The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus 2000 Review

 

Improving on Rankin Bass’ 1985 TV adaptation, I saw this once as a teen, pleasantly surprised as an adult to learn L. Frank Baum of Wizard of Oz wrote the novel. Plus, there are some well-known voice actors involved like Maurice Lamarche and Jim Cummings, so this story about Santa being tied to fairy creatures couldn’t be that bad, right?

 

In a simpler time where humans are unaware of forest creatures like the Ryls, caretakers of plants and the Knooks, providing for animals, as well as Fairies and Wood Nymphs in Burzee (the inner forest?)

 

Necile, a Wood Nymph, prepares the season’s first nectar, which predicts a very eventful year. Later that night, Ak ruminates on humanity’s terrible state, including a special baby left at the forest’s edge (the fairies inadvertently insinuating they found dead babies before).

 

A lioness, Sheigra, agrees to nurse the child (nothing weird there), given protection by Ak, who believes it will help humans in the future (Burzee’s hands tied)

Necile, breaking several fairy laws, gets the child from Sheigra, who’s tired of the child’s crying, but Ak is oddly permissive

 

Other wood nymphs (which have wings?) bring milk blossoms for the baby, forgotten when Wisk, a pixie, crashes into the house from a catapult at Awgwa Mountain.  He briefly shapeshifts into the rock monsters, scaring the nymphs, agreeing to live there, both to avoid the Awgwas and interested in the infant

 

The child, named Nicholas (Claus meaning “little one” in fairy, leading to an initial name of “Necileoclaus”), grows up, Necile singing about his special experiences

 

More time passes, Necile telling an uncertain Nicholas that he’s fortunate to see the magical world but also able to choose his fate, unlike the immortals

 

Ak takes Nicholas to visit the human world, giving him a sash of invisibility and flight. He’s warned that losing it means Nicholas will be trapped in the human world forever (never addressed)

 

We see even human children toil, a blacksmith dismissing one boy with a cane and blaming children for mischief the Awgwas caused

 

Even a nobleman isolates his daughter from the poor children because of prejudice

 

Ak emphasizes humanity’s unfair lot in life, a vicious cycle making unhappy children and adults, Nicholas wanting to change things somehow, given the sash by Ak to keep

 

Nicholas grows up and moves halfway between the Forest of Burzee and the human world, the Valley of Hohaho, a house built by the Knooks and others in a night (complete with song!) after he and Wisk gather materials

 

A tuxedo cat, Blinkie, is inside, a gift from Necile, Wisk afraid he’ll be eaten

 

Nicholas heads out to the human world (special privileges from the sash!), befriending a family: Andrew and Martha, along with their children, an unnamed baby he comforts and Megan, a nonverbal girl who talks briefly after Nicholas leaves, having showed her kindness (never seen again)

 

The disabled boy from before, Ethan, promises to bring Nicholas a leaning stick, encouraged to carry the sack (not so “crippled” now?), but collapses in a snowstorm near the cottage, taken in before he freezes (to the Awgwa’s anger)

 

Nicholas conceives of toys after giving Ethan a painted wooden “Blinkie” he carved, making more for other children and regaling them with stories about fairies (like Necile)

 

He continued this tradition, diversifying beyond cats and becoming famous, drawing the ire of Awgwa King Mogorb, who tasks General Thog to stop him

 

Sheigra visits Nicholas (saying he’s grown to be handsome, bestiality vibes), who carves her likeness, the aging lioness passing away soon after

 

Two kids, Mayrie and Tycus ask Nicholas for toys, frightened of the lioness carving, helping Nicholas learn more about what to make

 

An older child, Natalie, asks for a toy, Nicholas promising her one, just out of stock. But he asks Necile later if rich children deserve toys, his mother arguing even those with privilege can lack something a toy provides. And that rings true, Natalie regarding the clay likeness of Necile that Nicholas creates as a friend (the lonely rich girl we saw earlier)

 

The Awgwas teleport Nicholas into a dangerous jungle, who’s narrowly saved from wild animals by a Knook, who seemingly teleports him back home (so no threat?)

