*** Official THE BOOK OF ELI Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Matt^Brown]

I did not see a thread started for this movie and was surprised. I just saw the trailer for it last night and it definitely caught my attention. I like almost everything that Denzel is in and post-apocalyptic 2043 guarantees that I will be seeing it.

 

[Sam Posten]

I saw the trailer this weekend it looks awesome. Shot on RED digital cameras too.

 

[Shawn Shultzaberger]

Didn't know Gary Oldman was in this. Woohoo!

 

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "The Book of Eli". Please, post all comments, links to outside reviews, film and box office discussion items to this thread.

All HTF member film reviews of "The Book of Eli" should be posted to the [COLOR= #44708c]Official Review Thread[/COLOR].

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.


Crawdaddy

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The cinematography, one step from monochrome, is incredibly evocative and the post-apocolyptic landscape is fantastic. Most importantly, the story is compelling and taken seriously. The ending is a game changer, but it doesn't really violate what came before but rather enriches it.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Also, anyone who has seen Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? will get a kick out of George and Martha, the old couple with a... unique survival strategy.

 

[Brett_M]

I think the twist was interesting but given what came before it, I can't take it seriously. If the twist was a game changer, it needs to be bought and paid for.


Watch some of the clips and see if he's looking at characters or events as they unfold. A blind man would not be doing that (looking out windows, looking into people's eyes when speaking to them, etc). I don't care how great your senses of hearing and smell are -- you can't kill someone with a bow and arrow from 50 feet away, let alone with a handgun from 3 or 4 times that distance. The Hughes Brothers should have cut the film in a way that the clues become more evident with additional vierwings, like The Usual Suspects or Fight Club. Looking back at his choices as an actor, Denzel did not act blind. This twist is more akin to Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes than the other films I mentioned above. I think that it's better to think that rather than being blind, Eli knew how (or taught himself) to read brail for the simple reason that there is no way to find light in a world without electricity. It's too dangerous to read during the day for fear of being preyed upon by marauders.
I still enjoyed the film and I will recommend it to others but the pay off does not make it a better film. I think mila Kunis was great, by the way. She's come a long way from That 70s Show.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by Brett_M
Looking back at his choices as an actor, Denzel did not act blind.

That's because Eli, strictly speaking, wasn't blind. He "saw" with his faith. That being said, there are many moments in the film that hint that Eli relies on his other senses instead. He heard things none of the other characters heard. He saw the first trap coming because he smelled his attackers. All of his prey made noise before he got them. The bird was shot because of the flapping of its wings. The cat was shot because of its cry. The attackers by the sounds of their footsteps, etc. If you consider Eli as a sort of Daredevil, and you take him at his word that God is watching out for him, then why not?

 

[Brett_M]

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt


That's because Eli, strictly speaking, wasn't blind. He "saw" with his faith. That being said, there are many moments in the film that hint that Eli relies on his other senses instead. He heard things none of the other characters heard. He saw the first trap coming because he smelled his attackers. All of his prey made noise before he got them. The bird was shot because of the flapping of its wings. The cat was shot because of its cry. The attackers by the sounds of their footsteps, etc. If you consider Eli as a sort of Daredevil, and you take him at his word that God is watching out for him, then why not?

I understand that. Clearly his other senses were finely tuned and he used them to his advantage. I have no doubt of that. But, my argument remains: If he was blind, why was he looking out the window when the gang came to the old folks house? Why did he look directly into Solara's eyes when speaking to her in his room?

 

[Patrick Sun]

This is a sentence intended to run through the preview functionality of the new post feature, so it's basically devoid of content. This is another sentence intended to run through the preview functionality of the new post feature, so it's basically devoid of content.

The other interpretation is that Eli, blinded by the events from the apocalypse, after finding the book in his youth, is somehow blessed with hysterical sightedness, all the way until he finally find his way to Alcatraz and does his verbal dump, and afterwards, his blindness returns, but only after his mission was completed.

Either way, it caused my eyes to roll at the end and I audibly groaned at the "revelation". The script is just sparse, and the visual information was also too sparse to make a lot of leap of faith required to buy into Eli's journey.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING

Originally Posted by Brett_M
I understand that. Clearly his other senses were finely tuned and he used them to his advantage. I have no doubt of that. But, my argument remains: If he was blind, why was he looking out the window when the gang came to the old folks house? Why did he look directly into Solara's eyes when speaking to her in his room?

You definitely have a point about the window at George and Martha's house. I think the moment between him and Solara in his room had larger significance, though; since Solara is essentially the first apostle of Eli's revival of Christianity, it was important for them to make a connection, and for that God allowed them to share an intimate moment. Solara trusted Eli partially because he looked her dead in the eye.

