Book of Eli Movie Review

Posted on 14 February, 2010 under Blogging with Post a Comment

In addition to the Avatar in 3D, I also went and saw the Book of Eli. The movie is based after a major war that destroyed the protective layers of the earth’s ozone thus giving the sun’s UV rays full access to the earth’s surface. The earth seem to be a barren waste land, with water being one of the most precious commodity you can have. Money has no use so the survivors on earth have to improvise, hunt for food or trade. The movie begins with Eli hunting a cat which he later prepared rotisserie style. This movie I didn’t see alone and before I get into the storyline of the movie, I have to comment of the theater where I went to see the movie, its called Cobbs located at 11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave, Palm Beach Gardens.

Cobbs Theater
It is a state of the art theater, I must admit and all of what is said on their website are very true, see quote below..

The best Moviegoing Experience in Palm Beach Gardens. All Digital Sound, Stadium Seating, Extensive Food Menu, Internet Ticketing and Kiosk Ticketing in the Lobby.

The problem i had was the temperature of the theater, It was so cold even my date who had a jacket on was complaining, I had to lend my arms

The Storyline
Thirty years after an apocalyptic event, Eli (who is played by Denzel Washington) has been traveling on foot toward the west coast of the United States ever since the apocalyptic event happened thirty years ago. Along the way he demonstrates uncanny survival and fighting skills, hunting wildlife and swiftly defeating a group of highway bandits who tried to ambush him. Searching for a source of water he arrives in a ramshackle town which was built by and is overseen by Carnegie (Gary Oldman). Carnegie dreams of building more towns and hinges these hopes on finding a certain book. His henchmen scour the desolate landscape daily in search of it.

After shooing a cat in Carnegie’s bar, Eli is set upon by a gang of bikers and kills them all. Realizing that Eli is a literate man like himself, Carnegie asks Eli to stay, though it is made clear that the offer is non-negotiable. After Carnegie’s blind wife Claudia (Jennifer Beals) gives Eli some food Carnegie asks Claudia’s daughter Solara (Mila Kunis) to seduce Eli. Eli turns her down, but before they eat he says a prayer. The following day Solara prays with her mother, and Carnegie realizes that Eli has a copy of the Bible, the book he has been looking for, as all copies were destroyed after the apocalypse. Eli sneaks out of his room and goes to the store across the street where he asked the Engineer (Tom Waits) to recharge his portable battery. Carnegie attempts to stop Eli, having all his henchmen fire at him, but Eli avoids the gunfire and shoots most of Carnegie’s henchmen, even grazing Carnegie’s leg. After Eli leaves, Solara follows and tracks him down, hoping she can accompany him on his travels and escape the town. Eli agrees on the condition that she take him to the town’s water supply. After fulfilling her end of the bargain, Eli traps her there and continues on alone. Solara escapes and soon finds herself set upon by two men. As Solara grapples with the men, Eli suddenly appears and dispatches them with arrows. Eli and Solara continue on until they arrive at a strange house. They stop to investigate and quickly fall into a trap door. The residents Martha (Frances de la Tour) and George (Michael Gambon) appear and invite them in for tea. Eli surmises that they trap, kill, and then eat invaders, but before Eli and Solara can leave they are found by Carnegie.

Eli, Solara, Martha, and George hole up inside the house, and George reveals a hidden stockpile of powerful weaponry. A shoot-out ensues, leading to the death of some of Carnegie’s men as well as George and Martha. Eli and Solara are captured. Carnegie threatens to kill Solara, which prompts Eli to hand over the Bible. Carnegie shoots him in the stomach and leaves. While in transit, Solara escapes and drives back to help Eli. Carnegie returns to the town as he has the Bible and is low on fuel. Solara picks Eli up and they continue west until they reach the Golden Gate Bridge, then they row to Alcatraz where they find a group of survivors dedicated to preserving pre-war knowledge.

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