# The Book of Eli



## mystictrunks (Jan 19, 2010)

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKfZrbS79To[/YOUTUBE]

Am I the only one who watched this movie? Pretty enjoyable, the twist makes more sense the more I think about it.

Denzel was a pretty convincing action star for such an old guy.


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## Ennoea (Jan 19, 2010)

Stupid but entertaining.


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## ez (Jan 19, 2010)

eh, the twist was stupidly conceived and executed terribly. but that wasn't the main issue so much as that chick walking off into the sunset as if she's the next coming of Eli or some shit.

aside from that, the movie was pretty enjoyable. denzel and oldman were pretty entertaining.


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## CrazyMoronX (Jan 19, 2010)

I want to see it but I lack both motivation and friends.


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## MartialHorror (Jan 19, 2010)

Review in sig.

It was a decent movie.


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## LayZ (Jan 19, 2010)

I liked the movie.  I enjoyed the twist but the "continuing the legacy" thing at the end was bullshit. 

Even run down Mila Kunis is


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## Whip Whirlwind (Jan 19, 2010)

Decent movie, Denzel was good as usual, and Gary Oldman was awesome as Carnegie.

Mila Kunis didn't drag the movie down as much as i though she would, although my first thought at the end of the movie was "Wow, really? Dead in a week."


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## LayZ (Jan 19, 2010)

Windwaker said:


> Mila Kunis didn't drag the movie down as much as i though she would, although my first thought at the end of the movie was "Wow, really? Dead in a week."


Exactly.


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## Emperor Joker (Jan 19, 2010)

Windwaker said:


> Decent movie, Denzel was good as usual, and Gary Oldman was awesome as Carnegie.
> 
> *Mila Kunis didn't drag the movie down as much as i though she would, although my first thought at the end of the movie was "Wow, really? Dead in a week*."



Lol exactly. "My thoughts were killed by first group of hijackers she comes across"


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## Whip Whirlwind (Jan 19, 2010)

Exactly. 

She got wtfpwned by the first bunch of bad guys she ran across, nothing in the movie led me to believe she was any more competent when it comes to combat/survival than she was at the start.


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## MartialHorror (Jan 20, 2010)

To be fair, there could've been a time jump near the end.......Although that would still be a stretch. I didn't mind it though, as Mila looked hot in badass mode.


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## Whip Whirlwind (Jan 20, 2010)

MartialHorror said:


> To be fair, there could've been a time jump near the end.......Although that would still be a stretch. I didn't mind it though, as Mila looked hot in badass mode.



Could have, but there wasn't really anything to indicate it.

It's a small issue, it just bugs me a little.


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## MartialHorror (Jan 20, 2010)

What bugs me is how people are calling it religious propoganda. 

I found the movie to be immensely secular. Plus 
*Spoiler*: __ 



The final shot is of the Bible being put next to the Koran, Torah and other religious themed books, showing that it's meant to be taken as an important part of history(not necessarily biblical history) and culture)

Yikes, the war between Christians and Atheists on this forum at imdb is pitiful. I'm not sure how it fooled anyone into thinking it's religious.

I expect that in Knowing, Signs and the Lord of the Rings movies(as well as Narnia films)......but this....jeez.


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## RAGING BONER (Jan 20, 2010)

CrazyMoronX said:


> I want to see it but I lack both motivation and friends.



i lack motivation (and friendship doesn't exist) as well but that never stopped me from catching a matinee by myself...and then sneaking in to see 1 or 2 other movies for free


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## Castiel (Jan 20, 2010)

what twist is there?  is the religion not christianity, cause all the trailer pretty much blantantly say it is.


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## MartialHorror (Jan 20, 2010)

Kilowog said:


> what twist is there?  is the religion not christianity, cause all the trailer pretty much blantantly say it is.




*Spoiler*: __ 



It's that he's Blind.......Although in the trailers, they never state the book by name, its a Bible...although thats not really a twist as its revealed around half way through.


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## Tempproxy (Jan 20, 2010)

This movie was Awesome, loved every freaking minute.


