Elektra

THE STORY

ELEKTRA picks up where DAREDEVIL left off, and is the sole story of Elektra Natchios, super-rich Greek heiress and uber-babe.

After her death at the end of DAREDEVIL, she is revived by Stick, a sensei of Japanese staff fighting, who then takes her in as a student. But angry and violent at the murder of her parents by The Hand, she gets booted out by Stick and starts making her living as an assassin.

The story starts when her agent McCabe gets an offer. She goes to an island somewhere off the Pacific Northwest coast to await further instructions. There she battles the constant nightmares of her past, while forming a tenuous, undefined relationship with her closest neighbours, widower Mark Miller and his young teen Abby, who unbeknownst to Elektra, had their wife and mother murdered by The Hand.

Elektra's relationship with Abby reaches the stage of maternal love, so much so that when the instructions from McCabe reveal that she is to assassinate Mark and Abby, she cannot find it within her callused heart to do so.

She turns fugitive from The Hand, who really wish to capture Abby because of who she is, taking the Millers with her to seek help from Stick. However, a misunderstanding separates her - again - from her sensei, and Elektra is forced to bring all of them to the safety of McCabe's hideout.

Meanwhile The Hand has dispatched four villains - Kirigi, martial arts expert; Stone, hulk of a man; Typhoid Mary, with a deadly kiss and touch; and Tattoo, whose bodily tattoos come alive at will; to obtain The Treasure at all costs.

The Treasure is none other than child prodigy Abby Miller, whose father Mark went into hiding after her mother was killed by The Hand. Elektra, who thought herself devoid of all decency after her parents' deaths, finds that she would sacrifice everything, even her second life, to keep Abby safe.

Elektra and The Hand end it where it all began - at her childhood home where Kirigi murdered her parents. Elektra killed them all but failed to save Abby from Typhoid Mary's kiss. It was only then that Elektra could verbalise her love for Abby and revive the girl in the same way Stick did her.

It was through her love for a young girl that Elektra found redemption - and the realization that the second life was indeed better than the first.

THE PEOPLE

Jennifer Garner's character had to undergo a vast transformation from DAREDEVIL. Elektra this time round is grittier, darker and full of unresolved angst threatening to overwhelm her. Garner seems made for dark character roles and plays them to great effect. Fox Studios has cast the right actress for the role of the ultimate female assassin.

Goran Visnjic takes a break from ER to play the role of Mark Miller, who provides a few moments of romantic relief for Elektra, in addition to minding his child's back, but does it well in his quiet, understated way.

Canadian newcomer Kirsten Prout shines as Abby, the willful child prodigy who desperately wants to be like Elektra and ends up winning her love. The chemistry between Garner and Prout is quite obvious and fills the film with unexpected but refreshing tenderness.

THE REVIEW

ELEKTRA is, in my opinion, well on the way to being 2005's best action film. It is unlike other films of its genre in that it concentrates on Elektra's character development as much it concentrates on the expected action fare. It does not try to portray Elektra as uber-cool and invincible, but shows the private demons of her past and her vulnerability, which she hides with a hardened exterior.

In addition, the action is superbly choreographed and Garner demonstrates her real-life expertise with the sai, her trademark 3-pronged Japanese daggers. The scenery is lush and realistic rather than the gritty urban landscape of most such films.

TO WATCH OR NOT TO WATCH

Jennifer Garner in her red-hot leather outfit alone makes it every bit worth to watch. And digest, then savour. It is a departure, but a good and cool one, from standard action-flick fare. Now, I'm gonna read the original Marvel comic...