The Book of Eli – Mad Max meets The Bible
The Book of Eli – Mad Max meets The Bible
Rated: R Time: 1:59
Stars: Denzel Washington, Jennifer Beals, Mila Kunis, Gary Oldman, Ray Stevenson and others
Final Grade: C-
In Eli, we have yet another of what seems to be a growing Hollywood trend of wanting to bring us some form of apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic story. So far not many of them are believable and Eli is no exception.
Eli(Washington) is on a mission to carry a book across the continental United States to some unknown point in the west. This is a holy quest for him. For some reason that we’re not told, 30 years prior the earth suffered some form of major mass destruction war leaving charred remains of buildings, cities, cars and people strewn around like confetti during a tickertape parade. Further, most of the books, especially the one he’s carrying, have been all burned.
Unruly cannibalistic gangs rule the roads, killing, maiming and raping whom they will. Food and water are the basics of survival. Law is dealt in this wasteland by he who is best armed.
Frankly, if you ever watched any of the Mad Max series with Mel Gibson, you’ll know exactly the condition the world is in and the types of vehicles that people drive and just how stupid this movie really is. Frankly, I can’t feature how in 30 years time mankind is still living in the dustbowl wastelands of this movie and hasn’t started to do some form of cleanup and rebuilding. Clearly, that’s not been a priority.
In all this mass destruction and confusion is a lone villain named Carnegie(Oldman) who is looking for one book. The Book. The book that Eli is taking west.
Carnegie believes that with the book that Eli is carrying, he can build and run a whole society beholding to him and his messages. He believes that the book has ultimate power to the extent that he has his gangs of illiterate thugs roaming the countryside killing travelers for any belongings that they have, especially books.
Into his town happens the traveling Eli. Realizing that here is a person of considerable intelligence and fighting talents, Carnegie attempts to coerce Eli into joining his group, even to the point of offering him rather enticing evening company in the form of Solara(Kunis). Solara’s offers are rejected but in the process she learns of the book he carries and Carnegie’s quest to capture both him and the book accelerates to a higher and more preposterous level. Eli and Solara escape the town and continue the pilgrimage westward, dogged by Carnegie and his thugs in some of the most stupid displays of gun battles since Mad Max.
What Eli believes he has is the last remaining copy of the New King James version of the Bible. He believes he’s been told to carry his book westward to a place where it will be printed again. Carnegie understands the historical power of how theology can rule and run political systems and plans to use it for his own corrupt purposes. Frankly I found it humorous that they chose the King James versus the Latin Vulgate when comparing the historical use of Bibles to control mass amounts of population. Many people believe that The Bible has special divine protection insuring its existence through time and this author also agrees with that concept. But clearly the writers and directors of this film have taken liberties with that concept to the absurd degree.
The plotline of Eli is about as bizarre as it is improbable. It’s hardly even entertaining. If a movie about a guy carrying a book across a wasteland, fighting marauding gangs, meeting beautiful women and a 3rd rate plotline interests you, then by all means, this movie is for you. But don’t be surprised when the credits roll if you don’t ask yourself why the heck you spent good money for this and sat through the whole thing.
I’m Don Rima, and that’s the way I saw it, From Where I Stand.
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