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## Whip Whirlwind (Jan 20, 2010)

MartialHorror said:


> *Spoiler*: __
> 
> 
> 
> It's that he's Blind.......Although in the trailers, they never state the book by name, its a Bible...although thats not really a twist as its revealed around half way through.




*Spoiler*: __ 



Is he really blind? I though he could just read brail. Him one shotting dudes left and right and up and down and shooting down birds is really retarded then. Unless God gave him Daredevil like senses of course


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## Emperor Joker (Jan 20, 2010)

MartialHorror said:


> *Spoiler*: __
> 
> 
> 
> It's that he's Blind.......Although in the trailers, they never state the book by name, its a Bible...although thats not really a twist as its revealed around half way through.



I honestly don't think he's blind, just that he was able to read brail. He'd need superhuman hearing to pull off some of things he did in the movie if that was the case. 

If he was blind he wouldn't know that the old woman's hands were shaking due to too much meat would he?


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## ez (Jan 20, 2010)

didn't you guys see the closeup view of his eyes? they're were whited out, meaning he lacked pupils/the ability to see. 

and yes, it's suggested that he's endowed with some supernatural gifts; even his sense of smell was strangely acute, so his hearing being superhuman should come as no surprise.

the unveiling was just poorly executed, prolly 'cause the build up was a bit too subtle and the reveal too sudden.


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## The Six Paths of Pein (Jan 20, 2010)

This is probably one of my top films now. At first when I left the theatre, I wasn't sure what to think. But now that I think about it, it was so good that it mind fucked me. >.<


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## Whip Whirlwind (Jan 20, 2010)

That still doesn't explain how he knew a woman's hands were shaking. Unless he could sense vibrations in the air daredevil style


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## Ennoea (Jan 20, 2010)

> I found the movie to be immensely secular.



Really? MH you do know what "Secularism" means right? because the film is anything but.

Anyway the film has brought the morons to IMDB, I swear they should keep their "logic" to themselves.

The whole thing was silly, he's like Neo and then all of a sudden we're suppoused to believe this shit. It works with the whole religious context which is what its suppoused to do, I guess we just have to "believe".


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## mystictrunks (Jan 20, 2010)

Ennoea said:


> Really? MH you do know what "Secularism" means right? because the film is anything but.
> 
> Anyway the film has brought the morons to IMDB, I swear they should keep their "logic" to themselves.
> 
> The whole thing was silly, he's like Neo and then all of a sudden we're suppoused to believe this shit. It works with the whole religious context which is what its suppoused to do, I guess we just have to "believe".



It's fairly secular in the way it 
*Spoiler*: __ 



 handles the subject of the Bible and religion in general. The Bible, in the end, is just another book no more important than a dictionary and religion itself is shown as both a tool to inspire hope and also as a tool to control others.


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## MartialHorror (Jan 20, 2010)

Ennoea said:


> Really? MH you do know what "Secularism" means right? because the film is anything but.
> 
> Anyway the film has brought the morons to IMDB, I swear they should keep their "logic" to themselves.
> 
> The whole thing was silly, he's like Neo and then all of a sudden we're suppoused to believe this shit. It works with the whole religious context which is what its suppoused to do, I guess we just have to "believe".



As I said, it's not religiously themed, at least not in the traditional sense. There is never any indication that God exists in this movie. Eli thinks so, but he also could be that desperate to believe it to make sense in such a terrible world. 

The only religious side comes from Eli, who himself was not a great person begin with. 

You failed to miss the point. Religion is used as a symbol, not a message. Gary Oldman wants it for control, representing religion when corrupted. Oddly, it doesnt damn his actions in this regard. He was a villain for directly killing people, but his method of using control seemed to work. At the end, I wondered if his downfall really helped anyone. 
*Spoiler*: __ 



As his town was in chaos again, you see people getting killed/raped in the background




Then you have the Atheist side: Religion is destruction. It's heavily implied that religion is what got them where they were, leaving the world a desolated mess.

Then, at the end, you have people who look at it subjectively: An important piece of work thats important because everyone has so many different feelings about it.

It being put next to a Koran and other religious books just proved that its not Christian propoganda. It tackles every side of the subject while not taking one.


