Amazon.co.uk Review
While 2003's Daredevil was a conventional superhero movie, the 2005 spinoff, Elektra, is more of a wuxia-styled martial arts/fantasy flick. Elektra (Jennifer Garner) has returned to her life as a hired assassin, but she balks at an assignment to kill a single father (Goran Visnjic, ER) and his teenage daughter (Kirsten Prout). That makes her the target of The Hand, an organization of murderous ninjas, scheming corporate types, and a band of stylish supervillains seeking to eliminate Elektra and tip the balance of power in the ongoing battle of good vs. evil.
As the star of Alias, Garner has proven that she can kick butt with the best of them, and some of the visual effects are impressive, but the action sequences tend to be anticlimactic, and there's not much to the story. Fans will notice numerous references to Frank Miller's comic books, but there's very little resemblance to Miller's cold-blooded killer (Elektra with an agent? Elektra referring to herself as a "soccer mom"?).
Is Elektra better than Daredevil? Not really, even with the distinct advantage of having all Garner and no Ben Affleck. That could be the spinoff's greatest disappointment: after Spider-Man 2 raised the bar for comic-book movies, Elektra lowered it back to Daredevil's level. Directed by Rob Bowman (the X-Files movie), and featuring Terence Stamp as the mysterious mentor Stick, Will Yun Lee (Die Another Day) as the chief villain, and NFL-player-turned-mixed-martial-arts-champion Bob Sapp as the immovable Stone. --David Horiuchi, Amazon.com
Customer Reviews:
flawed heroine in a classic battle of good vs evil.......2007-11-15
The main reason I watched this movie was because Jennifer Garner was in it.
Jennifer Garner does not disappoint with her multifaceted portrayal of the emotionally scarred Elektra. During the movie we see tiny snippets of her past - a past that caused her to end up using her powers as a hit woman. She ruthlessly carries out hits until she is ordered to kill a single father and his 14 year old daughter. Instead she becomes their protector.
I think the only thing that made this movie watchable was Jennifer Garner's portayal of Elektra. It made an otherwise dull action film, more multi-dimential. We see her character heal and grow and that is ultimately the satisfying part of this movie.
Worst of the recent Marvel movies.......2007-10-23
Well, it is in my opinion (though that is just of the ones I've seen, obviously, which currently excludes the Fantastic 4 movies).
Whilst I am a bit of a Marvel comics fan, Elektra isn't a character who I know at all, and the only time I've come across her before was in Daredevil (probably the 2nd worst). As such, I can't comment on how true it is to the comics.
I did, however, find the whole concept a bit weak. It seemed a little unfair that Elektra, a hero without any real super-powers, and just with some serious martial arts training, was pitted against super-powered demons (I think they were demons, I didn't really follow the story all that well).
It also seems that Elektra likes hanging out with blind people with amazing martial arts skills, and I was rather confused for a while, thinking 'Stick' was an aged Daredevil, whereas Elektra hadn't aged at all.
I was kind of confused by the whole film really - I guess this is partly because I didn't know the comic beforehand, but the film should really cover everything it needs to for you to follow it.
There's also a lot of the plot I found rather annoying, such as her "agent" basically volunteering to die, for little reason, and even though it actually aided the "bad guys" rather than slowing them down (which should have been obvious to Elektra). Also, Stick was so annoying, it was unbelievable that anyone put up with him.
The whole concept was also similar to Batman Begins or Kill Bill, where someone sees their parent(s) killed, goes off to train in martial arts, then starts kicking butt.
"She's an urban legend".......2007-08-18
Before watching this movie I did not know much about this character from the Marvel comics. Elektra died in "Daredevil", but she was brought back from the dead by the Masters. The problem is that now both sides, good and evil, seek her out. She is currently working as a gun-for-hire and is asked to go to an island and wait for instructions regarding her next mission. While she is waiting, she meets a father and daughter living in isolation and trying home-schooling. As soon as Elektra starts to get close to this people, she finds out that they are her target!
Compared to "Daredevil", I would say that "Elektra" walks more into the fantastic side, with elements of future seeing, the use of animals to see distant events and other supernatural powers. In this sense, it is more in line with other Marvel comics, like X-Men. The action scenes are not at the level of "Daredevil" though, which is a shame, since Jennifer Garner is the perfect choice for this type of scenes.
