Official Blog For Author Thomas McClurg

I know this one has been out for a week or so, but i just saw it last weekend and thought i’d do a review.

As always i try to take each movie on its own merits. Did the comedy make me laugh? The thriller have my heart pounding? The tragedy make me cry? All movies are different and are trying to accomplish different things. The bar for measuring each genre is different. You can’t compare a movie like “GI Joe” to something like “The Dark Knight”

Anyway, with that out of the way i’ll move on.

i’ve always been a fan of post apocalyptic movies. The idea that civilization has melted down and a handful of people are trying to survive in some desolate wasteland opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities in my mind. Atmosphere plays a large part in sucking me in. What does the end of the world look like this time? Cold? Hot? Barren? Zombified? In the case of the “Book of Eli” it is definitely hot and barren. While they are never explicitly clear what casued the world to end, the result comes through loud and clear. Scorched earth. Everything is cast beneath the harsh glare of sunlight against the bleak reflection of dust, sand, and bleached rock.

You never get the gory details on the fall of mankind, the how in this movie takes a backseat. This might disappoint some, but for me, it allowed my imagination to fill in the blanks, something which it is very capable of doing. This, coupled with the affective and sometimes down right stylish atmospherics, allows you to go along for the ride without knowing exactly what happened. Suffice to say life is bleak.

There are the typical wasteland cliches, evil hijackers gleefully preying on travelers, towns made from junk ruled by apparently sophisticated but nevertheless evil dictators. Many of the fringe concepts could be cut and pasted from other similar movies almost seamlessly, and the casual glance might take this to mean that the movie was just the latest post apocalyptic clone. i believe they would be mistaken.

The movie is about faith, or more importantly, what might happen if all traces of faith were wiped away. if all the things that bring out the best in mankind were eradicated. if we were left to start over with each man knowing nothing of ethics or morality, the roots of Christianity and the phenomenal impact it and the Bible had on the formation of the world, especially the USA. A world without knowledge of God or the gospel. The Good News. Man would be left to do whatever man thought was best for him. The film captures this to some extent. In fact the bulk of the characters in the movie don’t leave you with a hint of sorrow at their deaths. And die they do.

While the trailer might have you thinking this movie is a high octane action movie. It’s really not. Oh there are moments of sweet action. Where Denzel’s Eli dispatches evil doers in stylish and decisive ways, but these moments are brief and don’t come along all that regularly. Quick and bloody would aptly describe the action, though for those worried about excessive gore, don’t be. Heads fly and limbs get severed, but the camera doesn’t linger on the details and moves are all so swift and clean that Denzel might as well be dicing tomatoes.

The bulk of the movie is the in between stuff, and the story is simple. Denzel is trying to take the last copy of the Bible somewhere he believes it needs to go. This also happens to be somewhere he has never been nor does he know if it exists or not. The essence of his character is that of walking by faith and not by sight. Which is interesting to consider since the issue of blindness pops up periodically. As a story it’s not all that deep. it’s the undercurrent of the movie that grabs you. It’s as thought provoking as you will let it be. If you’re justlooking for an action movie you will be disappointed, but if you go in with a blank slate and allow yourself to ponder the what ifs, “The Book of Eli” can have a profound impact intellectually for just another post apocolyptic flick.

As for the acting. Denzel played Denzel. He usually does, and it’s usually good. It is in this case but if your looking for something creative or original from him don’t bother. It’s Denzel, enjoy him for who he is on screen.

One of my favorite characters actors in Gary Oldman plays the bad guy, and he plays him well, but i felt like his potential was limited by a weak and somewhat cliched bad guy script. As a result his character is serviceable, but not all that memorable or impactful.

The only other one that really did much for me was the girl played by Mila Kunis. She and Denzel pretty much carry the movie and their interactions are never dull.

Overall i enjoyed it, although i wouldn’t call it an action movie, more like a violent drama in my opinion and you can either scoff at its somewhat derivative trappings and uneven pacing, or you can entertain the what ifs and take your imagination for a ride.

As always thoughts and comments are welcome.