When reviewing Denzel Washington's new flick, "The Book of Eli", I have to look at the movie part of it and the repercussions of basing a movie on a man's quest to protect the Bible.
First, the movie.
There is a checklist when you make a post-apocalyptic movie.
- The Earth put in shambles by war, natural disaster, killing the environment, or virus. "Eli" has the Earth destroyed by war. Check.
- Sullen anti-hero. Denzel's Eli. Check.
- Bad guy with a scummy army. Gary Oldman's Carnegie. Check.
- Cute chick. Mila Kunis' Solara. Check.
- Rampant violence and raping of women. Check.
- Scenes of a gloomy planet. Check.
- Buildings in rubble. Check.
- No explainable reason for there being bullets and gasoline decades after the collapse of society. Check.
- Crazy people. Check.
There is a lot of the same-old, same-old when it comes to "Eli." The key to a movie like this is to forget it has been done a million times before. You just sit back and enjoy the ride.
If it is possible, "Eli" is more glum than your average "ravaged Earth" movie, but it has a pace and mood that allows for a good flow. As usual, Washington is great in his role. I've seen most every Washington movie and I can't think of a time when he disappointed me. And "Eli" is no exception.
As the movie moves along, we don't know what Eli is doing other than carrying what is called, "the Book." It's quite obvious it is the Bible and he says he is "going west" with it. Through Washington's performance, we know Eli is on a mission he believes is the most important thing in the world.
Along the way, Eli gets mixed up with the usual scumbags and good people they oppress. The bad guys want the Book Eli is carrying and the fun ensues.
I'd give "Eli" a solid B because it entertained me. Oldman wasn't too scary as the leader of the bad guys but he was good. After seeing Kunis play air-head Jackie on "That 70s Show", I never thought she would be a good actor but she played her role very well.
Even though you have seen the story before, "The Book of Eli" is worth the price of admission.
The fear of Christianity
You can make a movie about worshipping Mother Earth ("Avatar") and no one bats an eye. Make a movie praising Islam and everything's cool. Jewish themes are fine as well. However, make a movie where the lead role loves God and the Bible, and there is bound to be a lot of complaints, attacks, and lousy reviews just because of the Christian themes.
And yes, even though Eli quotes mostly Old Testament Scripture, he is carrying a King James Bible, which includes the New Testament so we can assume he's read the entire thing.
I just a simple search for the movie on Google and found plenty of people already whining about the use of the Bible and how it better not be a movie that pushes Christianity on people. I expected as much.
In the end, "The Book of Eli" is about faith. Eli is a man of extreme faith and that faith is rewarded by God. It's a theme I enjoy in a movie.
