Is Elektra Worth Watching? Honest Movie Review & Audience Verdict (1989)

📖 The Core Premise

Elektra stands as a 1989 entry that attempts to leave its mark on the Music, Drama landscape. At its heart, the film explores complex themes wrapped in a compelling storyline. As the plot unfolds, we see characters navigating a world where stakes are high. "Recorded at the Vienna State Opera house in 1989, this staging of Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s Elektra is one of the glories of live opera on film, deserving of eternal availability. The DVD picture has great clarity, despite the darkness of Hans Schavernoch’s set design. Other than the cliché of a huge statue head, toppled on its side, the set manages to be suitably representative of a decaying palace as well as an imposing, theatrical space, dominated by the mammoth body of the statue from which the head apparently dropped, draped with the ropes that seem to have enabled the decapitation. Sooner or later most of the characters cling to and twist around those ropes, an apt stage metaphor for the remorseless repercussions from the murder of Agammenon by his unfaithful wife Klytämnestra and her paramour, Aegisthus. Reinhard Heinrich’s costumes capture a distant era while sustaining a creepily modern look — part Goth, part homeless, part Spa-wear."

🎬 Performance & Direction

A movie's success often hinges on its execution. In Elektra, even the presence of Claudio Abbado struggles to save a script that feels disjointed. The direction aims to balance pacing with character development, a hallmark of good Music. While there are moments of brilliance, the pacing occasionally dips.

🤔 Why You Should Watch (or Skip)

Is Elektra worth your time? If you appreciate Music, Drama films that take risks, this is likely a decent one-time watch. However, if you are looking for a flawless masterpiece, you might find some plot points predictable.

🏆 Final Verdict

Ultimately, Elektra misses the mark on several fronts. With a runtime of 109 minutes, it asks for a significant time investment, but for the right audience, it pays off.

Our recommendation: Skip It.