O Livro de Eli

I saw this when it came out in the cinema and quite liked it. Now it has come round on TV I thought it might be worth a second viewing. This film is about the quest of one man to get a book to the place it's supposed to be, to use his words. Now, I'm not a religious man but I can see the value this book might have in a world torn apart by war. It is a post-apocalyptic world, thirty years after it was destroyed. Those that were not killed scratch a living out of what's left, and many have turned to cannibalism. Many were blinded by the flashes in the sky but survived. As stated in the film, after the war people destroyed the bible blaming it for what happened, but Eli has the last remaining copy. Now you know the set-up, here's a brief summary before I give you my thoughts (summary haters please don't touch Eli… not if you want to keep your hands that is… and wait here while I write the next paragraph).

Always moving west, Eli is a loner on the road. Like everyone out there he knows it's a very dangerous place. He kills animals for food and gets clean water where he can. When set upon by hijackers but Eli is a ferocious fighter and thus far has come out on top. One day he wanders into a small town run by Carnegie, a determined man who has been sending out men in search of a particular book, the very one Eli has in his possession. Carnegie has a mother and daughter, Claudia and Solara in his entourage, Claudia was blind from birth, but Solara is sighted. In trying to persuade Eli to stay, as he can see the value of a man who can fight like him, he sends Solara to his room and she discovers the book. Carnegie finds out about the book and sends his henchman, Redridge to get it but Eli has already gone. Eli starts heading west again only to find Solara following him. Redridge wants Solara and makes a deal with Carnegie to get the book in exchange for her. And now the chase is on, will Eli and Solara escape or will they be caught? I think that's enough for now… This film was shot in a similar way to 300 (2006) with a kind of washed out comic book feel to it and, for me, it looked a bit too artificial in places. A lot of the landscapes were CGI which didn't come over too well on TV. Great performances from all of the leading cast, Denzel Washington as Eli, Gary Oldman as Carnegie, Mila Kunis as Solara, Ray Stevenson as Redridge and Jennifer Beals as Claudia. Honourable mentions also go to Frances de la Tour and Michael Gambon as Martha and George, a mad old couple who Eli and Solara find on their travels.

Although it's a fairly straightforward story I found it a very entertaining and compelling film to watch, the 107 minutes went by pretty quickly, which is always a good sign. It did get a bit bogged down in the middle, but redeemed itself with a totally unexpected twist at the end. Don't worry; I'm not going give that away here. Also a haunting soundtrack backs up the visuals to great effect. Over all, although it's not been well received everywhere and although not perfect, it's a good effort… Recommended.

My score: 7.3/10

Upon first viewing the trailer I was immediately giddy to see a new post-apocalyptic film in the vein of The Road Warrior. Being a fan of the genre, one must get used to the repetitive "lone wanderer" theme so prominently used. I figured this film would go through the same formula, but prepared to enjoy myself.

Yes it did use the lone wanderer as a driving plot device, and yes it did bring the arbitrary twist. Yes all the survivors are short on t-shirts, but live in a wealth of leather and goggles. Yes everything in this film looks like and feels like a typical post-apocalyptia. But the substance of the story is far more powerful then I could ever have expected.

Without giving away too much, yes the film is essentially a Christian metaphor. Eli seems to be protected by some mysterious force, guided by "God" to head west. But it's what the meaning behind this admittedly bizarre plot that makes this film so great. It truly is a film about faith and believing in one's self. Using the dreary post-apocalyptic backdrop, the film is able to contrast this powerful message with the harsh landscape. Even amidst such despair, one can rise and accomplish anything. In a world slowly becoming apocalyptic itself, this message is much welcomed.

The other aspects lending to the power of The Book of Eli are its technical aspects. The cinematography is simply beautiful. Moody slo-mo shots abound with wonderfully toned colors. Everything looks dark and dead, the sun beating down endlessly on the dusty dunes. The soundtrack adds immensely to this feeling, using soft ambient chords and blasting action-scene drums when necessary. Overall The Book of Eli is an excellent film itself and an excellent spin on the post-apocalyptic genre.

Oh yeah, and Denzel Washington actually manages to pull off the part of a wizened, old bad ass.

The first thing that strikes you about this film is how horrid and beautiful it looks all at the same time. We are in a post-apocalyptic world of washed out colours, destroyed structures and dying people scrabbling to make sure they are not the next to die; and it is a world that is really well designed and really well filmed by Don Burgess. Everything looks convincing and it doesn't feel like they just shot it out in a desert location, it genuinely feels like a scorched earth. The only slight irritant about the look of the film is that it does feel very much like a great copy of the world of Fallout 3 as created by Bethseda – right down to the design of the "bandits" with their goggles and ragged clothing; this bugged me and those very familiar with this world via gaming may also feel the film is "borrowing" rather than creating.