 

But the workload increase and old age hinders Nicholas (now voiced by Jim Cummings), the house expanding to accommodate toy production. Wisk inspires Nicholas to use reindeer to help deliver toys, forced to go down the chimney and word spreading about him being a saint (so these are miracles?), though the Knook Will takes back the reindeer when Nicholas returns after daybreak (risking exposure!)
 

The Awgwas attack Nicholas on foot, taking the stolen toys to their caves

 

Natalie gives up her Necile doll to the unfortunate children after learning about Nicholas being accosted

 

Ak suggests Nicholas deliver toys once a year and at night, Will agreeing to give 8 reindeer (4x original!)

 

Necile goes to retrieve the stolen gifts, Ak going to war against the Awgwas. The forest’s forces decimate the Awgwas’ scarier group, tricking the rock monsters into rolling off a cliff and transforming a dragon and giants into harmless things like butterflies and flowers. Magorb and Thog are morphed into bugs after Wisk knocks them off a cliff in Awgwa form

 

Ak tells Nicholas of the Awgwa’s defeat, Christmas Eve soon arriving as Nicholas is shocked to learn from Will the reindeer can fly and Necile brings the presents

 

Nicholas, finally using Ak’s magical sash, starts his annual gift-giving journey (with a song!), magically going down the chimney (no more risk of death!), Wisk helping him break in occasionally (for the children!)

 

The visits continue every year, but Nicholas’s life is nearing its end, Wisk realizing the human’s mortality as the Angel of Death floats toward the house.

 

Ak beseeches the council of immortals to grant eternal life to Nicholas, having done such good for downtrodden humanity, which they agree to, just before the reaper takes Nicholas, the film ending as he continues into the future.

 

 

 

Nicholas is an innocent, almost naïve, and kind lead, adapting to situations with his friend’s help, his progress not feeling earned. He gets a house for free, among other benefits and his immortality is granted because immortals provided for him (his good deeds relevant)

 

Necile facilitates Nicholas’ acceptance into Burzee and encourages her “son”, mostly in the background

 

Wisk is more comic relief, sometimes inspiring Nicholas with ideas (toys, reindeer, etc), his transformation gimmick rarely advancing the plot

 

And Blinkie, seemingly an immortal cat, inspires the first toy, otherwise a mascot

 

Ak, the wise sage ruler, bends the rules for Nicholas several times, but also seeks order, since he desires to help humanity. But he has to find a loophole with immortal laws preventing direct contact and destroys the Awgwas for Nicholas’ sake

 

The antagonists are fairly ineffectual, only the king Margob even slightly intimidating, but otherwise, they struggle in vain to stop Nicholas, easily defeated by Ak’s forces

 

We have a creative story, only hurt by a protagonist never struggling without external assistance, but the message remains important, being kind to those less fortunate and making the world a better place. Highly recommended for the novelty and timeless ideals, in spite of head-scratching oddities and plot problems that pepper throughout

 

The Snowman 1982 Review

 

A featurette I watched as a child, it was based on a children’s book from 1978 (which also was part of my younger days even though I was born in the late 80s). While there is very little dialogue, only a spoken intro and some lyrics in the film’s famous song, it’s considered very nostalgic, so let’s dive in

 

After being told about the narrator’s memories of a winter with much snow and how he made the titular snowman (one version featuring David Bowie!), we shift into animation

 

The young boy awakens, excited at the snow falling and quickly changes to go outside. His mother puts a hat on him after he rushes to get on his boots, quickly falling off. And when the boy throws a big snowball at the house, it splats on the window, his mother scolding him

 

But after making a snowman (with rather unorthodox techniques), complete with a scarf, hat, a fruit nose and coal buttons and eyes, the boy is called inside. He continues to look back at his creation, jumping into bed (looking forward to Christmas, clearly) and goes to sleep.

