The Book of Eli: Difference between revisions
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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Thirty years after an apocalyptic event, Eli ([[Denzel Washington]]) travels on foot toward the west coast of the United States. Along the way he demonstrates atypical but effective survival and fighting skills, hunting strange wildlife and swiftly defeating a group of highway bandits who try to ambush him. Searching for a source of water he arrives in a ramshackle town which was built by and is overseen by Carnegie ([[Gary Oldman]]). Carnegie dreams of building more towns and hinges these hopes on finding a certain book. His henchmen scour the desolate landscape daily in search of it. |
Thirty years after an apocalyptic event (implied in the movie to be a nuclear war), Eli ([[Denzel Washington]]) travels on foot toward the west coast of the United States. Along the way he demonstrates atypical but effective survival and fighting skills, hunting strange wildlife and swiftly defeating a group of highway bandits who try to ambush him. Searching for a source of water he arrives in a ramshackle town which was built by and is overseen by Carnegie ([[Gary Oldman]]). Carnegie dreams of building more towns and hinges these hopes on finding a certain book. His henchmen scour the desolate landscape daily in search of it. |
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In the local bar, Eli is set upon by a gang of bikers and kills them all. Realizing that Eli is a literate man like himself, as well as desiring his skills, Carnegie asks Eli to stay, though it is made clear that the offer is non-negotiable. After Carnegie's blind concubine Claudia ([[Jennifer Beals]]) gives Eli some food and water, Carnegie asks Claudia's daughter Solara ([[Mila Kunis]]) to seduce Eli. Eli turns her down, but invites her to eat with him. Before they eat though, he has her pray with him. The following day Solara prays with her mother. Carnegie overhears them though and forces Solara to tell him that Eli was reading a book. When he asks what kind, she says she doesn't know, but forms a cross with her two fingers. Carnegie realizes that Eli has a copy of the [[The Bible|Bible]], the book he has been looking for, as all copies were destroyed after the apocalypse. Eli sneaks out of his room and goes to the store across the street where he asked the Engineer ([[Tom Waits]]) to recharge his portable battery. Carnegie attempts to stop Eli, having all his henchmen fire at him, but Eli avoids the gunfire and shoots most of Carnegie's henchmen, even shooting Carnegie's leg with a shotgun blast. After Eli leaves, Solara follows and tracks him down, hoping she can accompany him on his travels and escape the town. Eli agrees on the condition that she take him to the town's water supply. After fulfilling her end of the bargain, Eli traps her there and continues on alone. Solara escapes and soon finds herself set upon by two men. As Solara grapples with the men, Eli suddenly appears and dispatches them with arrows. Eli and Solara continue on until they arrive at a strange house. They stop to investigate and quickly fall into a trap door. The residents Martha ([[Frances de la Tour]]) and George ([[Michael Gambon]]) appear and invite them in for tea. Eli surmises that they trap, kill, and then eat invaders, evidenced by their shaking hands from too much human meat. Before Eli and Solara can leave though, they are found by Carnegie. |
In the local bar, Eli is set upon by a gang of bikers and kills them all. Realizing that Eli is a literate man like himself, as well as desiring his skills, Carnegie asks Eli to stay, though it is made clear that the offer is non-negotiable. After Carnegie's blind concubine Claudia ([[Jennifer Beals]]) gives Eli some food and water, Carnegie asks Claudia's daughter Solara ([[Mila Kunis]]) to seduce Eli. Eli turns her down, but invites her to eat with him. Before they eat though, he has her pray with him. The following day Solara prays with her mother. Carnegie overhears them though and forces Solara to tell him that Eli was reading a book. When he asks what kind, she says she doesn't know, but forms a cross with her two fingers. Carnegie realizes that Eli has a copy of the [[The Bible|Bible]], the book he has been looking for, as all copies were destroyed after the apocalypse. Eli sneaks out of his room and goes to the store across the street where he asked the Engineer ([[Tom Waits]]) to recharge his portable battery. Carnegie attempts to stop Eli, having all his henchmen fire at him, but Eli avoids the gunfire and shoots most of Carnegie's henchmen, even shooting Carnegie's leg with a shotgun blast. After Eli leaves, Solara follows and tracks him down, hoping she can accompany him on his travels and escape the town. Eli agrees on the condition that she take him to the town's water supply. After fulfilling her end of the bargain, Eli traps her there and continues on alone. Solara escapes and soon finds herself set upon by two men. As Solara grapples with the men, Eli suddenly appears and dispatches them with arrows. Eli and Solara continue on until they arrive at a strange house. They stop to investigate and quickly fall into a trap door. The residents Martha ([[Frances de la Tour]]) and George ([[Michael Gambon]]) appear and invite them in for tea. Eli surmises that they trap, kill, and then eat invaders, evidenced by their shaking hands from too much human meat. Before Eli and Solara can leave though, they are found by Carnegie. |
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Revision as of 04:22, 1 March 2010
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| The Book of Eli | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Albert Hughes Allen Hughes |
| Written by | Gary Whitta |
| Produced by | Joel Silver Susan Downey Andrew Kosove Broderick Johnson Denzel Washington |
| Starring | Denzel Washington Gary Oldman Mila Kunis Ray Stevenson Jennifer Beals Frances de la Tour Michael Gambon Tom Waits |
| Cinematography | Don Burgess |
| Edited by | Cindy Mollo |
| Music by | Atticus Ross |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. (USA) Columbia Pictures (select countries) Entertainment Film Distributors (UK) |
Release date | January 15, 2010 |
Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $80 million[1] |
| Box office | $112,697,580[2] |
The Book of Eli is a 2010 American post-apocalyptic film directed by the Hughes brothers, written by Gary Whitta, and starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman and Mila Kunis. Filming began in February 2009 and took place in New Mexico. Alcon Entertainment financed and co-produced the film with Silver Pictures, while it was distributed by Warner Bros. in the US, and Columbia Pictures in some international territories. It was released on January 15, 2010.