I talk about the look and style of the film first because to me it is really one of the main reasons to watch this film and indeed for the first 20 minutes or so, it is all we are drifting on – this sense of the cool and the barren without much in the way of who's or why's. Unfortunately when the plot does start to come in, it does so with a terribly corny story and message that wouldn't be out of place in one of those overly-earnest low-budget films made by Christian companies. Indeed this is what this film is – an overly earnest religious film, it just happens to have cost millions and have massive Hollywood stars involved in it. Now, this is the point where you assume that I dislike the film because it is to do with God and the bible, but this wasn't it all at – it didn't help for sure, but this isn't the reason.

The main problem I have is that the film doesn't actually seem interested in making this message work and the plot just seems like a necessary evil to get the character walking in slow-mo around this cool landscape. There isn't much development beyond the basic dialogue about the power of this book and it is nothing but endless corn in the main; I may have respected it more if it had done something with the content, but it doesn't, indeed it seems almost embarrassed by it. The Hughes Brothers for sure aren't particularly interested in that and thus the performances and shots are all about the style, the atmosphere and the look of the film. Accordingly the cast do the same – which is fine because I wonder why they were all queuing up to be in this story. Washington is a great lead because he is all style and presence and he fits the landscape well. Kunis' character makes less sense as she goes on but she is stunning to look at and again fits the style aspect of the film. Oldman's villain is poor and as a result he is only OK.

What all this leaves then is a film that should be watched by fans of Fallout 3 and New Vegas, simply because it is a great film recreation of those worlds, from the colour of the sky down to the costumes it feels and looks like the games. Outside of this though, the casual viewer is left with very little of interest going on behind the style; the story is cloyingly religious and lacking any insight or intelligence – in terms of writing it feels like having two guys at your door trying to sell Jesus to you with platitudes and clichés. It all looks fantastic but unfortunately the script simply doesn't deserve the visuals.

Thirty years after a man-made apocalypse, Eli (Denzel Washington) hikes westward on a quest across the vast American interior--a dark and dusty scape. He encounters a number of people who survive at the expense of others. In a small town, he is captured by a local despot named Carnegie (Gary Oldman) who makes him an offer. Being a loner, Eli prefers to go his own way, but he may not have a choice.

"The Book of Eli" is a stylish film that is reminiscent of "I Am Legend" and other post-apocalyptic stories, though it carves out a niche for itself due to its strong characters and its central theme.

The film presents some religious sub-themes, which might find differing interpretations by different viewers.

I found the ending a little disappointing, but I think others may enjoy the twists in the final scenes. Mila Kunis plays a strong character--a young woman whose life undergoes a transition under the influence of Eli.

In a very short space of time two post-apocalyptic films have been release, the brilliant The Road which is aiming for Oscar glory, and the action packed The Book of Eli which is appealing for the mass audience.

30 years after a massive war which blow a hole in the sky, possibly a nuclear war, Eli (Denzel Washington) is a lone traveller heading to the West Coast of America. He is a skilled martial artist, armed with guns, a long knife and a bow and is carrying the last King James Bible. On the way he has to avoid and kill hijackers and cannibals. On his travel Eli has to stop off in a ramshackle of a town to buy water and recharge his gear. The town itself run on a barter economy. The leader of the town, Carnegie (Gary Oldman), was impressed by Eli's skill and even more impressed when he found out he can read. Carnegie offer's the traveller a place in his gang. But when Carnegie finds out Eli has the Bible he ends up searching for Eli. The Bible would give Carnegie the ideological based to strengthen his position and expand his power base. Eli goes on the run, hoping to go West and is joined by a young girl Solara (Mila Kunis). He teaches Solara about the Bible and religion and why it is important he goes west.

The best thing about the film is the action. It was slick, stylist, well-edited and at times a fine long fixed shots. There are brilliant moments with the way the camera goes through buildings, and follows the action. The Hughes Brothers have good style as action directors, better then say Michael Bay or McG who throw everything at the camera.

The story is not that original, there are elements of likes like Mad Max 2 and 3, The Road and the Man With No Name trilogy. But there are interesting ideas, the use of religion as political ideology, the use of religion as political control and showing both the good and bad sides of faith. Most films only show one side of the other: but this does both and I can praise it for that. I think given a bit of fine tuning then this could have been a really good script.

As mentioned, the Hughes brothers have style as action directors, but they also filmed in a slightly washed out look, giving the film a more given a gritty, earthy feel. It doesn't camp it up like the third Max Mad film did. They pacing was good for the most part and allow you to get to the character as well as seeing the action. However some moments did drag the film and could have been sped up. Others just didn't fit, like the slightly comical scene with an elderly couple played by Frances de la Tour and Michael Gambon. 10 to 15 minutes could have been cut.

Denzel Washington is possibly one of the coolest actors in the world. He was well cast as the protagonist, and since the character is a bit older then usual action hero Washington was the right age for the film. Gary Oldman does his use villainous role he is normally good at, look at his roles in True Romance, Leon, the Fifth Element and Air Force One. He gives his character a young Jack Nicholoson quality, though my brother said he reminded him of Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York. He was good as he normally is. However whilst Mila Kunis is easy on the eye, her performance was weak and wooden. She wasn't believable as a young girl looking for a way out and able to grow as a character. At least she has Family Guy to fall back on. Other smaller roles were also not as convincing as the lead roles.

This was a decent film, but there was room for improvement.