 

His anticipation keeps him up and at midnight, he goes downstairs, seeing a prismatic light come over the snowman and give it life.

 

The two have fun, scaring the cat near the fireplace (a normal reaction to an animated snow construct) and seeing the weird reflections in the tree ornaments.  However when the snowman sits on the chair and starts watching TV, it becomes clear that the fireplace is affecting him and they go to the kitchen

 

The snowman tries on some other noses from a fruit basket and enjoys the icebox (I think?). Then the pair goes upstairs and into the kid’s parents’ room (why?). Some false teeth create a simultaneously funny and terrifying gag, the snowman then putting on some makeup and even more clothes (so no gender concept?). They narrowly avoid waking up the parents after the snowman sneezes from some perfume (because he has lungs and nostrils?)

 

In the boy’s room, the snowman dances around, inspired by a dancing music box figure, but then stumbles around on a roller skate and avoids a toy train, crashing into a wall (releasing balloons?).

 

Outside, the snowman notices something covered up with a tarp, a motorcycle (with the keys inside!). The pair drives (the snowman a quick study) and they have a romp through the forest, annoying various wild animals and then returning home (the snowman’s inner thighs shiny now?). After a brief sit in a freezer in the shed, the snowman leaves (seemingly remembering something), the boy taken with him as they fly through the air (and the song begins).

 

They surprise many people (even penguins), one guy having the reaction that he’s drunk too much champagne, while a young girl wonders if it’s connected to Santa. Other snowmen even join them early on, but the pair is mostly alone in their travels across the frozen landscape

 

After a while, things calm down, the pair entering a forest where there’s a secret gathering of snow people (snow women clearly there as well) and, surprisingly (or not), Santa Claus as well. Lots of raucous fun is had (snowmen getting drunk?), Santa even giving the boy a present after showing him the reindeer in a stable

 

But the pair has to get back home, the snowman giving the boy a final hug as he stands alone outside.

 

The next morning, the snowman has tragically dissipated, just a lump on the ground, the boy saddened as he looks at the scarf, his only remaining memory of that night as the featurette concludes.

 

 

The music is the major centerpiece, even moreso than the unique art style that resembles watercolors, which is a breath of fresh air. It addresses the mood of any given scene, setting it up well without any need for spoken word to enrich things, in no small part because of the animation being fairly expressive for the time.

 

As for characters, the major focus is on the snowman and the boy, each playing well off the other. The youthful innocence of the boy, excited at his creation come to life, the snowman more naive yet somehow still possessing of knowledge that doesn’t entirely make sense if you think about it (and also magically functions like a human for some jokes).

 

If there’s some message to be learned, it’s the transience of our childhood and wonder at such things like making a snowman and how we should cherish it as a dear memory. Author Raymond Briggs was bleaker in his justification, just a fact of life that things happen like a snowman melting.

 

All in all, this is something you shouldn’t skip on, the traditional animation fantastic and the premise simple, yet effective at conveying the impactful message that can stick with you long after childhood (unlike me?).

Nick and Noel Review

 

A featurette included (on VHS) with a book from my childhood, I only recently realized this wasn’t adapting the Gingham Dog and Calico Cat (which does exist out there). For a Christmas story, it’s almost as clichéd as a Hallmark TV movie, but maybe the nostalgia will help me appreciate it decades later?

 

We see a nice looking house and the narrator, a mouse named Barnaby (voiced by Paul Williams, the Penguin in Batman: The Animated Series), tells us how Christmas is special to him, linked back to our titular characters.

 

Flashing back to when the house was unoccupied, Barnaby searches for crumbs, but it turns out to be a duplex, the other half having a family that’s coming home soon. And their cat, Noel (voiced by Kath Soucie) says she’ll get him leftovers, but he has to stay out of sight.

