'Elektra' okay for comic-action movie

The comic books have switched genres to the movie screen once again with the 20th Century Fox release of “Elektra.” As a comic-based action movie, “Elektra” is a palatable movie.

“Elektra” has a PG-13 rating. This means that it doesn’t have the constant action of an R-rated action movie. On the other hand, it allows not only for the plot of Elektra and her confederates going up against the bad guys but also for Electra Natchios (played by Jennifer Garner) to learn a little about herself through one of her teammates.

At the beginning of the movie Elektra is a paid assassin and a well-renowned one. She had hoped to follow up a job with a vacation, but her agent found her a high-paying assignment along with a rental house in the area.

Her isolation is interrupted first by a teenage burglar named Abby (played by Kirsten Prout) and then by Abby’s father, Mark (played by Goran Visnjic). When Elektra learns that Abby and Mark are her contracted targets, she decides not to carry out the assignment but to find out why the father and daughter have been targeted for assassination.

Elektra soon finds out that some of the villains she has fought in the past are after Abby and Mark. She also learns that Abby has been trained by her own mentor (played by Terence Stamp). Elektra also sees a considerable amount of herself in the teenage girl.

Elektra and Abby team up to fight the villains. As Elektra sees more of herself in Abby, she also starts to gain the control she needs to accompany her power.

It’s a PG-13-rated movie, not an R-rated movie, so a significant amount of action shouldn’t be expected. For the type of action movie that it is, it is satisfactory.

Elektra originally made her movie debut in the “Daredevil” movie, and this is the biggest flaw of “Elektra.” The movie featuring Elektra mentions that she was brought back to life and shows flashbacks of her childhood but doesn’t explain how she died. Thus, a full enjoyment of “Elektra” is not possible without having seen “Daredevil.” The child-oriented action level is acceptable for this type of movie, but the ability for full enjoyment of “Electra” as a stand-alone movie is lacking.

The movie may be somewhat scary for the smallest of children, but pre-teens and teenagers should enjoy the movie, as should parents who enter the theater with the expectations that it’s not a Rambo-type action film. The experience of Elektra seeing herself in Abby makes up for the lack of full-throttle action. While “Elektra” might not be the type of movie on which to spend full theater admission price for the entire family, it could be a nice film to see during the bargain shows or as a videotape rental.