I can see why comic book purists aren't happy with Elektra, but they are missing out on a fun 90+ minutes!
Firstly, let me congratulate Ms. Garner on a hard-fought and dedicated embodiment of Elektra. Her performance alone, would have been enough to make this an enjoyable endeavor, had it needed to carry the movie. She worked very hard with the choreographer, trained long days, and did her own stunts! And while this was a flawed presentation, I found it was still enjoyable.
Fortunately, it was not necessary for Garner to support this work alone. Kirsten Prout's portrayal as Abby was beautiful. She exhibited a wide range of emotions and abilities with which my hometown audience was spellbound. Terence Stamp demonstrated a lovely versatile acting style which I had never before seen from him. His portrayal was honest and utterly realistic.
I do not agree with the common hatred for Daredevil (the first movie of this vein, and to which Elektra is a sequel), but in spite of the Affleck bashers out there, I enjoyed the appetencial spirit exhibited in Daredevil, and the intellectual and physical rapport between Affleck and Garner's characters. The characters and action were steeped in Japanese mysticism, combined with some impressive free-wheeling martial arts, and a few over the top wire flights which did nothing to detract from the action. I thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful level of suspense generated by the sinister plot, and solidly backed up by the action sequences. It held a beautiful synergy throughout the endeavor.
Garner stayed true to the personality of Elektra Natchios, even when it seemed dangerous for her future career. She took risks and allowed superior direction to take over when necessary. Unfortunately, the director (Bowman) doesn't seem to feel the need to give us enough of the back story. We don't know much about the Hand, or Mr. Stick, except that they were there, and how they acted when in our presence. We did get some quality character development concerning Elektra, but I also wanted more of Abby and why she was so necessary. He does let you know; he does give you just enough to get through the movie without disappointment. But not enough to satisfy either the real fans of the genre or casual fans who are lacking the foreknowledge of the series. (Now, in all honesty, it is quite obvious that Stick and Daredevil are aligned in some way, as they are both blind and seem to use the same fighting style.)
The plot is as deeply mystical as are the characters. It has been criticized as weak and tripping itself up. However, I did not find one scene which did not seem to know where it was going. Each dissolve was as seamless as the one before it, and each small bit of the story connected nicely with the next. As I've indicated, however, there could have been a bit more in the way of explanation of some of these beautiful plot and design elements, but all in all we were thoroughly engrossed. There was no snickering or quiet muttering going on during this. That in itself is rare for our hometown theater.
While this wasn't the spring board out of the (commonly perceived) mire of Daredevil the studios hoped it would be, it does well to stand on its own due to Jennifer Garner's dedication and professionalism. We found this work to be an honest, fresh, and heart-warmingly solid source of entertainment.
It rates an 8.4/10 from...
the Fiend :.
Firstly, let me congratulate Ms. Garner on a hard-fought and dedicated embodiment of Elektra. Her performance alone, would have been enough to make this an enjoyable endeavor, had it needed to carry the movie. She worked very hard with the choreographer, trained long days, and did her own stunts! And while this was a flawed presentation, I found it was still enjoyable.
Fortunately, it was not necessary for Garner to support this work alone. Kirsten Prout's portrayal as Abby was beautiful. She exhibited a wide range of emotions and abilities with which my hometown audience was spellbound. Terence Stamp demonstrated a lovely versatile acting style which I had never before seen from him. His portrayal was honest and utterly realistic.
I do not agree with the common hatred for Daredevil (the first movie of this vein, and to which Elektra is a sequel), but in spite of the Affleck bashers out there, I enjoyed the appetencial spirit exhibited in Daredevil, and the intellectual and physical rapport between Affleck and Garner's characters. The characters and action were steeped in Japanese mysticism, combined with some impressive free-wheeling martial arts, and a few over the top wire flights which did nothing to detract from the action. I thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful level of suspense generated by the sinister plot, and solidly backed up by the action sequences. It held a beautiful synergy throughout the endeavor.
Garner stayed true to the personality of Elektra Natchios, even when it seemed dangerous for her future career. She took risks and allowed superior direction to take over when necessary. Unfortunately, the director (Bowman) doesn't seem to feel the need to give us enough of the back story. We don't know much about the Hand, or Mr. Stick, except that they were there, and how they acted when in our presence. We did get some quality character development concerning Elektra, but I also wanted more of Abby and why she was so necessary. He does let you know; he does give you just enough to get through the movie without disappointment. But not enough to satisfy either the real fans of the genre or casual fans who are lacking the foreknowledge of the series. (Now, in all honesty, it is quite obvious that Stick and Daredevil are aligned in some way, as they are both blind and seem to use the same fighting style.)
The plot is as deeply mystical as are the characters. It has been criticized as weak and tripping itself up. However, I did not find one scene which did not seem to know where it was going. Each dissolve was as seamless as the one before it, and each small bit of the story connected nicely with the next. As I've indicated, however, there could have been a bit more in the way of explanation of some of these beautiful plot and design elements, but all in all we were thoroughly engrossed. There was no snickering or quiet muttering going on during this. That in itself is rare for our hometown theater.
While this wasn't the spring board out of the (commonly perceived) mire of Daredevil the studios hoped it would be, it does well to stand on its own due to Jennifer Garner's dedication and professionalism. We found this work to be an honest, fresh, and heart-warmingly solid source of entertainment.
It rates an 8.4/10 from...
the Fiend :.