, you’d have to spend your eight dollars on “The Hulk” or “Catwoman.”