ELEKTRA

Rated PG-13 (for action violence). 97 minutes. Directed by Rob Bowman. Released Jan. 14, 2005.

In this “Daredevil” spinoff, Jennifer Garner plays Elektra, a professional hit-woman who trained under a blind martial arts master named Stick (Terence Stamp). Someone offers her $2 million for her next assassination, requiring only that she show up two days early for the job – on Christmas Eve. She arrives in a luxurious lakeside vacation home and soon meets a young girl named Abby (Kirsten Prout) and her father (Goran Visnjic of “E.R.” fame) who live next door.

Elektra’s enemies are assassins hired by the Order of the Hand, a secret Japanese society that seeks The Treasure. I won’t tell you what that is, or it’ll give away the movie. It’s unclear whether these Hand assassins are real or not, because they’re fearsome and deadly until killed, at which time they dissolve into a cloud of yellow powder. I think they’re demons, but I’m not really sure. The group includes a woman who can drain the life out of whoever she touches and a man with tattoos that come to life, jump off his body, and attack people.

WHAT I LIKED: Jennifer Garner is a buff babe who fills out her tight, red-leather killer attire quite nicely. The fight scenes are fun to watch, too, with lots of kick-ass martial arts moves.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: There’s too many unanswered questions at the end of the movie. Both Elektra and Abby have obsessive-compulsive disorder which causes them to count everything out, but which has nothing to do with anything. There’s some connection between Abby and Elektra – when Abby is in danger of dying, Elektra weeps quietly, “But I just found you…” -- but it’s never explained. Neither is the Order of the Hand, which, apparently, is still trying to kill Elektra at the end of the movie. Flashbacks of Elektra’s tortured past, where her father makes her tread water in the family’s luxury indoor pool until she’s afraid she’ll drown, only provide more questions.

THE WRAP-UP: This movie spends way too much time on close-ups of Elektra. I haven’t a clue what she’s thinking, and I don’t think she does either. And there’s never any mention of the Marvel saga “Daredevil,” where she first appeared in the role opposite Ben Affleck as a blind superhero.

SCORE: 3 out of 4 Reels.

Jane's Reel Rating System:

One Reel – Pathetic. Even The Force can’t save it.

Two Reels – Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.

Three Reels – Pleasant. Something to talk about.

Four Reels – Wow! The stuff dreams are made of.

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