Elektra

Review by Clint Morris

Like the San Francisco garter snake, comic book movie Elektra looks quite astonishing - but that doesn't mean it still won't suck.

A spin-off of one of the weaker superhero pics of the last few years - Daredevil, starring Ben Affleck as ruby-attired blind avenger Matt Murdock - Rob Bowman's Elektra looks as pretty as its headline act, but unfortunately, the template's about as middling as a median strip.

When we last left Elektra - at the end of 2003's Daredevil - she was, ah, dead.

Not much use if she's six feet under, the blind sensei, named Stick (Terence Stamp), brings her back to life but she returns with a moving-box full of baggage.

Still searching for meaning - and a smile - the sexy brunette earns a crust as a contract killer for her new employers.

When she discovers her latest target is an amiable father and daughter duo (Goran Visnjic, Kirsten Prout), Elektra turns the tables on her client - mumbo jumbo pack, The Hand - and goes after them instead.

There's plenty of action, some imaginative special effects, and one bodacious Betty in every frame, but regrettably Elektra is little more than skin-tight pants and killer eyes. Daredevil mightn't have been a shade on the other superhero films released at the same time, but at least it offered the scent of a script. This is as by-the-numbers as the lotto.

As weird as it is to admit it (considering we're currently longing to see less of Mr Affleck), that rumoured cameo by Ben Affleck as Daredevil might've given that film an extra little something. It isn't in the film though, and one suspects it might've just been a cover-up for the romance, and constant set-visits by her beau at the time, that's been happening off-screen between him and Garner.

There are enough well staged stunts and skirmishes to keep the teen brigade and fans of the comic book series happy, but anyone looking for Spider-Man best join up at Blockbuster.

2.5 out of 5

Elektra
Australian release: Thursday January 13th
Cast: Jennifer Garner, Goran Visnjic, Terence Stamp, Will Yun Lee, Kirsten Prout.
Director: Rob Bowman.
Website: Click here.

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