Name: Retro Film Review: Electra (1996)
Item: Electra
Rating: 50
Author: @drax

(source: tmdb.org)

Hollywood filmmakers are often accused for pandering to the lowest common denominator - people who are either too dumb or not educated enough to understand and appreciate finer films. But the lack of education, especially classical, also seems to be the problem among film makers themselves. Only those completely unfamiliar with Greek myths could have used the title Electra for the 1996 science fiction thriller directed by Julian Grant.

The plot of the film deals with serum that is able to restore youth, bring health and turn normal human being into demi-god. Paralysed billionaire Marcus Roach (played by Sten Eirik) desperately wants to get his hands on serum and doesn't choose his methods in achieving that aim. Duncan family soon becomes target for Roach and his henchmen. Young Billy (played by Joe Tab) is a son of the biochemist who had invented the serum and found the way to hide it in young man's body. The only way to transmit serum from one human to another is through sexual intercourse. Because of that, Roach would get one important but completely unexpected ally.

In view of one of its most important plot elements, the more suitable title for this film should have been Oedipus. But screenwriters Lou Aguillar and Damien Lee shouldn't receive too much blame for this gaffe, because bad choice of title is actually the worst flaw of this little exploitation film. This flaw is not even the unforgiving one, because people who care about those things would probably make the mistake even bigger than film makers' - take this film seriously. Those who don't take this film seriously are going to enjoy this little guilty pleasure that takes all necessary ingredients of good B-movie - action, erotica and humour – and combine them in the way to make the whole incredibly funny. Whether the film makers really wanted the audience to laugh on absurd dialogue, cheap special effects, ridiculous leather outfits (that cover Shannon Tweed's body in the scenes where most male audience would have preferred no clothing at all) and campy violence is anyone's guess, but, regardless of intentions, badness of film in the end takes the quality of its own. So, at the end, Electra provides entertainment even for those viewers who enjoyed the benefits of classical education.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on December 10th 2002)