I would love to see a sequel starting Solara, too. Instead of an action film where Solara gets her revenge on Carnegie, however, I'd like to see her spreading Christianity across the destroyed American landscape. Not because I particularly care for evangelism, but because Christianity in this context is a symbol of civilization and culture. Everyone in this world except for Eli, Carnegie, and the people in Alcatraz are doing little more than simply surviving. Since that's all Solara was doing until she met Eli, it makes her a very interesting protagonist -- spreading culture even as she herself is only first discovering it.

I'd also love to see how Eli's King James Bible holds up to the original King James Bible. Assuming his recollection is 99 percent accurate, what's the other one percent? How does that affect what Christianity becomes?

 

[Diallo B]

Originally Posted by Brett_M




I understand that. Clearly his other senses were finely tuned and he used them to his advantage. I have no doubt of that. But, my argument remains: If he was blind, why was he looking out the window when the gang came to the old folks house? Why did he look directly into Solara's eyes when speaking to her in his room?

long story short 'God' gave him the ability to see while he was on his mission. much like how moses parted the sea,etc....... in addition to this his eyes were regular during his mission. they were not greyed out like at the end of the movie.
i went back to see it again just because of what you stated and after a second viewing the spoilered explanation met my expectations.

 

[Diallo B]

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt

SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING

You definitely have a point about the window at George and Martha's house. I think the moment between him and Solara in his room had larger significance, though; since Solara is essentially the first apostle of Eli's revival of Christianity, it was important for them to make a connection, and for that God allowed them to share an intimate moment. Solara trusted Eli partially because he looked her dead in the eye.

I would love to see a sequel starting Solara, too. Instead of an action film where Solara gets her revenge on Carnegie, however, I'd like to see her spreading Christianity across the destroyed American landscape. Not because I particularly care for evangelism, but because Christianity in this context is a symbol of civilization and culture. Everyone in this world except for Eli, Carnegie, and the people in Alcatraz are doing little more than simply surviving. Since that's all Solara was doing until she met Eli, it makes her a very interesting protagonist -- spreading culture even as she herself is only first discovering it.

I'd also love to see how Eli's King James Bible holds up to the original King James Bible. Assuming his recollection is 99 percent accurate, what's the other one percent? How does that affect what Christianity becomes?

i would like to see that too.

dunno if we will with its box receipts, though..... 32.8 mill.

 

[Sam Posten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Crawford

All HTF member film reviews of "The Book of Eli" should be posted to the [COLOR= rgb(68, 112, 140)]Official Review Thread[/COLOR].

We had a similar discussion a few weeks ago, but nobody but me said anything at all about this, so let me ask bluntly: Am I the only one who thinks its a colossally bad idea to have separate review and discussion threads? If it's just me I'll shut up about it but it REALLY bugs me.

Anywho, I saw Eli tonight and loved it, that's the extent of my review, so don't bust my balls for not posting it in the separate thread. =)

As for the discussion, I would like to note that the Eli writer is Gary Whitta, who is the ex head of PC Gamer and other magazines. He and I both post to Quarter To Three forums and he's on my XBL friends list, woo! He has posted some amazing insights in two very long threads over at Q23, and I recommend them heartily. Don't hate me for pointing to other forums HTF =p Lord knows I send enough traffic from Q23 here..

Spoiler thread:
http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=57136

The whole shebang from the day Gary announced greenlighting:
http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=46964

 

[Sam Posten]

From the Q23 forum: The Unabridged KJ Bible in braille is TWENTY volumes long =)

 

[Edwin-S]

Combined discussion and review threads would be great if people knew how to use spoiler tags and used them without fail; however, it rarely works that way. Sooner or later, someone gets lazy and decides that he/she can dispense with them and before you know it details are being revealed that people reading the reviews would rather not know. Although separate threads are not ideal, they are the only way that works in practicality. Since this is a discussion thread, I don't see why anyone is bothering with spoiler tags.

 

[Matt^Brown]

After starting this thread I am a little embarrased that I just got around to watching the movie. I liked it but I never really got the feeling of dread that I thought the movie was trying to convey. It might be that I just got around to watching The Road last week and that future was so bleak that this one could not compare. I liked the relationship of Denzel and Mila Kunis and I wish that would have been explored just a little more. In the end I found the twist to be a little dumb and thought that it took away from the movie instead of adding to it. I like to beleive that he was able to see the whole time and that once his mission was done that he went blind again.

 

[Sam Posten]

Dread? Even the trailers seem to scream that this is a film about hope in bleak situations... ie bELIeve


Sam

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I agree with Sam. The Road set out to convey dread; The Book of Eli sets out to convey hope. One of the many reasons I find The Book of Eli to be the more meaningful film.

 

[Matt^Brown]

I understand what you guys mean when you say that it was conveying hope but I felt like they were trying to create an atmosphere of dread. One where the only hope was the book and the mission and that the world was doomed without it. I never felt this and that made some scenes lose their punch. An example for me is the old couple that eat people that come to their house. I understand that the movie was trying to tell me that things are so bad people are forced to eat people. However the scene didn't really feel that creepy or give me the sense that the book was the only way to save the world. JMO