DVD Review: The Book of Eli

Rated R for language and violence

Starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis

A little over 30 years ago, a war that many say was fought over the teachings of a particular book occurred and in the midst of the battle, the sky opened up and rained down fire. An older man named Eli walks the desert wasteland of what is left, headed West with a precious book in tow. It's become survival of the fittest, as a woman with her cart of items stuck in the sand asks those that pass by to help her, only for them to get ambushed by a hungry gang of looters when they actually stop to help her.

When Eli stops into a local town to get his portable battery charged up and refill his canteen with water, he runs into Carnegie's gang of bikers, slaughtering them in the process as they attack the outsider, drawing attention to himself. Carnegie realizes Eli is no average man - being older like himself, he too is literate. Carnegie wants a specific book that can no longer be found, but since most of the older generation has died off and the younger doesn't know how to read, this makes finding it that much more difficult. He invites Eli in for the night, hoping to persuade him into staying and helping him out. He soon learns though, that Eli has one of the last remaining copies of the book that he has been searching for.

Realizing that Carnegie wants to twist the book's words and use it for his own selfish needs rather than share the word of the Gospel with everyone, Eli tells him he cannot have it. Carnegie sends his gang to kill Eli, however Eli takes them all out, unscathed by their bullets, and continues on his way.

Following him, is Solara, the daughter of Carnegie's forced lover, in which he treats her and her mother as servants in his home. She met Eli the night before when Carnegie made her offer herself to Eli in an attempt to persuade him to stay and work for him - instead, after learning that Carnegie would hurt her mother if she returned before dawn, he allowed her to stay the night, sharing his dinner with her instead. Solara's mother felt that she would be safer with Eli out on the road, than stuck as a servant in Carnegie's town where he forced her to do things by threatening to hurt her mother.

Eli is not fond of his new companion at first, insisting she go back home and leave him to himself, but eventually the two form a friendship as Eli continues his journey out West with Solara tagging along and the book in tow. He tells us that soon after the sky opened and it was safe to go outside again, he heard a voice that led him to where the book was and told him to take it out West where it was needed, assuring him he would have protection so long as he had the book.

Carnegie and his men are hot on their tail though, as Carnegie is willing to go to any means necessary to get the book and agreed that his right hand man could have Solara for helping him obtain it.

Will Eli and Solara be able to make it out West with the book or will Carnegie get his hands on it after all?

This film is very religious in the sense that it takes places after many of the events fortold in the Bibilical book of Revelation have occurred and that the book Eli is carrying is indeed the last known Bible in existence as many were burned and destroyed as it was thought to be the cause of the war. He reads from it every night for 30 years straight and learns from it. He is directly on a mission from God to get the book out West where it will be put to good use. It's been said that this is the first mainstream secular film to portray religion and Christianity well since the Passion of the Christ. With that said, it is also an apocalyptic movie too, as people are now desperate for food and water, bartering items for goods (things Eli tells Solara that they took for granted, had too much of and even threw away in the previous world) and are willing to do just about anything to survive a little longer, as only the strong survive.

It's a very telling and inspirational movie, although a bit violent at times. Definitely worth checking out though!