Elektra has flashbacks from her childhood and we also get to see some of the events that developed between the time she was brought back from the dead and the current moment. This gives us some information that is helpful for understanding this character, but the development stops there. I would say that overall the film is OK, and allows us to spend some time entertained; but that is all there is to this production. If you are a fan of Marvel, then you definitely have to see it, but for the rest of you I would say do not bother.
Messed up potential.......2007-04-14
This film could have been great.It was a chance to revive the Daredevil franchise which had been splattered allover by Ben Affleck. Jennifer Garner was the saving grace as Elektra and by herself, I expected it to be far better. However, Rob Bowman manages to achieve the impossible; Take the best character (Elektra) from a popular comic strip (Daredevil)that half baked commercially and critically and still make a mess out of it.
Unelektrafying.......2007-04-02
It can't be pretended that "Elektra" is anything but a cash-in on "Daredevil" and star Jennifer Garner's popularity as an action star. And the spinoff film as as soulless as that would suggest -- it has some pretty special effects, but is brought down by a half-hearted script that aspires to be a mix of Chinese wire-fu and "Kill Bill."
Elektra (Jennifer Garner) died at the end of "Daredevil." But in the comic book world, death is less restricting than a sprained knee: Elektra is resurrected by the magical mystical powers of Terence Stamp (okay, his character is ungracefully called Stick). She is now a contract killer, and is sent to off a father and daughter in some remote place.
It turns out that there is a Chosen One (hello, fantasy cliches!) who will be a pivot in the battle between good and evil. And the girl Abby (Kirsten Prout) is that Chosen One. Beset by childhood traumas, Elektra decides to protect the two of them from the Hand, a magical bunch of Japanese evildoers who have decided to kill Abby.
When a movie is a cash-in spinoff of a cinematic disaster like "Daredevil," you can't expect it to be good. Especially if the lead heroine -- as in the howlingly bad "Catwoman" -- wears silly leather bondage gear and utters moronic quips. Can't there be a heroine who wears something that would stay on during kung-fu ation scenes?
Rob Bowman better stick to sci-fi suspense, because he can't do action. It feels as if he wanted to make a cross between "Kill Bill" and "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon," with a bit of "Zatoichi" (the blind master) thrown in. The script teems with cliches -- the tortured tough gal! The sensitive love interest! The precocious, poorly-acted kiddie! The wise Yoda clone! Throw in a few high-kicks and you have "Elektra."
It's impossible to really gauge Garner's acting, because the character is as deep as a hamster's footbath -- okay, her mum died when she was little. Very sad, but it doesn't give her character depth, and Elektra Natchios shows no real personality except a few strained quips. Her love interest barely registers, and the villains are just there to do special effects and inconsistent stunts. (One minute you can stab them, the next they're invincible. Huh?)
"Elektra" is a heartless, dull mess of flips and quips -- and that's just the character. The movie is even worse, second only to "Catwoman" for comic book badness.
Customer Reviews:
It's definately not another Volumen.......2005-12-18
since this dvd has only been released on Electra in America as aposed to little indian over here, it had to be shipped from Ameriaca. the DVD i got was in NTSC and not PAL so some videos (who is it and where is the line in particular) looked very... well American. maybe not an issue for everyone tho but it does seem to make the videos look a little weird.
This DVD contains an superb underwater jellyfishy video for Oceania with Bjork covered in scales, Who Is It filmed on the Icelandic desert with lots of bell sound goin on, a minimal beautiful animated video for Desired Constellation, and a very strange video for Where is the line. and the excellent Triumph Of A Heart Video. Having these videos alone would make this a worthy purchase for any Bjork fan but the addition of the Making Of Triumph Of A Heart video makes this a very good buy
Customer Reviews:
Elektra is electrifying...........2008-02-11
Ok, having seen the theatrical version of this film first and loving it, I decided to buy this "Director's Cut" as well to see what was left out. Now... if you're thinking of buying this hoping the extra footage will be along the same lines of Daredevil, with an extra 30 odd minutes, you'll be sorely disappointed - in fact, you'll probably need to have watched Elektra a few times and know it inside out before you can see which bits were left out, all in all there's only around 9 minutes of extra footage.
HOWEVER, that being said, what DOES make this Director's Cut worth buying is the second Special Features disc, which has somewhere between 2 and 3 HOURS worth of Featurettes etc etc, which are both very informative and amusing at times... this disc alone really does make this worth buying, and take that from someone who isn't that big on "Special Features" normally. Oh, and by the way, the film disc also has commentary for the film, which is also cool... Commentaries are something I DO like btw, lol.
