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ELEKTRA Talk about a house of flying daggers: The multiplex is filled with them once Marvel's blade-wielding superheroine springs into action in this spin-off of 2003's Daredevil (in which she appeared in a supporting role as the sightless superhero's romantic interest). But while this lady in red often kicks it into high gear, the movie itself rarely moves beyond a stroll. It's a blown opportunity, because Jennifer Garner has proven (through 13 Going On 30 and TV's Alias) that she's an ace at layering her physical prowess with emotional resonance. Yet here she's basically required to walk around sporting a scowl, and all attempts to explain what led to this dour disposition result in poorly conceived flashback sequences that further deaden an already lifeless film. Apparently taking place after the events of Daredevil, the film finds the assassin-for-hire balking when her latest assignment requires her to kill a single dad (Goran Visnjic) and his precocious teenage daughter (Kirsten Prout, whose annoying performance does the film no favors). Elektra elects to protect them instead, which in turn pits her against the members of an evil organization known as The Hand. Inexplicably, no one ever deadpans, "Talk to The Hand," but then again, a sense of humor is noticeably missing throughout. There are several intriguing villains (Typhoid, Kinkou, Tattoo) tossed into the mix, but they aren't defeated by Elektra as much as by the efforts of director Rob Bowman (the underrated Reign of Fire) and his three scripters. 1/2

Current Releases
THE AVIATOR This sprawling biopic about Howard Hughes (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), the notorious billionaire-industrialist-producer-flyboy, employs all the cinematic razzle-dazzle we've come to expect from Martin Scorsese, yet there's an added layer of excitement as the eternal cineast finally gets to step back in time via his meticulous recreations of the sights and sounds of Old Hollywood (look for Cate Blanchett in a show-stealing turn as Katharine Hepburn). Still, the behind-the-scenes movie material takes a back seat to other aspects of Hughes' life - namely, his adventures in the field of aviation and his lifelong battle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. At its best, the film is a stirring tale about a man whose inner drive allowed him to climb ever higher and higher, grazing the heavens before his inner demons seized the controls and forced the inevitable, dreary descent. 1/2

BEYOND THE SEA Kevin Spacey serves as actor, co-writer, director and producer - and probably caterer, key grip and best boy, if we search the closing credits hard enough - on this misguided vanity project that's so in love with its creator (as opposed to its subject, singer Bobby Darin), it makes Yentl look like a model of modesty and restraint. Spacey is 45 years old, yet here he's playing Darin from his late teens(!) up until his death at the age of 37; the effect is at once creepy, comical and impossible to digest. The film-within-a-film framing device, meant to deflect criticism of the distortions ("He was born to play the role!" someone says of Darin, though the line is really about Spacey), is as clumsy as the flat-footed musical numbers. Skip the movie and use the admission price to purchase a Darin CD instead. 1/2

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS Zhang Yimou recently stated that it's always been his dream to direct martial arts films. Having now helmed Hero and House of Flying Daggers, let's hope he's gotten it out of his system. Yimou directed the best foreign-language film of the 1990s - Raise the Red Lantern - and was also responsible for other titles that explored Chinese history in all its facets. This overrated new film pales by comparison, exuding a been-there-done-that vibe on the heels of (among others) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero. But if nothing else, Daggers is gorgeous to behold, and that alone almost carries the picture over the hump: Its rainbow visions are probably vibrant enough to even register with the color-blind. Daggers is appealing eye candy, but here's hoping that Yimou goes back to making movies that can rattle a nation down to its core. 1/2

IN GOOD COMPANY In Good Company works as well as it does because its central character, Dan Foreman, is a paragon of uncompromised ideals, and because Dennis Quaid plays him so perfectly that we can't help but line up behind this guy and cheer him on. Dan symbolizes not the larger-than-life morality found in superhero or gladiator yarns nor the bogus morality exhibited in pieces of hypocrisy like Christmas With the Kranks; instead, it's the everyday type to which we can all aspire, as decent people trying to make the right choices concerning family and career. The storyline, which finds ad executive Dan forced to report to a corporate golden boy (Topher Grace) half his age, rarely strays far from convention, but it's hard to dislike a picture that goes out of its way to champion integrity in America.