*Spoiler*: __ 



On the blindness, I dont think that Eli had supernatural powers. Most of what he can do is just an exageration on what blind warriors can do....Look at anime(Tosen from Bleach, for example) or Ichi from the Zatoichi films. They can tell wierd shit like that.

Zatoichi even has him noticing that characters are shaking, and thats how he tells they're lying. Killing the bird bit should be obvious, as Denzel explicitely says "Do you hear that?" twice before shooting it down. His hearing was so good that he heard it before Mila did. 

The shooting at vast distances is a bit toucher to decide, but to be fair, Zatoichi could hear people from distances too(At one point, he kills a sniper(gun sniper) by throwing his sword. I was under the impression that as soon as he entered the town, he used his senses to figure out where everyone was posted. 

So when we see the guys standing on walls or whatever they were...He was probably noticing them too.

And yes, he was blind. As shown, his eyes were completely whitedout. It also explains why he fought those dudes in the darkness.

The only flaw in him being blind is that he turned his head when people spoke to them. Blind people, even Zatoichi, dont do that. Plus, I could've sworn that at times you see his eyes when staring at people. At one point, I thought I could see actual text in the Bible as well.


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## mystictrunks (Jan 20, 2010)

*Spoiler*: __ 



 He only shoots people after they fire, he can pinpoint them by sound


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## Emperor Joker (Jan 21, 2010)

mystictrunks said:


> *Spoiler*: __
> 
> 
> 
> He only shoots people after they fire, he can pinpoint them by sound



That's still rather ridiculous considering he has pin point accurasy even managing to tag people on top of buildings.


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## Roy (Jan 21, 2010)

I still have to watch the movie, Ill probably go this weekend.


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## mystictrunks (Jan 22, 2010)

Emperor Joker said:


> That's still rather ridiculous considering he has pin point accurasy even managing to tag people on top of buildings.



Nearly every movie where anyone has pin point accuracy and tags people who are far away with the guns Eli used are rather ridiculous.


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## Emperor Joker (Jan 22, 2010)

mystictrunks said:


> Nearly every movie where anyone has pin point accuracy and tags people who are far away with the guns Eli used are rather ridiculous.



I'm talking in terms of being blind though.


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## typhoon72 (Jan 22, 2010)

Divine Intervention fellas.


*Spoiler*: __ 



Although I posted this after I saw it on opening day, ill say it again. Just in someone elses words

"I just thought seeing Solara dressed like Eli and holding his blade to the side like she's some bada$$ along with putting in the earphones was just a major JOKE. I felt like melting in my seat I thought it was so embarrassing the film ended like way! Overall the movie was great especially the cinematography and ambient music but the ending just totally ruined it for me. The entire movie just turned upside down on itself. I mean she was wearing leg huggers when she first set out and fell for a typical "road trap" that Eli smelt out in the beginning with no problem and then at the end she's going to seriously take his pack and blade and live his legacy? Wow...pathetic"




I truely felt that scene fucked up the movie for me.


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## mystictrunks (Jan 22, 2010)

Emperor Joker said:


> I'm talking in terms of being blind though.



The idea of a 
*Spoiler*: __ 



 blind


 doing most of the things you see Eli do is ridiculous. It's just a trope that shouldn't be over thought.


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## D1am0nds (Jan 22, 2010)

my mom and brother saw this...........said it was "OK"


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## Narcissus (Jan 23, 2010)

I've heard that this movie was just okay, but that there are a lot of flaws in it. One of my friends is going to see it today, so I'll ask him what he thinks of it before I decide to see it myself.


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## Koi (Jan 27, 2010)

I hated the last scene and 
*Spoiler*: __ 



I still think he's at least partially sighted, since traveling alone he'd NEED to be.  Look at him when he's on the overpass toward the begnning.  How'd he know it crumbled and the road ended like that?




Still throughly enjoyable, if only for Gary Oldman being awesome and some totally bitchin' fight scenes.  Also Mila Kunis sorta grows on you in the movie.


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## Narcissus (Jan 28, 2010)

Well, my friend didn't make it to see this like he planned, so I'll probably wait for the DVD or just watch it online if I remember.


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