I just got back from the theater after watching The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, and Mila Kunis. Here’s the plot of this post-apocalyptic story from IMDB:
Eli (Denzel Washington) has been on a journey for 30 years, walking west across America after a cataclysmic war that turned the earth into a total wasteland. The world has become a lawless civilization where people must kill or be killed. The barren roads belong to gangs of cutthroats who rob and kill for water, a pair of shoes, a lighter, or just for fun. Eli is a peaceful man who only acts in self defense, and becomes a warrior with unbelievable killing skills when he is challenged. After the war and the “Big Flash”, Eli was guided by a higher power to a hidden book and given the task of protecting the book and taking it to its final destination. Eli guards the book with his life, because he knows that the book is the only hope that humanity has for its future.
So did Eli kick ass? Well, yes. I know a lot of people are going to be harping about the apparent “religious” overtones of this movie. Well, STFU. I don’t happen to be an overly religious person myself, but that shouldn’t stop a person from enjoying watching Eli slice and dice his righteous way through this movie whilst trying to keep his “book” safe. Listen – it’s no surprise what the book is, and from the way the movie posters as well as the name of the movie’s name have a Biblical theme to them it’ll come as no surprise to anyone that the book happens to be a Bible. If this comes as a spoiler to you then you have to be a twit.
I will say, however, that as the inevitable end approaches there are a couple of surprises left for you to uncover. One about Eli himself and one about this particular Bible. You’ll just have to see it to understand what I mean. Throughout the film brother directors Allen and Albert Hughes have managed to slip in some great references to other films. For instance in Carnegie’s (Gary Oldman) town, check the wall for a movie poster: It’s from A Boy and His Dog, the 1975 apocalyptic movie that starred Don Johnson. From a SyFy post about the movie: “There’s another wink to the famous movie in Eli, Albert added: “Also, one of the snipers on the rooftop in the shootout had the exact gun from Boy and His Dog. That’s Don Johnson’s gun.” There’s lots of that stuff in this movie if you sit back and watch for it.
Visually the effects were quite good, and the gore when Eli was schooling someone not to touch his book was there but not overly done or gratuitous. In the end, even though it was a Bible Eli protected, the film makers put a rather important scene in allowed that this book is only one testament of faith among many. Like Eli himself eventually learned I took away from this movie that one should always do more for others than themselves. That and I better get a really sharp big-ass knife/machete/sword and an iPod to help me make it through the apocalypse. And who knew cat fat was good for chapped lips?
I’ve posted the trailer below. If you can’t see it in your email then click The Book of Eli – You Will Believe to see it.
