Book Of Eli

[George Bellefontaine]

Eli ( Denzel Washington ) has a very special book in his possession and has been charged with the responsibility of delivering the book to a location in the west. But one man ( Gary Oldman ), who knows what type of book Eli is carrying, wants it badly and will do anything to gain possession of it.

The film is set somewhere in the future and is one of those " apocalypse survival " stories . The blu-ray picture has muted colors in keeping with a world that only sees the sun through a haze. The low end is very good when called on, but you have to have the volume up as dialogue is often hard to hear. I like Denzel and Oldman is always a great villian. There is plenty of action and a pretty good story. If you like these types of films ( and I do ), you won't want to miss this.

:T

[Chris D]

I liked it! Unfortunately, I watched it on a redeye flight and I was EXHAUSTED, so I kept falling asleep during it and missed a lot. I think I'll have to rent it and watch it again in the future.

[Ovation]

So, something of a Mad Max type movie (or Road Warrior--even more desolate)?

[George Bellefontaine]

So, something of a Mad Max type movie (or Road Warrior--even more desolate)?

Yes, but with a much better story. I should also point out that the plot does have a religious overtone, but it isn't preachy and doesn't get in the way of other plot elements.

[impala454]

Sounds good George I was already thinking of blind purchasing this one and I think you've convinced me.

[George Bellefontaine]

I don't think you'll be disappointed, Chuck.

[krips]

I too enjoyed the movie. Solera or w/e her name is (jackie from that 70s show) is smokin' hot too.

[George Bellefontaine]

Solera or w/e her name is (jackie from that 70s show) is smokin' hot too.

She is indeed.

[Ovation]

Just watched this last night. Thought it was okay, but I'm not up for repeat viewings (at least, not enough to buy it).

[George Bellefontaine]

Thought it was okay, but I'm not up for repeat viewings (at least, not enough to buy it).

I'm a huge Denzel fan and sometimes watch his movies mainly because of him. The Book Of Eli is not a story I'd be in a hurry to revisit, but I'm glad I own the movie because there will be a time when I'm in the mood for it.

[Chris D]

I indeed did just watch it again to see what I missed out on by falling asleep the first time. I thought it was decent, and worth a watch. As usual, Denzel does do a great performance. I give it :3: out of :5:

In general, I did like the soundtrack, too. Some great sound that they put in the music, although the same musical refrain was overused way too much.

[Burke Strickland]

"It was an okay dvd rental for me a while back. I wouldn't be interested in watching it again." :>)

[Gump]

Overall I enjoyed this movie. Washington always elevates the quality of every movie he is in and it was enjoyable watching him kick a little apocalyptic butt.

At first I thought this was just your basic good vs evil action flick. But it seems like the meaning of the "Book" to each of the characters made the story more convoluted. If the "Book" fell into the wrong hands how could it be used to control what was left of the human race? If it went to the "good guys" what would it mean to the survival of the human race? Was the "Book" some how partially responsible for the catastrophic world that everyone was currently trying to survive in, as Eli alluded to in one scene.

Honestly, when it was all over, I couldn't be sure if the "Book" was being portrayed in a positive way or negative. It was either pretty complex or I was just tired when I was watching it-------or both. I may watch it again if I can find a coupla spare hours to try and figure it all out....or not.

I could explain this contradiction a little easier if I could describe specific scenes and dialogue, but the "spoiler" rule obviously prohibits that.

Hey, has anybody suggested a special "Spoiler" thread be started that people could discuss freely the specifics of a movie? Obviously a strong warning would have to be at the heading to caution people that haven't seen a movie what they are risking by reading the thread. It could all be one thread and if you were talking about a movie (like Book of Eli) in that movie's thread you could say, "check out the Spoiler thread for some more specific details....I don't know. Just a thought.

Grade: B-

[Chris D]

Gump - you know about the spoiler function, right? Just put [ spoiler ] and [ /spoiler ] tags around it (without the extra space), and it looks like this where you have to intentionally hover your mouse over the black box to reveal the text.

[Gump]

No kidding? I always thought that was the moderators blacking out or redacting "spoiler" posts so that the movie wasn't spoiled for people that had not seen it yet.

My Bad! ops:

It's always nice to learn something new...Thanks Chris!

[impala454]

So as I said over a year ago, I did blind purchase this one, and only just last night finally watched it (yeah I know I'm crazy like that, I probably have six more movies I haven't seen).

I loved the movie. I almost always enjoy Denzel's movies (Crimson Tide is one of my all time favorites) but to me this one was a great mix of story, meaning, and good old fashioned violence. I'm always a big fan of the apocalypse / post apocalyptic movies.

The PQ and sound were great, although George was correct in saying the dialog got a bit quiet sometimes.

Definitely glad I got this one, and as usual, George led me straight to a winner. :T

[mjb]

Mila Kunis is hot, which alone makes the movie worth watching, but it is actually quite engaging, and a very moving story. The idea that with possession of this book (the Bible) comes power is rather interesting. The twist is of course that Eli (Denzel Washington) is blind, guided only by his total faith and trust in the Lord, and we don't find this out until very near the end. All in all, a great movie, well worth watching

[Chris D]

I think we had previously discussed this in the movie forum. Overall, I enjoyed it. The music written in the soundtrack I thought was AWESOME, but incomplete. Some great sound, but then it repeats over and over and over. Good idea for a story, interesting twist(s).

And yes, Chuck, Crimson Tide is also one of my favorites as well.