Elektra Review

The last time we saw Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner) she was in a pretty bad way. In fact she was dead after coming off second best in a duel with "Daredevil" baddie Bullseye - so it may come as a bit of a surprise to learn that she's back and serving as a shady assassin for hire! But one mission - which involves offing a father (ER's Goran Visnjic) and daughter (Kirsten Prout) - not only makes Elektra question her motives and her lifestyle but also finds her on the wrong side of The Hand, a dark and powerful syndicate who will stop at nothing to get what they want.

One of the main challenges director Rob Bowman must have faced when making Elektra was how to take someone who was essentially a supporting character in a rather poor film and make her into an interesting leading lady - and to an extent he's done that. The script gives us much more of insight into Elektra's past - and her link with The Hand - as well as what happened to her between "Daredevil" and the present day but it also slips into some of the classic cliches we've come to expect from the genre such as the overused 'age old battle between the powers of good and evil' storyline. Action-wise fans won't complain as Bowman does his best to keep things fresh and inventive, although recent movies such as "Hero" and "House Of Flying Daggers" may have raised the bar just that little bit too high for him to compete. Perhaps the film's reliance on flashy CGI is his way of trying to compensate?