It’s safe to say superhero fans weren’t clamoring for a director’s cut version of the 2005 superhero bust ‘Elektra.”
But here it comes all the same, hot on the heels of a far more celebrated superhero, the Invincible Iron Man, returning to the big screen.
“Elektra” didn’t spark a franchise, but seen today it’s a sturdy, albeit unspectacular film buoyed by Jennifer Garner, a vision in crimson.
The movie simply misjudged audiences’ appetite for dark superhero tales.
“Elektra” begins by explaining why the curvy assassin is alive in the first place. The last time she graced the big screen she was gasping for her last breath after being attacked by Bullseye (Colin Farrell) in “Daredevil.”
But the mystic brand of martial arts which gave her those fighting chops can also bring the dead back to life.
So we rejoin Elektra as she resumes her career – gorgeous assassin for hire.
She makes the mistake of getting to know a father and daughter duo she’s assigned to snuff out. Elektra feels a bond with the daughter, Abby (Kirsten Prout), but she knows refusing to complete her assignment only means someone else will do the honors.
That pits Elektra against The Hand, a sinister organization constantly at war with the powers of good.
Audiences lap up dark, foreboding superhero films, but they demand depth and sophistication to make up for all the pouting.
“Elektra’s” facile script and paint-by-numbers emotions simply don’t cut it, even if Garner packs the physical prowess the saga demands.
The constant flashbacks to Elektra’s younger years don’t resonate, nor does the bond Elektra forges with Abby’s father (Goran Visnjic of “E.R.” fame).
The various members of The Hand, like the X-Men sans morals, bring a measure of much needed pulp to an otherwise routine story.
The Blu-ray extras included commentary by director Rob Bowman, a well-rounded “making of” featurette describing the creative decisions behind the film, an array of deleted and alternate scenes as well as a peek behind the Elektra mythology.
The only chance this superhero has of enjoying another big screen outing is if the powers that be decide to go the reboot route.
If that happens, they’d be foolish to consider anyone but Garner to bring “Elektra” back from the dead – again.
(Photo: Jennifer Garner couldn’t kick-start a new superhero franchise with “Elektra,” but the film gets the extended Blu-ray treatment all the same. Fox Home Entertainment)
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