Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
2/4
"The Book Of Eli" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 05/22/2012
A lone traveller through the post-apocalyptic wastelands of the United States is pursued by the ruler of a ramshackle society who believes a book he carries is the key to expanding his empire. The Book Of Eli is basically a western done in the style of The Road. It contains the usual mix of desolate wastelands populated by Mad Max wannabes shot through high contrast filters, punctuated with occasional bursts of violence to keep the multiplex audiences in their seats in good time for the Hughes brothers to deliver their aimless sermon about the meaning of the word of God. Or something. Eli's book is a slightly clunky metaphor for organised religion and the idea of a malevolent ruler intending to use it to control the population for his own nefarious purposes is actually quite an …
Rating of
2.5/4
The Book of Eli (2010)
MovieAddict - wrote on 01/26/2012
In this post apocalyptic film, the world has become a lawless civilization where people must kill or be killed. The barren roads belong to gangs of cutthroats who rob and slay for water, a pair of shoes, a lighter, or just for fun. Washington plays a lone warrior named Eli, who travels with a backpack, a big knife, and a really good gun. Eli is charged with delivering his copy of a book, the very last remaining King James Version of the Bible, to a safe location on the West Coast of the United States. He stumbles into a lawless ghost town run by the villainous Carnegie (Gary Oldman) who is looking for a certain book. Yes fans, the very Book that Eli carries! Not because he's of a religious bent and wants to illuminate the minds of his minions with the glory of the Lord. He wants it …
Rating of
2.5/4
Not One Of Denzel's Best
MovieMike - wrote on 12/22/2011
‘The Book Of Eli’ (TBOE) is yet another entry into the post-apocalyptic genre that is closer to 2009’s ‘The Road’, than say ‘I Am Legend’, or ‘Terminator Salvation’. TBOE doesn’t utilize CGI to paint armies of super-human zombies, or highly functional killer robots – the real bad guys are simply the pathetic desperate survivors of some world cataclysm. The film is about as sparse and muted as the landscape that is the backdrop for this somber tale. Most scenes are totally devoid of any color. There are several action scenes, but they are far and few between and play out much like some of the choreographed stuff we’re used to seeing in films like ‘The Transporter’. While the spare scenery and lack of jazzy effects make TBOE seem like a more realistic type …
Rating of
3.5/4
The search for the most important book.
mdtinney - wrote on 05/22/2010
Too often in today's action films, we as viewers are forced to witness a barrage of unnecessary excess. It almost seems as if some directors feel it is their duty to constantly bombard us with more, more, more—more blood, more action, more CGI, more machine gun-like imagery, etc. Add in the loud metal music and strobe-light effects and we might as well be at the club. This need for more has become such a focal point that many creators in this genre are forgetting the principle duty of film-making—to tell a story. This is what sets The Book of Eli apart. Although its post apocalyptic premise could have easily warranted much of the same nonsense that we have sadly become used to, this movie instead chooses to avoid all the fluff and focus on the more philosophical elements of the …
Rating of
3.5/4
A Great Surprise
Alex - wrote on 01/17/2010
I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. It is a pretty awesome movie...especially if you like films with religious undertones.
The Book of Eli is kind of simple. It has a mixture of some of my favorite movies: Waterworld, Frailty, The Road and numerous other post apocalyptic movies. It is not cheese free, but it is actually pretty well done most of the movie.
There is one scene in particular, when Denzel and Mila enter into a home that is protected by an elderly couple. It is a truly well done scene. In other words, the cinematography is done really well. It might not be as good as "The Road" in terms of cinematography. But in terms of entertainment value, this one blows it away (though the potential in The Road was much higher).
Denzel pulls of a stunning job as a God …
Rating of
2.5/4
Eli Giveth and Eli Taketh Away
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/16/2010
I ask do you believe in a vengeful God or a peaceful God? Because Eli seems to subscribe to the latter, but isn't afraid to pull out a lot of wrath along the way. This post-apocalyptic mash-up mixes us some old-fashioned Mad Max, a bit of Sergio Leone and some righteous fury and you have the book of Eli.
The greatest strength of Eli is not the washed-out wasteland - if you've seen on post-apocalyptic America, you've seen them all, but rather in the characters. Denzel Washington plays Eli with a stoic graces. A loner who just wants to complete his task at hand, it's not his fault he keeps getting waylaid and caught up in power struggles. Good thing he's hands with a gun and a really sharp, large knife.
Then you have the always fun Gary Oldman. In full villain mode, he has a right …
