Just finished watching The Book of Eli at Emagine Novi, so I want to post about the film while it is still fresh in my mind.  Denzel Washington plays Eli, a man on a 30-year, God-inspired quest to find the West Coast and bring the last bible on earth to people that desperately need its message.  Along the way, he stumbles across a town oppressed by the evil Carnegie (Gary Oldman) who, as it happens, is also looking for a bible–albeit for less noble purposes.  For the cliff notes version, think of the film like this: A stylish, pious, post-apocalyptic western.

The Book of Eli works mainly because it incorporates all of these elements, but it’s at its best when it borrows from westerns.  As Eli strolls into town, people stop their activity to gaze upon the stranger.  Its as if a new sheriff just walked into town.  Later, after a tense gun battle in which Eli slays more than just a few of the town goons, the camera pans to show tough-guy Redridge (Ray Stevenson) still standing showdown style in the middle of road.  The film doesn’t use Sergio Leone-style closeups, but it’s obvious who star of the film is.  With the exception of a few scenes, the camera never strays too far from Mr. Washington.

While the beginning of the film might seem eerily familiar to moviegoers who caught the much-delayed (and in my opinion, overrated) John Hillcoat film, The Road (read the book instead), the stylish elements presented by the director-duo Hughes Brothers keep the film from going too far down that path.  The forest where Eli hunts his meal at the start of the film has a green tint, something that is continued later in the sky and clouds.  This effect gives the world in The Book of Eli a surreal and alien feel, an element that other post-apocalyptic films attempt by simply shrouding everything in darkness.  At other times–like when Eli is ambushed under a bridge–the film almost has a comic book feel to it,  with Eli shrouded in shadow as he fights.  The film also has a quirky side, as demonstrated by the encounter Eli and Solara (Mila Kunis) have with George (Michael Gambon, known to the rest of the world as Albus Dumbledore) and his wife Martha, an elderly couple with a thing for guns and tea.

The only issue I really have with the film is Mila Kunis.  Don’t get me wrong–I think she is a fine actress–but she just seems a little too shiny for a post-apocalyptic world.  Gun battles, desert sand and even a car accident never deter Kunis from providing audiences with perfect hair and stylish aviator sunglasses to boot.  The movie could have been greatly enhanced with someone known for grittier performances, as the Solara character plays an interesting role in initially detouring Eli’s divine journey.

While it doesn’t hold up when compared to other similar films in the post-apocalyptic genre (see Children of Men and 28 Days Later), the mishmash of elements and a surprising plot twist help make The Book of Eli fresh enough to check out again when it hits DVD.