Movie Review: "The Book of Eli"
Jan. 18th, 2010 11:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jpskewedthroneSo, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pbray and I headed off to see the movie The Book of Eli last Saturday. I went into the movie knowing nearly nothing about it, only what I'd seen in a movie trailer last fall. Basically, I knew it was supposed to be post-apocalyptic about a man carrying a book and that the book was deemed extremely important. The man was protecting the book from outlaws.
If you go into the movie with that in mind and nothing more, then you'll love the movie. However, the trailer also included a bunch of shots of things exploding and fights, etc, which kind of gives the impression that it's an action movie, and that would be wrong. If you go in with the idea it's an action movie, then you'll be disappointed.
I pretty much figured out what the book was before I ever entered the theater.
In any case, with those little warnings stated, I loved the movie. I didn't expect an action thriller, and got an interesting and gritty post apocalyptic movie about hope and belief and life after disaster and how people struggle to survive, both good and bad. The movie is realistic (for the most part) about how one man could stand up to hundreds and make a difference. It also expresses the idea that IDEAS can be as inspiring as anything solid that can be held in the hands, and handles this well. They don't try to explain what caused the apocalypse much (there's one scene where you get some details), but there's also a reason why no one seems to know exactly what happened: the only survivors where those who were underground when it happened. But the apocalypse itself isn't the point of the movie.
And then, there's the two surprises at the end of the movie. Both make you sit back and say, "Wow!" Or that's what I did anyway. You know something's going on, but I never even came close to predicting what it was, and yet it was so simple.
In any case, a good movie. Not a summer blockbuster, because it wasn't meant to be, but an interesting post apocalyptic story about survival and hope.
pbray and I headed off to see the movie The Book of Eli last Saturday. I went into the movie knowing nearly nothing about it, only what I'd seen in a movie trailer last fall. Basically, I knew it was supposed to be post-apocalyptic about a man carrying a book and that the book was deemed extremely important. The man was protecting the book from outlaws.If you go into the movie with that in mind and nothing more, then you'll love the movie. However, the trailer also included a bunch of shots of things exploding and fights, etc, which kind of gives the impression that it's an action movie, and that would be wrong. If you go in with the idea it's an action movie, then you'll be disappointed.
I pretty much figured out what the book was before I ever entered the theater.
In any case, with those little warnings stated, I loved the movie. I didn't expect an action thriller, and got an interesting and gritty post apocalyptic movie about hope and belief and life after disaster and how people struggle to survive, both good and bad. The movie is realistic (for the most part) about how one man could stand up to hundreds and make a difference. It also expresses the idea that IDEAS can be as inspiring as anything solid that can be held in the hands, and handles this well. They don't try to explain what caused the apocalypse much (there's one scene where you get some details), but there's also a reason why no one seems to know exactly what happened: the only survivors where those who were underground when it happened. But the apocalypse itself isn't the point of the movie.
And then, there's the two surprises at the end of the movie. Both make you sit back and say, "Wow!" Or that's what I did anyway. You know something's going on, but I never even came close to predicting what it was, and yet it was so simple.
In any case, a good movie. Not a summer blockbuster, because it wasn't meant to be, but an interesting post apocalyptic story about survival and hope.
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Date: 2010-01-18 04:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-18 05:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-18 05:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-18 06:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-18 06:59 pm (UTC)That isn't makes me a lot more interested in seeing it. Though I do kow what the book is and the stated aspect (that it's the last/only copy of said book) will frankly need a LOT of explaining to make me believe it.
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Date: 2010-01-18 09:46 pm (UTC)The action scenes are good enough to keep your interest without making it the focus of the movie.
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Date: 2010-01-18 10:16 pm (UTC)..its got Denzel, and I am wondering how Gary Oldman gets blown up this time.. because when he is the bad guy, that happens.
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Date: 2010-01-20 05:01 am (UTC)http://theweaselking.livejournal.com/3541568.html