 

Her owners, a girl and her (recently?) widowed father, wonder about the people moving in, though Sarah is content with her pet as a friend. And the father, a writer, is clearly a bit absentminded, not realizing his glasses are on his head.

 

Turns out their new neighbors are Leslie Lee, a famous singer (though they’d never heard of her) and her dog Nick, who sing at all hours of the day and grate on Howard and Noel, who clash with Leslie and Nick.

 

The cat and dog continue the spat outside (Nick apparently okay with leaving the apartment briefly), having a musical number about how much they don’t get along (because cats and dogs).

 

Sarah comes out, helping to mend fences between the two, Noel tolerating the “mutt”. And Nick’s presence helps lighten Sarah’s mood regarding her mother. She even asks Santa to give the toys to more needy children, only wanting a mom for the holidays

Noel realizes Howard forgot to send Sarah’s letter to Santa and asks Nick for help, since he’s travelled with Leslie for her concerts. After she agrees to call him Maestro as a favor, he says the North Pole is at the end of North Street, conveniently right in town.

 

When the cat heads off, Nick, more loyal to his master, decides to follow so he isn’t shown up. Unfortunately, he can’t read, so they’re stuck in actually finding the street

 

Leslie offers to take Sarah with her to shop for Christmas presents and Howard agrees begrudgingly.

 

Meanwhile, Nick and Noel are still heading up North Street and find a Christmas store, Noel mistaking it for the North Pole, seeing reindeer in the window.  It’s not the North Pole (though a sign says as much) and “Santa” heads into a room, the cat and dog following him.

 

Howard and Leslie are both worried about their pets, thinking it’s odd that they’re gone, Leslie even thinking they were stolen.

 

Back at Winter Wonderland, it’s closed down and Nick and Noel run into a guard dog, though they get away when he slips on the ice rink and crashes into a display, the pair escaping through a broken window

 

Sarah’s letter is blown away by the wind, Nick saving Noel from almost getting squished by a snowplow.

 

Leslie lets Howard and Sarah borrow Christmas decorations, wanting to keep their spirits up. She even sings about how a Christmas miracle will bring them together

 

Nick and Noel stay the night at a nearby petting zoo, Noel inspired to try and find Sarah a mother for Christmas. A sow suggests Sarah might want a human mother (you don’t say!), but at a park, all the mothers already have children, Nick thinking it’s silly

 

Eventually Noel wants to give up and go home, Nick comforting her by saying it wasn’t a stupid idea, actually very admirable, the two even hugging to their surprise

 

Howard, Leslie and Sarah go looking for Nick and Noel, the writer’s willingness to ignore his deadline seemingly enough to push Leslie to fall in love with him (touching his hand tenderly)

 

Nick gets his collar stuck on some train tracks, Noel managing to free him, but it looks like she is run over by the oncoming train.

 

Thankfully the two return home, everyone happy to see them and Leslie and Howard get married that night, a minister officiating between Christmas Eve services. They feasted (so Barnaby didn’t starve!) and it was overall a Merry Christmas, the story wrapping up

 

 

 

Noel and Nick are polar opposites, as one would expect, but they complement each other in the quest to help a little girl on Christmas. Noel is much more optimistic, Nick more cautious by comparison, keeping Noel from getting killed at one point. But he keeps her rooted as well, Noel’s ideas almost too random at times and being drawn more by her heart than her head, Nick acknowledging her kindness in the end as important

 

Sarah is overly perfect for a child character, selfless and just wanting a mother in her life, serving as a connecting point for Nick and Noel, initially clashing. Her mother’s death feels like it could’ve been utilized far better in the plot itself and would’ve helped to give Howard and Leslie more depth as well.

 

Leslie and Howard are an obvious pair of love interests and they seem to fall in love over the course of a few days, so it’s very rushed, only plausible in the “Christmas miracle” scenario at most. With Sarah’s mother having passed, I wonder if Leslie could’ve slowly become a genuine maternal presence instead of being shoehorned in as such. And Howard focusing on his work so much could’ve tied into his being a widower, clichéd as it might be.

 

Barnaby is barely important except as a narrator to explain things on a kid’s level (which feels pretty patronizing as an adult remembering how I enjoyed it as a kid, the emotional elements going over my head)

 

While it’s definitely plotted in a weird way, there are emotional moments that work, mostly from a sense of nostalgia and stronger empathy as an adult. I feel like kids would understand the lesson of cooperating and being generous during the holiday season. The family element is nice, if a bit overly hokey and sentimental.

 

If it had been a proper feature length at around an hour, there could’ve been much more to explore and made for a far better product in spouting stuff about Christmas miracles and kindness and such.

Elektra Review

(As a manga otaku, not a comic otaku, I will strive to reflect on connections to the comic canon or lack thereof in the films I review, animated or live action. I owe that much to the real fans)

Elektra as a film is not a direct sequel to Daredevil, more of a spin off. Supposedly the film barely made enough in the box office to necessitate the sequel, but I do remember it coming out in theatres, though I didn’t get the DVD until probably a year after its release. It advertises itself as an action fantasy adventure, owing to Elektra’s more mystical background as an assassin/ninja. As usual with any adaptation, there are discrepancies with the canon, but I’ll get to that as we progress. So onto the even less popular Marvel Comics film, Elektra.

We’re told of an ancient war between Good and Evil (because capitalization makes things really important) that has been waged for millennia. The conflict can take place between countries or in the soul of an individual (hinting at Elektra no doubt). The narrator also mentions a special woman who is meant to be used as a weapon, called the Treasure. An unnamed man hides at an undisclosed location, trying to avoid Elektra, which he has managed to do for some time, even being protected by the Hand, the present manifestation of the Evil spoken of in the introduction, but Elektra still manages to defeat every bodyguard the man puts in front of her. Elektra’s new look is shown and she quickly kills her target. We shift to a meeting headed by Roshi, the leader of the Hand, where it’s mentioned that they are looking for the Treasure and trying to keep it out of their enemy’s hands. Kirigi, Roshi’s son, notes that he is better suited for the job, Roshi sending another man and urging Kirigi to be patient. Elektra is approached by her manager, McCabe, about a new job, which she notes is quite expensive and must be specifically for her, which McCabe confirms. She accepts and en route to the location, she flashbacks to her being resurrected by her previous master Stick, and her training in Kimagure, the art used by the Good to combat the Evil that is the Hand. Elektra is told she does not understand the way, but only pain and violence which was what led her there before and after her resurrection. Elektra has another flashback to training with her father as she swims following her OCD organization of the house (involving fruits and toiletries). She comes in and catches Abby, a girl who was stealing a necklace of Elektra’s, sending her off. She’s woken up by a nightmare about her mother’s death and after training for most of the morning, meets Abby’s father. Later, Abby comes to invite Elektra for Christmas dinner, Elektra reluctantly accepting. At dinner, Elektra notes Abby’s Indonesian warrior beads after becoming adjusted to what is no doubt something uncommon for her (socializing with people not related to business). She observes Abby and her father’s interaction, reflecting her commonality to Abby (both being motherless and Elektra in particular orphaned, though pressured by her father in training) and disappearing abruptly. The next morning, Elektra gets the information from her clients, indicating that she’s to kill Abby and her father, a shock that she doesn’t take very well, going against her duty for once and stopping herself from killing them just as she has a clear shot. After realizing she can’t do it, Elektra nearly leaves, turning back at the last moment and stopping two assassins from the Hand (who explode into green smoke; must be a Hand ninja thing, because that’s what they’re dressed like, stereotypical ninja). Kirigi and his other fellow “ninjas” Stone, Typhoid, Tattoo and Kinkou (Kinkou a random character not based on any Marvel character in the slightest, the others based off of Marvel or Elektra characters) are given the task to find the Treasure and if they succeed, Kirigi will lead the council in Roshi’s place. Elektra finds Stick at a pool hall (bringing Mark and Abby along to protect them), but Stick refuses to help them. Elektra says she can’t help them either, but goes against this to take Abby and Mark to a safe place. Tattoo’s bird tracks them, allowing the assassins to continue to hunt Abby and Mark for reasons still yet unknown. Elektra brings them to McCabe’s place to lay low for a while, Abby changing her appearance and bonding with Elektra a bit, while Mark and Elektra hit it off in a more romantic direction (not like one shouldn’t expect such a subplot in any such movie to draw in females, even though the film’s protagonist is a female). Kirigi’s group manages to find them thanks to Tattoo’s eagle and McCabe holds them off, to no avail, as Kirigi finds out where they’re headed already and then kills McCabe. Typhoid, Stone and Tattoo, along with Kinkou, chase the three, Stone and Kinkou eliminated. It’s shown that Abby can actually fight and Kirigi reveals that she is the Treasure they’re searching for, though what that is has not yet been revealed. Stick and some white ninjas save the group from Kirigi as they retreat, Elektra saved from Typhoid’s poisonous lesbian kiss by Stick. Abby is revealed to have been a prodigy, which is why the Hand wants her. And unless she stays with Stick and the Kimagure clan, she isn’t safe. Abby and Elektra train a bit and Elektra sees a bit of herself in Abby. She then calls a single battle between her and Kirigi, going back to her family’s house to finish their conflict once and for all. The fight goes badly for Elektra until Abby comes in. The two escape and after being chased by Tattoo’s snakes, Elektra manages to kill him as he’s in the trance summoning them. Abby is caught off guard by Typhoid who poisons her, while Elektra finally gains the edge against Kirigi and slays him, quickly killing Typhoid afterwards. She then finds Abby, on the brink of death, but after a sudden enlightenment, she gains a new perspective on things and manages to revive Abby. Abby and her dad leave, while Elektra is inspired to pursue her new perspective on life by Stick, leaving her house as the film ends.

Jennifer Garner does Elektra very well, just as she did in Daredevil. Her personality this time was changed drastically, less sassy and more emotionless, cynical at best (since she died and came back to life and all, I’d bet she’s kind of moody). Her background is extended further as well, but still portraying a ninja assassin in red clothes excellently. Terence Stamp as Stick is good as well even if he is minor in his involvement. His role as a master to Elektra is crucial to really understanding the position Elektra came from and why she has to suffer in order to learn from her mistakes and redeem herself as a person. Kirsten Prout portrays Abby Miller, starting off as a teenager with authority issues and advancing into something of a mini clone of Elektra, though much more outgoing and suffering less than Elektra has in her short 13 years so far. Even losing her mother and being pressured as a prodigy is not nearly as much as Elektra has gone through and she makes you hope that she won’t go through so much in the future. Will Yun Lee is Kirigi, the one villain I found to be compellingly evil and someone that you can see virtue in with his respect for the divisions between the Hand and Kimagure as well as his slow and methodical way of fighting through the film. His ambition to control the Hand is admirable as well, albeit one might think he would’ve been willing to kill Roshi, but his father’s role was minor and actually unresolved as to what his fate was, though perhaps Roshi expected Kirigi to fail since he was not taking his advice to be patient. The other enemy ninjas are interesting as side characters, as is McCabe, all dying relatively uneventfully. Kirigi is not the last to die, Typhoid dying last probably since she said she was originally the Treasure, not revealed beforehand or even indicated. The flatness of these minor characters is a flaw the film suffers from in leaving so many plotlines unresolved or not delved into enough, such as Roshi’s fate and why Typhoid was originally the Treasure and not Kirigi, which would reinforce his desire to take her as his student. Daredevil is only referenced in the Director’s Cut in a single scene, when his background with Elektra might’ve served a useful role in the narrative.

