movie review: The Book Of Eli
I had mixed expectations when I went to see the movie "The Book Of Eli". I had heard good things about it, but also that the violence was pretty strong. When I first saw the preview months before, it didn't interest me at all. It looked like a bleak, violent, post-apocalyptic tale following a single man who had to shoot and hack anyone in the way of his survival. Then I read a review for the movie which informed me of more of the actual plot. After that I was interested.
I did not leave the theater disappointed. I found the film to be deeply thought-provoking; one I'll probably be still processing for days, and which I couldn't wait to talk to about with someone else who had seen it. The violence is very strong and in some cases quite graphic. Denzel Washington's character, who plays title role and hero Eli, doesn't hesitate from slashing, hacking, shooting, smashing, and generally getting rid of anyone who gets in the way of his mission. It's a mission that is not revealed until part-way through the film. As a whole, the story unravels carefully, keeping the audience engrossed and surprised, never more so than near the end.
Eli's weapons of choice seem to be a very intimidating machete and a bow and arrows, both of which he uses with deadly accuracy, although he is also quite well versed in the use of firearms and physical defense as well. During every fight scene I found myself thinking: "Whatever were to happen, I'd want to be on that guy's side. Every. Single. Time."
Eli's mission is to protect something. A book; a Bible to be exact. He knows he must protect it at all costs, and the all costs comes in the form of a man intent on getting the Bible for himself. Eli must defend the book and himself against the man, his lies, and his brutal band of henchman. The fact that they are all fighting for survival in a wasteland that used to be America, where water is more and more scarce - the "good stuff" as one man dubs it - gives a feeling of hopelessness and desolation to the whole film, and adds to the urgency of Eli's mysterious mission.
It's hard to say much more without giving key elements of plot away. If I were to sum the film up in a few words, I'd use adjectives such as engaging, thought-provoking, violent, and moral. The heart of the film - the heart of Eli, his faith, and what he knows he must accomplish no matter what - is the driving force behind a film that was probably dressed in more violence than necessary in order to draw a wider main-stream crowd. If that is the case (or even if Denzel simply likes to be in movies where he gets to knock down a LOT of opponents) I hope it works. In my opinion, it is a movie worth seeing, because it is a message worth seriously contemplating.
I did not leave the theater disappointed. I found the film to be deeply thought-provoking; one I'll probably be still processing for days, and which I couldn't wait to talk to about with someone else who had seen it. The violence is very strong and in some cases quite graphic. Denzel Washington's character, who plays title role and hero Eli, doesn't hesitate from slashing, hacking, shooting, smashing, and generally getting rid of anyone who gets in the way of his mission. It's a mission that is not revealed until part-way through the film. As a whole, the story unravels carefully, keeping the audience engrossed and surprised, never more so than near the end.
Eli's weapons of choice seem to be a very intimidating machete and a bow and arrows, both of which he uses with deadly accuracy, although he is also quite well versed in the use of firearms and physical defense as well. During every fight scene I found myself thinking: "Whatever were to happen, I'd want to be on that guy's side. Every. Single. Time."
Eli's mission is to protect something. A book; a Bible to be exact. He knows he must protect it at all costs, and the all costs comes in the form of a man intent on getting the Bible for himself. Eli must defend the book and himself against the man, his lies, and his brutal band of henchman. The fact that they are all fighting for survival in a wasteland that used to be America, where water is more and more scarce - the "good stuff" as one man dubs it - gives a feeling of hopelessness and desolation to the whole film, and adds to the urgency of Eli's mysterious mission.
It's hard to say much more without giving key elements of plot away. If I were to sum the film up in a few words, I'd use adjectives such as engaging, thought-provoking, violent, and moral. The heart of the film - the heart of Eli, his faith, and what he knows he must accomplish no matter what - is the driving force behind a film that was probably dressed in more violence than necessary in order to draw a wider main-stream crowd. If that is the case (or even if Denzel simply likes to be in movies where he gets to knock down a LOT of opponents) I hope it works. In my opinion, it is a movie worth seeing, because it is a message worth seriously contemplating.
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