Customer Reviews:
Elektra is electrifying...........2008-02-11
Ok, having seen the theatrical version of this film first and loving it, I decided to buy this "Director's Cut" as well to see what was left out. Now... if you're thinking of buying this hoping the extra footage will be along the same lines of Daredevil, with an extra 30 odd minutes, you'll be sorely disappointed - in fact, you'll probably need to have watched Elektra a few times and know it inside out before you can see which bits were left out, all in all there's only around 9 minutes of extra footage.
HOWEVER, that being said, what DOES make this Director's Cut worth buying is the second Special Features disc, which has somewhere between 2 and 3 HOURS worth of Featurettes etc etc, which are both very informative and amusing at times... this disc alone really does make this worth buying, and take that from someone who isn't that big on "Special Features" normally. Oh, and by the way, the film disc also has commentary for the film, which is also cool... Commentaries are something I DO like btw, lol.
Customer Reviews:
Unelektrafying.......2007-04-20
It can't be pretended that "Elektra" is anything but a cash-in on "Daredevil" and star Jennifer Garner's popularity as an action star. And the spinoff film as as soulless as that would suggest -- it has some pretty special effects, but is brought down by a half-hearted script that aspires to be a mix of Chinese wire-fu and "Kill Bill."
Elektra (Jennifer Garner) died at the end of "Daredevil." But in the comic book world, death is less restricting than a sprained knee: Elektra is resurrected by the magical mystical powers of Terence Stamp (okay, his character is ungracefully called Stick). She is now a contract killer, and is sent to off a father and daughter in some remote place.
It turns out that there is a Chosen One (hello, fantasy cliches!) who will be a pivot in the battle between good and evil. And the girl Abby (Kirsten Prout) is that Chosen One. Beset by childhood traumas, Elektra decides to protect the two of them from the Hand, a magical bunch of Japanese evildoers who have decided to kill Abby.
When a movie is a cash-in spinoff of a cinematic disaster like "Daredevil," you can't expect it to be good. Especially if the lead heroine -- as in the howlingly bad "Catwoman" -- wears silly leather bondage gear and utters moronic quips. Can't there be a heroine who wears something that would stay on during kung-fu ation scenes?
Rob Bowman better stick to sci-fi suspense, because he can't do action. It feels as if he wanted to make a cross between "Kill Bill" and "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon," with a bit of "Zatoichi" (the blind master) thrown in. The script teems with cliches -- the tortured tough gal! The sensitive love interest! The precocious, poorly-acted kiddie! The wise Yoda clone! Throw in a few high-kicks and you have "Elektra."
It's impossible to really gauge Garner's acting, because the character is as deep as a hamster's footbath -- okay, her mum died when she was little. Very sad, but it doesn't give her character depth, and Elektra Natchios shows no real personality except a few strained quips. Her love interest barely registers, and the villains are just there to do special effects and inconsistent stunts. (One minute you can stab them, the next they're invincible. Huh?)
"Elektra" is a heartless, dull mess of flips and quips -- and that's just the character. The movie is even worse, second only to "Catwoman" for comic book badness.
Customer Reviews:
Elektra is electrifying...........2008-02-11
Ok, having seen the theatrical version of this film first and loving it, I decided to buy this "Director's Cut" as well to see what was left out. Now... if you're thinking of buying this hoping the extra footage will be along the same lines of Daredevil, with an extra 30 odd minutes, you'll be sorely disappointed - in fact, you'll probably need to have watched Elektra a few times and know it inside out before you can see which bits were left out, all in all there's only around 9 minutes of extra footage.
HOWEVER, that being said, what DOES make this Director's Cut worth buying is the second Special Features disc, which has somewhere between 2 and 3 HOURS worth of Featurettes etc etc, which are both very informative and amusing at times... this disc alone really does make this worth buying, and take that from someone who isn't that big on "Special Features" normally. Oh, and by the way, the film disc also has commentary for the film, which is also cool... Commentaries are something I DO like btw, lol.
DVD:
- Fantastic Four (Single Disc Edition) [2005]
- First Knight [1995]
- Fist Of Fury [1993]
- Flight Of The Phoenix [2004]
- French Connection [1971]
- Friday Night Lights [2004]
- Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
- Ghost Rider [Blu-ray] [2007]
- Grand Prix (2 Disc Special Edition) [1966]
- Hana-Bi [1998]
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