“Electric” is not the right word to describe Marvel Comics’ newest movie adaptation – “sparky” is a better label for 20th Century Fox’s “Elektra.” Jennifer Garner’s character leaves the stench of “Daredevil” behind, but her solo effort never gets fully juiced.
“Elektra” tries to take a cue from the character-driven narrative – and success – of the “Spider-Man” series, but the film can’t strike the balance between action and story that Spidey managed so well. Incomplete flashbacks, short duels and stretches of dry dialogue hold back the film from comic greatness, somewhat canceling out (the bare bones of) an intriguing story and a dynamic and capable heroine.
For a comic-book based film, action is relatively sparse. Most of the movie focuses on Elektra’s relationship with a man and his young daughter, Abby, both of whom are on the run from a mysterious organization known as The Hand. The relationships between the characters, not the battle sequences, create the focus of “Elektra.”
This would be great, except the script is only of lukewarm quality and not much really happens through the course of the movie. Viewers will want more back-story for nearly every character in the film: The stereotypical staple of super-human villains, Elektra’s blind martial arts master and the true nature and origin of the “treasure” sought by both sides all beg for further explanation.
Flashbacks and quiet moments provide a look into the mind’s eye of Elektra, but more information about her shadowy past (just glimpsed at here) would have made the character fully three-dimensional. Instead, Garner’s talents (she’s done an excellent job on TV’s “Alias” for some time now) carry the role farther than it originally was written – she conveys strength, vulnerability and athleticism well, and she reportedly worked out like mad to get in shape for the role.
Because of Rob Bowman’s directorial style, which favors fast-cuts and blazing speed, the battle scenes remain fun, though viewers may have a hard time following what the combatants are actually doing. The backdrop for the standout fight is a decrepit room filled with billowing white sheets, providing an ethereal playground for Elektra and her rival, but the entrancing atmosphere is wasted on a clash that is much too short.
A longer length to provide more story and action would have elevated Elektra to one of the better comic-book movies in recent years – Garner delivers a solid performance and gives “Elektra” a base in reality it otherwise would lack. Going the character-driven route seems like the best choice for many of Marvel’s storied franchises, but “Elektra” should have grounded itself in more than a magnetic protagonist.
