Review of ‘The Book of Eli’

The Book of Eli could best be described as a post-apocalyptic western. The central character of the movie is Eli, a lone warrior who hunts and forages his way across a desolate and unforgiving landscape. The movie opens with a panoramic view of a ruined backdrop to what is Eli’s lonely existence. During the opening stages of the film Eli is our only evidence of human survival as we follow him as he scavenges for anything of worth, only to find that others have long since picked through the scanty remains of a lost civilisation.

Along his journey Eli stumbles into a town run by Carnegie (Gary Oldman) and it’s at this point that we discover that Carnegie is hell bent on finding the book that Eli carries, as he believes it will give him power. We’re also introduced to Solara (Mila Kunis) who finds that her attraction to the mysterious Eli overpowers her obligations to Carnegie.

And so the hunt begins when Carnegie sends out his marauders to seize the book from Eli. A sequence of violent encounters ensues in which the out matched and out gunned Eli either evades or despatches of Carnegie’s henchmen with brutal efficiency.

As a post-apocalyptic movie fan I’ve got to say this film delivered for me on every score. From the perished scenery to the well orchestrated fight sequences, right through to the character portrayals and plot, it had everything I was looking for.

Ultimately for PA movie fans this is a definite must see movie, it’s got everything you’d expect from a movie of this genre. It’s not perfect and has borrowed quite heavily from other PA movies particularly from the 80s. But that only adds to what is a somewhat recognisable experience that fans of the genre will immediately warm to. However for non PA fans I’m afraid many may not be as satisfied with The Book of Eli. And for some the religious undertones of the story might be a little too much. However saying that even though religion is a key part of the story it’s never really rammed down your throat.

This is a very difficult movie to judge and being a fan of not only PA movies but also Denzel and Gary Oldman, I’m afraid my judgment is biased on this one. I might not sound overly enthusiastic about the movie but believe me quietly I am, I just don’t want to set you up for what could be a disappointment depending on your expectations of the movie.

And so I’d give this one a conservative 7 out of 10 I’d have given a little more had it greater mainstream appeal.