Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Book of Eli’

Written by Scott Edwards

​Where will you be when the world finally starts to crumble? I would hope to be in a nice warm location with drinks that have little umbrellas in them, but hey, that is just me. Knowing that everyone will not die when the bombs start falling, there will be the toughest of the toughest on the road looking for any way to survive, even if that means killing an innocent to do so. It is a hard thing to imagine, thank goodness for movies to show the views of writers and directors on what they think will happen so you can see what the best and worst of what humanity can offer when the darkest day finally comes.

On his long walk west, Eli has to fulfill his plan of making it to the coast with what he has in his possession. But it is a long walk and he has to keep his eyes open for anything of value along his path so he will be able to work out trades with other drifters. Not everyone is looking for what he has and armed with his shotgun and a large knife, Eli knows that there is trouble around every corner. Finding a woman on the side of the road who needs help with her basket that turned over, Eli knows that he is in store for a battle with hijackers that are looking for an easy score. Killing everyone that gets in his way, Eli continues his trek but then sees a young couple get killed by a band of bikers that are looking for something as well.  Believing he has a higher purpose, Eli sits idly by and watches since it is not his fight and wants to continue on his path.

Arriving at a small town, Eli finds the engineer shop and wants to get his iPod charged up since he loves his music. While waiting to get his music player back, Eli decides that he needs some water and hits up the bar only to find that the riders he previously saw are in the same place. Trouble finds the old drifter as he is called out for knocking one of the rider’s cats off of the bar. Dispatching the riders with ease, Eli is invited up to the town leader’s quarters and when Carnegie lays his eyes on Eli, he wants the old man to take over his search for a book that can save the world.  Eli declines but is forced to stay the night and is given the gift of companionship from young Solara who is supposed to convince him to stay the only way she knows how. But there is something different about the old drifter and he does not want to partake in her offers of flesh, he only wants to be on his way.

Carnegie does not allow Eli to leave town without a fight and when his number one man is not able to gun down the old man, he sees that there is something different happening around him. With Solara by his side, Eli escapes and tries to continue his trip to the coast since he has the book that can help bring the world back from the blast that took it away thirty years ago, but this is the book Carnegie wants as well. Hiding off of the main roads, Eli starts to teach Solara what messages are hidden in the pages in the book and being like nothing she has ever heard before, she embraces all of her new knowledge. Knowing that they cannot outrun Carnegie without rest, the two hold up in an old house that seems like a page out of the book, but when they find out that the owners are looking forward to eating them, Eli and Solara try to escape, but Carnegie is right outside waiting for them. On his last leg, Carnegie will not allow himself to be stopped in his search for the book and when he finally acquires it, he is shocked by what the pages hold.

This is a great post-apocalyptic look at what the world can become if everyone from the old world is not killed off in the first wave of destruction. It shows how much people depend on faith and without the proper tools, they may not be able to pass it on to the future generations. This is one of my favorite movies that deals with the subject and even though it is not shown straight out, there are plenty of undertones that lead you to believe that Eli is something special. If I had to choose a favorite character out of this movie besides Eli, it would have to be Solara since she learns so much about trust, life and belief in such a short time, and what's important is that she is willing to soak all these lessons up. Carnegie has grown on me and is the perfect villain for the storyline, and although he gets what he wants when he finds out that he can do nothing with it, well the look on his face is priceless. Happy Viewing.

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