[Shift]

I really liked this movie.

[Bassman1185]

The Book of Eli is on my favorite movies of all time list, I think. I loved the movie. It was awesome to see a major Hollywood movie that treated the Bible with a level of respect. Even the Carnegie (the villain) realized that it had significance and power. Denzel was amazing as always. I love him as a BAMF. The fight scenes were some of the best I think I've ever seen, and the overall production and cinematography was incredible. I'll probably end up going to see it again.

[Jeffrey]

SPOILERS

Originally Posted by Bassman1185

It was awesome to see a major Hollywood movie that treated the Bible with a level of respect.

I think you missed something important: the last shot featuring the Bible being tucked in between Jewish, Buddhist, and Islamic Scriptures. I think the point was that Eli was preserving just one of many guiding faiths.



Anyway...it was fun, but weak. I love apocalyptic movies, but I wasn't expecting anything as bleak as The Road (haven't seen it; satisfied by the book, especially the unfilmable, achingly beautiful last paragraph) or as rough-and-tumble as Mad Max or as bizarre as Beyond Thunderdome, Waterworld, or A Boy and His Dog, or as incomparably awesome as Six-String Samurai.

However, it was a bit flat. The fight scenes were few and far in between, and a bit bizarre (did the bullets bounce off him? Just miss him?).

We didn't really get to see much of the desolation. The film felt claustrophobic, as if they only had three locations. It didn't seem like things were that bad overall.

People, especially the main characters, were too clean.

Mila Kunis was poorly cast. She tried, but she just didn't fit the character or the tone. Her departure at the end had the audience around me laughing.

I love Gary Oldman, but they gave him a poor character. I didn't feel pity, hate, or empathy for the guy, and a good villain should inspire at least one.

Tom Waits was nice as the Engineer. No matter where I see him, he looks like he stepped out of a Mad Max film anyway. I wish they had given him more screen time. I really enjoyed the bartering scene, as I felt it really hit the core of what post-apocalyptic films are supposed to show: mankind stripped to the basics, either savagery or the building blocks of society.

However, Denzel was quite good. He fit the character, he didn't play the same character we've seen him in before, and he brought heart to a film that sorely needed it.

They didn't drop enough clues, however, to his blindness, making it a "Oh, no. ☺☺☺" moment.

I'd give it two out of four stars, recommending it for rental most def.

[Adri]

What I didn't understand from this movie is how when Denzel and Mila were running away and were in that teepee thing with the fire and going to sleep for the night (Yeah sorry to be such a newb) and he was reading the bible his hands were not over it, he was just staring at it with his eyes. Thats why I didnt think he was blind.
I adore Mila, and think her performance was extremely weak, considering how much talent she has and should of done. Now she makes it look like she can only do one type of acting, which I feel is wrong! gar!

[Bassman1185]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey

SPOILERS



I think you missed something important: the last shot featuring the Bible being tucked in between Jewish, Buddhist, and Islamic Scriptures. I think the point was that Eli was preserving just one of many guiding faiths.



Anyway...it was fun, but weak. I love apocalyptic movies, but I wasn't expecting anything as bleak as The Road (haven't seen it; satisfied by the book, especially the unfilmable, achingly beautiful last paragraph) or as rough-and-tumble as Mad Max or as bizarre as Beyond Thunderdome, Waterworld, or A Boy and His Dog, or as incomparably awesome as Six-String Samurai.

However, it was a bit flat. The fight scenes were few and far in between, and bit bizarre (did the bullets bounce off him? Just miss him?).

We didn't really get to see much of the desolation. The film felt claustrophobic, as if they only had three locations. It didn't seem like things were that bad overall.

People, especially the main characters, were too clean.

Mila Kunis was poorly cast. She tried, but she just didn't fit the character or the tone. Her departure at the end had the audience around me.

I love Gary Oldman, but they gave him a poor character. I didn't feel pity, hate, or empathy for the guy, and a good villain should inspire at least one.

Tom Waits was nice as the Engineer. No matter where I see him, he looks like he stepped out of a Mad Max film anyway. I wish they had given him more screen time. I really enjoyed the bartering scene, as I felt it really hit the core of what post-apocalyptic films are supposed to show: mankind stripped to the basics, either savagery or the building blocks of society.

However, Denzel was quite good. He fit the character, he didn't play the same character we've seen him in before, and he brought heart to a film that sorely needed it.

They didn't drop enough clues, however, to his blindness, making it a "Oh, no. ☺☺☺" moment.

I'd give it two out of four stars, recommending it for rental most def.

I think that the very last couple of shots of the movie did seem to be out of place with the rest of the movie. The books on the shelf, I thought, was silly. I think that the experiences of Eli were enough to show that there was something special about the Bible. I happened to read Psalm 18 in my devotions a few days before I saw The Book Of Eli, and it struck me that the movie actually took a lot of the claims of that psalm quite literally. The idea of God guiding the psalmist's feet and training his hands for battle really carried over in the movie.

I agree that the post-apocalyptic world isn't as out there or as entertaining as some other PA movies, but it seemed very realistic to me. It was a world that I could easily see becoming a reality a lot more easily than a Mad Max, punk-rock scenario. From a Biblical standpoint, it reminded me of the book of Judges, where "There was no king... and every man did what was right in his own eyes." You see how sinful men act when there is little (or nothing) to restrain their depravity besides God's common grace.

I thought that Mila Kunis was decent, but I don't think she'll be up for an Oscar.

Oldman was good, but I wouldn't put his character on the same level as some other villains. He wasn't over the top, which may have been almost necessary for the role to be memorable. Again, though, it seemed like a realistic scenario.

I thought that the big plot twist at the end was foreshadowed enough that when it happens, you are totally surprised, but you think "Ok, well, that make sense because of this scene, or that line." It doesn't really give you enough to guess the twist before it happens, but it gives you enough to make the twist believable.

[Skeeter]

Terrible movie. It had some fun moments (a couple of the action scenes, any scene featuring Tom Waits), but for the most part it felt like a pastiche of other, better movies. My friend who saw it with me pretty much nailed it when he called it a blaxploitation movie without any of the fun. It just took itself way too damn seriously.

[conceived in fire]

I'd have to agree with Jeffrey. The action scenes were too short and/or not very good, the filmmakers never really make you feel anything for the characters, and the twist was.....not very good, imo.

[Skeeter]

The movie tried way too hard to be epic and important, but it ended up being claustrophobic and trivial.

[Jeffrey]

My original post had a typo: Mila Kunis suiting up like Eli and heading out had the audience around me laughing.

[Skeeter]

Oh, absolutely. Mila Kunis is a lot of things, but badass is not one of them. It was very incongruous.

[normajean777]

Originally Posted by Skeeter

The movie tried way too hard to be epic and important, but it ended up being claustrophobic and trivial.

I liked it, but I think the villian seems so small time. This guy is the chief of a town of a hundred or few hundred people. He does not have a huge organization or anything, and he's quite ridiculous with his one track mind of searching for the all powerful book. i liked Denzel (although certainly not on the same level as my friends rave about him, there are plenty of better BAMFs, Marky Mark, Damon, Liam, etc). But Oldman's role just didn't to do it for me.