Becky and I went to see the new movie The Book of Eli on Sunday at the Kerasotes theaters in Castle Rock, CO. The Yahoo website at The Book of Eli describes the movie as follows:
“A lone hero must fight his way across the wasteland of post-apocalyptic America to protect a sacred book that holds the key to saving the future of humanity…”
The Review
The Book of Eli is an amazing film. It’s definitely in my top five favorite movies of all time and that’s saying a great deal with as many movies as I’ve seen. Let me warn you that this movie is extremely violent and at times gruesome, but in the same way that The Lord of The Rings is also violent and gruesome at times because of the content of the film. The acting is spectacular and the story is great, which is what makes this such a fantastic film.
I know that many people are going to disagree with me on this one because it’s a bit like the second Mad Max film, The Road Warrior that launched actor Mel Gibson to fame since it’s a post nuclear holocaust type film. Humans are wicked and they are borderline feral after the nukes have hit. If you’re a believer in the Theory of Evolution or an atheist, you’ll see first-hand what “survival of the fittest” really means in a world without God and without a moral code. The Book of Eli deals with man’s sinful nature in a world that has burned all the Bibles after the nuclear war because it was believed that religion was the cause of mankind’s woes.
Eli is like a modern prophet, who is a cross between King David, who had so much blood on his hands that God wouldn’t allow him to build His Temple, and Paul the Apostle who obeyed the voice of God after a supernatural encounter with him. That’s how I perceived the character anyway, even if it wasn’t intended. I expect that many Christians will be offended by the violence in this movie, but I think that’s because many people don’t read the Bible in it’s proper context most of the time or they look at the world with rose colored glasses. The world is an extremely violent place, but in America most of us are sheltered from the violence that happens in the rest of the world. As I watched this movie, it reminded me of ancient times when lives were sold into slavery like pieces of meat or when Christians were fed to lions or prophets were sawn in half.
The Bible is one of the most violent series of books ever written, including the beating and crucifixion of Jesus by the Romans. It demonstrates the depravity of mankind upfront and personal from the first chapter of Genesis where Cain kills Abel to the Book of Revelation when God wipes out mankind for rejecting His Son. If that’s not violent enough for you, you will find every kind of perversion of men in the Bible, including rape, lying, incest, lust, witchcraft, idolatry, sorcery, adultery, theft, murder, war and even cannibalism to name just a few.
The Bible screams out over and over again the need for men to embrace God as their Savior from their sins and live by a higher moral code than animals, since we are made in the image and likeness of God. Even in the beginning, when God approaches Cain, He tells him that sin is at his door and that Cain must master it. He didn’t listen of course and murdered his brother and then failed to accept responsibility for his actions.
That’s what the Book of Eli demonstrates as well, only in a very graphic way on the big screen by holding people accountable for their actions and showing the consequences of a world that doesn’t know God. It does this without saying it directly, but through the actions of Eli and those he encounters on his journey since actions always speak louder than words.
I got sucked into this movie as I watched the life of a man who has learned to “walk by faith and not by sight” and put God’s mission above himself or the lives of others, which God honors by protecting him for his obedience with supernatural exploits. Eli also learns that he may have forgotten how to love others in the process because of his mission and severe judgments. Which was the main message of the Book that he’s carrying and that’s one of the things that makes this film so powerful in the end.
We both liked it and I definitely rated it a Don’t Miss It. Becky thought it was Worth The Trip.
John – **** Don’t Miss It
Becky – *** Worth The Trip
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Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy
John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy