Elektra

Color me surprised. I was ready for Jennifer Garner's Elektra to be a fleshy heroine, full of pout and working her feminine wiles a la Sydney Bristow under cover. Such was not the case. Despite the Dick Flick-esque scantily clad clothing during fighting scenes--and really, all we saw were a little bit of cleavage and some belly: exceedingly tame for the likes of a comic book based production--she was sensibly dressed, an appropriately cagey and troubled serial killer. And all the things American directors have learned from Asian cinema were present: Wire work, of course, the requisite band of evil ninjas (The Hand), an arch enemy (SPOILER) who killed her mother. Let's not forget all of the kicking and martial arts and all the cool settings for a fight. My favorite was the large, balconied room in which the arch enemy sets aloft and billowing all the white furniture covers.

So, where are the subtle and not-so-subtle stereotypes? Of course, the evil band had to be Asian--cunning and supernatural. The savior/father figure in the film? An old white guy. He's blind, which begs the question: To what is he blind? Human suffering? The needs of others? Perhaps he is blind to personality, availing his senses only of a person's essence? He is the ultimate sensei, teaches Elektra and (SPOILER) the 13-year-old girl whom Elektra would save. But he also forces Elektra out of his school so she can find out for herself how to use her power for good, to claim power in a way that will not compromise but rather feed her own heart. Why must a man be the catalyst for this? Why could not it be a woman? To heal the punishing way her father treated her in her youth? "Push, push, push!" Dad shouts at her in the pool when she's a young girl.

But I still don't understand why female warriors always have to dress in such sexy gear. I realize that this is a comic book tradition, but what does it do for the story? I am not, I'm afraid, very well schooled in that medium. Therefore, I don't understand drawing women with figures that resemble Barbie Dolls (a toy quite rigorously marketed to young girls). Perhaps the creators of such comic books, usually men? would have their young male audience believe that this is how a brave woman dresses when she is being brave. That is one sick joke to play on a culture.

Now, we did have a Vixen character (Typhoid?) who swept in in long, dark hair, black sways of a long, open silk robe, hotpants, plunging neckline, knee boots, a sickly green manicure and a snarl. Her skill? Stuff dies when she touches it and if she blows on you or kisses you (why the women warriors gotta kiss? You sure as hell aren't gonna see that when the opponents are men), you could die or at least get really sick and your face gets all veiny. She is evil, therefore she must dress in such garb. Right? Right? I mean, it simply wouldn't do for her to have the green manicure, long, dark hair and wear--I don't know--some pants? Hell, at least turn the hot pants into a long billowy skirt. We don't see her use her legs to fight, so it's not like fish net legs are part of her strategy.

One of the things I love about Jennifer Garner is that she is a curvey woman. She's got a butt and powerful ab muscles, maybe a bit of swayed back that keeps her stomach from being concave. She is not an Angelina Jolie stick figure with outsized breats. This is very refreshing. So, on her a little bit of cling goes a long way. I'm glad the film makers and costumers recognized that. All I'm saying is, it could have been much worse (see Halle Berry in Catwoman).

As for her role, I was very heartened to see that her awkwardness and vulnerability were not belied by a skimpy wardrobe. Frankly, she dressed as I would--sensibly in form fitting jeans and a nice t-shirt (though she can buy much nicer t-shirts than me on my blogger's salary). It became very clear very early on why she felt compelled to fight and kill. First, as she says to her protege, it's what she's good at. And second, it's what fate seemed to hand her. But what was so lovely and human about her character is that she redeemed herself and her life in a wonderful way. She set right what she could in the present, instead of continuing to live in the anger of the past. This is a very human struggle, and not one designated for only a man or a woman.

So, this is where the gender neutrality comes. And at just the right moment. She finds the power in herself to heal, and can therefore heal another, who need not follow in her violent footsteps.