The Book of Eli [Blu-ray] [2010]

This was an great story and Denzel shines as the lone wanderer on a mission. The cinamatography was almost as if I was watching a movie based on the video game Fallout 3. The bleak colors set the stage for a post-apocolyptic world in which Denzel navigate his way through, looking for food and tasked with protecting a very valuable book. I won't give away any plot spoilers, but what the book is, is not the mystery. In fact, it is revealed rather early on, and specifics are few and far between leaving it to the veiwer to fill in the gaps. The mystery is trying to understand why Denzel was given this task and what exactly that task is. Great directing, great acting, and the ending will have you thinking about it for days. I saw this in the theatre and have been looking forward to seeing it again ever since so I could watch it with the knowledge of what is revealed in the end. It makes it a totally different story all together.

This movie instantly became one of my favorites from the first time I watched it. For one thing, its an apocalyptic setting, which I love. Secondly, its Denzel Washington as the good guy, and Gary Oldman as the bad guy. Those two actors are enough to carry a movie, regardless of the supporting cast. Yet, the supporting cast was very good as well. Thirdly, the movie had a great twist, which is noticed at the end. I won't describe, because I don't want to spoil it for you. But, I will say even though I know what the twist is, I still have watched this movie 5+ times since my first viewing. Great movie.

To begin, there will be a twist at the end that will churn some folks, perhaps even ruin the entire film for some folks. One thing is certain, Denzel Washington still has it. While it doesn't seem so, there's a lot of gritty gruesome action. If that's what you are into, then this film is for you. In a post apocalyptic world, where folks live day to day to get by and others take to get by, one man is on a mission. Overall the film has a very "cool" and "slick" stylization with it's overly saturated colors. This film will have a lot of people enjoying it, but it's ending is controversial for sure. Be wary and come in with an open mind.

This is a great picture not only the acting or the plot but the way it showed how religion can both corrupt and inspire. Denzel is one of my favorite actors and his performance was brilliant. Also, his adversary Gary Oldman, also one of my favorites, was great as the "bad guy". Most of the cinematography was great, but I'm not a big fan of green screen and there were a couple points where it was too obvious. Lastly, I liked Mila Kunis, not just because she is hot...well, ok only because she was hot!

Special features strongly impact my feelings about DVDs and Blu-ray disks. The making of featurettes about the Book of Eli were outstanding. The pre-story video about the villain's childhood was a nice touch. I found the movie soundtrack, played through my good ole 5.1 surround sound setup was perfect, as though I was there for every scene. My only negative comment was about the plot. The ending was a disappointment to me. However, the cinematography was fantastic, featuring realistic images of a post-apocalyptic landscape.

One of the best things I've noticed about bluray movies is the difference in sound. Before bluray, it seemed as though you had to constantly adjust the volume during the movie, but with bluray, you usually set the volume and forget the remote until the movie is over. Not the case with Book of Eli on bluray. The dialogue was whisper quiet accompanied by deafening sound effects. I never had to turn my volume up all the way just to hear the characters speak until I bought this movie. I even double checked to be sure I didn't put the dvd in by accident. Worst sound for a bluray ever. Great movie though, from what I could hear.

This movie has a power message in a post apocalyptic world after a nuclear war. I really like this movie because one thing you don't see too many Afro-American actors lead a movie like this before. The second thing I like about it, is that Denzel's character carries the Bible in the movie and quote scriptures from it without being too preachy. It is nice to see the Word of God still alive after the end of the world. I strongly recommended that Christians to get it and watch it. It has strong language, violence not for young children under age 14.

This dark story opens in a desolated land were almost everything is dead, dying or struggling to survive. Eli is on a mission that is so sacred to him that he has been trekking to the West for over 30 years - it’s a man’s journey for the good of civilization and he carries with him a book that he will protect with even his life. Washington’s performance is awesome – especially his handling of the last two chapters of this story! Story needs to be seen again and again – it’s message just gets better each time it is viewed.