The primary theme is the battle between good and evil (on the various levels: Hand v. Kimagure and Elektra’s internal struggle esp.) and how Elektra demonstrates that even the truly good must sometimes resort to violence to combat the truly evil. Elektra advances as a character, understanding herself and that her true nature is not evil or cold hearted, but feels and suffers and can therefore recover. Her recovery takes place through the film, connecting with Abby and her father and even reconnecting with Stick through his sagely, albeit vague, advice. There is also the relationship between Elektra and Abby in particular, both being pressured in some sense to face a destiny that they don’t want. Elektra was shown to have been trained by her father harshly (though in Daredevil she said it was the various sensei that made her strong, so already the continuity of the films is ruined) and Abby is a natural prodigy, possessing enough potential to be hunted down by the Hand and also pressured into staying with the Kimagure to stay safe, even though she herself doesn’t want this life. Her eventual resurrection by Elektra mirrors Elektra’s shown through flashbacks. Both of these revivals serve as focal points for the characters to pursue a new path and improve themselves. Elektra’s path took much longer, though she worries for Abby as well, but there is also the possibility that since Elektra influenced her, Abby may turn out even better.

The film progresses at a decent pace, but the action is less exciting than I recall. The fights against the two assassins are either nonexistent or Elektra dodging darts. And concerning Kirigi’s thugs, Stone is killed by the tree he knocked down, Kinkou by his own knife, Tattoo by his neck being broken as he sits in a trance, Kirigi by getting stabbed in the gut by Elektra as he rushes at her and Typhoid by a carefully thrown sai. The fight scenes seem to rely too much on the special effects and less on real choreography for hand to hand or even weapon to weapon combat. Kirigi in particular is an example of a failure on both parts, the weapon fighting scenes too short for what they could be and the use of the illusion of the flying tablecloths also ruining what could’ve been a good fight, now more visually confusing than necessary (his super speed effect already a challenge to Elektra). The progression of Elektra’s personality and relationships with Abby and Stick I can view as necessary (along with the general build up to the epic final battle between the representatives of the Hand and Kimagure), but for all the fight scenes promised, the film disappoints heavily. Even Daredevil had more in depth fight scenes than this and that had its own distracting problem with the romantic subplot which had some value regardless. This film would get one of my lowest ratings so far in hindsight after being so enthralled in it as a teen (possibly by the kunoichi appeal of Elektra and just seeing Jennifer Garner in a much more skimpy outfit). The star rating would be a 3 out of 5, due to the imbalance of a fair plot progression with a fantasy/ninja theme of good versus evil on the one hand and short lived or anticlimactic fight scenes and poor advancement of plotlines, such as the Treasure, etc, on the other. The recommendation would be around 50%, since it is some exposure to Elektra, even if they reversed at least one character’s role (Stone was originally a good guy in the comics) underpowered Kirigi as well (he could regenerate and was super strong, near invincible, in the comics) and even raped the continuity established in Elektra (since her father was not only changed to a direct training role, but the actor changed to a younger male, her father in Daredevil a white haired elderly man). I can’t take this movie as much more than pulling Elektra from Daredevil and trying to put her in a sequel film to cash in on her sex appeal and potential draw to female fans of comics, neither of which works especially well. It falls on both accounts: her sex appeal is subtle and not nearly what you’d expect even with her outfit redesigned, and her appeal to females hinges on her clairvoyant powers and also the use of what might be understood as a more female weapon in the sai, not to mention her physical toughness is less than expected. Disappointing on the one hand, but still possessing potential on the other. This could be extended into a television series and I would watch it, especially if you progressively introduced Elektra’s backstory as well as slowly intertwine her story with that of Abby’s as the Treasure, hunted by the Hand. All in all, this was a somewhat depressing but still heartening endeavor. Until next time, Namaste and Aloha.