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The Book of Denzel
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Written by Henry Mouat
Grade: B-
The end of the world has been predicted for years; whether you thought the years 2000 or 2001 were conspiring against us, or if you believe we’re all going to have a really bad day on December 21, 2012, it’s common knowledge that we’re just counting breaths until the universe pulls the plug on itself. Even worse, we might pull the plug on ourselves in a hypothetical nuclear war. When any of this transpires, what will be left of the world that was; what will happen to our culture, or society, our humanity…or our faith? While we can’t be sure of any of those things, we can certainly hope that the never-ending barrage of apocalypse movies will finally cease (seeing as reality will have at last robbed them all of their subject matter). The Book of Eli is the latest of these post-apocalyptic thrill rides, and it tries to distinguish itself from the herd by focusing on faith and religion after the end of the world as we know it. Unfortunately, it takes the Good Book and makes a mediocre film.
With old classics such as Mad Max, and new films such as The Road and Terminator: Salvation, most audiences are relatively familiar with post-apocalyptic settings. Despite how much The Book of Eli wants to distinguish itself from these others, it is still far too recognizable in terms of the genre. The people still alive are cracked and scraggly, and if they travel, they do so in motorcycle gangs (honestly, why do all these movies have motorcycle gangs?) that scavenge the roads and prey on wanderers like Eli. And while there are only so many ways you can make a barren wasteland, The Book of Eli has the exact same dry, colorless film grain as countless other films. If Eli were suddenly attacked by a Terminator (or Christian Bale, come to think of it) it really would not come as any surprise, because at a glance both films are identical.
The story, unfortunately, is also too familiar. The lone hero travels on a quest to reach the light at the end of the tunnel, and the villains want to stop him at any cost. Eli might be packing a Bible rather than a sacred gold idol, but the bad guys generally pursue the object all the same. It’s still exciting to watch and the story still works, but it’s been done many, many times. The film at least manages to create a somewhat western feel to the story, which makes the film feel fresher than it really is. However, don’t expect any surprises until the end, when the film’s undertones become overtones and most of the movie’s flimsy believability is snapped in two.
So why is this movie worth anything at all? Mostly because of Denzel Washington as the determined Eli, and Gary Oldman as the nefarious Carnegie, the leader of the town Eli passes through in the height of the film. Denzel Washington is, well, come on— Denzel Washington—and he’s both thoughtful and inflective as well as dangerous. He can switch between ‘pure-of-heart hero’ mode and ‘indestructible badass’ mode easier than anyone around. It was an extremely good decision to cast such a versatile actor, because it still seems odd whenever Eli, whose sole reason to live is to protect his Bible and use it to save civilization, viciously hacks everyone around him into tiny bits with his machete (“Thou shalt not kill…unless thou can do thy killing with as much stylized violence as thy can handle in a short time”). Gary Oldman is, as usual, a chameleon—whether you know him as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter films, or as Lt. Jim Gordon in the Dark Knight, you won’t find a trace of either character in him now. He’s so adaptable to any role he’s given that it is a sure shot that he will make the most out of his part, which, of course, he does. Both he and Denzel Washington really make The Book of Eli a movie of higher quality than it should be, and they must be applauded for it.
Somewhat out of place in the dreary, desolate landscape setting is Mila Kunis, a girl who joins Eli in an attempt to escape Carnegie and find a better world. Despite the world having ended, she still finds ways to keep her hair silky and stylish, a feat never satisfactorily explained. It takes a bit of the edge off of the film to find her being cute and alluring after Eli slashes apart hordes of dirty motorcyclists. As far as acting goes, she’s neither good nor bad; character-wise, she feels out of place. But her interactions with Eli allow us to see the better side of our hero, and for that reason she is certainly necessary.
The film has plenty of violence and a fun adventure in tow, as well as a deep message about the power of faith. However, the only message you really need to get from this film is this: even when civilization is dying, society is crumbling, and humanity itself is on the brink of destruction, there will always be Denzel.
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February 4th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
Yeah, that’s pretty much how I felt. Although I didn’t think that in general the filmmakers did a very good job making Eli look the part (if you know what I mean).
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