Plot
Thirty years after an apocalyptic event (implied in the movie to be a nuclear war), Eli (Denzel Washington) travels on foot toward the west coast of the United States. Along the way he demonstrates atypical but effective survival and fighting skills, hunting strange wildlife and swiftly defeating a group of highway bandits who try to ambush him. Searching for a source of water he arrives in a ramshackle town which was built by and is overseen by Carnegie (Gary Oldman). Carnegie dreams of building more towns and hinges these hopes on finding a certain book. His henchmen scour the desolate landscape daily in search of it.
In the local bar, Eli is set upon by a gang of bikers and kills them all. Realizing that Eli is a literate man like himself, as well as desiring his skills, Carnegie asks Eli to stay, though it is made clear that the offer is non-negotiable. After Carnegie's blind concubine Claudia (Jennifer Beals) gives Eli some food and water, Carnegie asks Claudia's daughter Solara (Mila Kunis) to seduce Eli. Eli turns her down, but invites her to eat with him. Before they eat though, he has her pray with him. The following day Solara prays with her mother. Carnegie overhears them though and forces Solara to tell him that Eli was reading a book. When he asks what kind, she says she doesn't know, but forms a cross with her two fingers. Carnegie realizes that Eli has a copy of the Bible, the book he has been looking for, as all copies were destroyed after the apocalypse. Eli sneaks out of his room and goes to the store across the street where he asked the Engineer (Tom Waits) to recharge his portable battery. Carnegie attempts to stop Eli, having all his henchmen fire at him, but Eli avoids the gunfire and shoots most of Carnegie's henchmen, even shooting Carnegie's leg with a shotgun blast. After Eli leaves, Solara follows and tracks him down, hoping she can accompany him on his travels and escape the town. Eli agrees on the condition that she take him to the town's water supply. After fulfilling her end of the bargain, Eli traps her there and continues on alone. Solara escapes and soon finds herself set upon by two men. As Solara grapples with the men, Eli suddenly appears and dispatches them with arrows. Eli and Solara continue on until they arrive at a strange house. They stop to investigate and quickly fall into a trap door. The residents Martha (Frances de la Tour) and George (Michael Gambon) appear and invite them in for tea. Eli surmises that they trap, kill, and then eat invaders, evidenced by their shaking hands from too much human meat. Before Eli and Solara can leave though, they are found by Carnegie.
Eli, Solara, Martha, and George hole up inside the house, and George reveals a hidden stockpile of powerful weaponry. A shoot-out ensues, leading to the death of some of Carnegie's men as well as George and Martha. Eli and Solara are captured. Carnegie threatens to kill Solara, which prompts Eli to hand over the Bible. Carnegie shoots him in the stomach and leaves. While in transit, Solara escapes and drives back to help Eli. Carnegie returns to the town as he has the Bible and is low on fuel. Solara picks Eli up and they continue west until they reach the Golden Gate Bridge, then they row to Alcatraz where they find a group of survivors dedicated to preserving pre-war knowledge. Eli tells the guard that he has a copy of the King James version of the Bible, and they are allowed in. Inside they are introduced to Lombardi (Malcolm McDowell), who is the curator of a collection of things from before the apocalypse. Eli, now revealed to be blind, dictates the Bible from memory to Lombardi, before dying from his wounds. Carnegie has the Engineer open the Bible but is distraught to find that it is in Braille, and his wife refuses to read it to him. His leg has started to go septic, and he will die without ever having read the Bible. Alcatraz begins printing copies of the Bible. Solara is offered sanctuary, but instead chooses to take up Eli's weapons and go back east.
Production
In May 2007, Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. signed the Hughes Brothers to direct The Book of Eli, based on a script by Gary Whitta. The film is the brothers' first since From Hell in 2001.[3] The script was subsequently rewritten by Anthony Peckham, and in September 2008, actor Denzel Washington was cast in the lead role.[4] The following October, Gary Oldman was cast to star alongside Washington.[5] Principal photography began in February 2009 and took place in New Mexico.[6] Alcon Entertainment financed the film and co-produced with Silver Pictures.[7]
Reception
Box office
The film was released in North America on January 15, 2010 in 3,111 theaters. It took in $11,672,970—$3,752 per theater, its opening day.[8] By the end of its opening four-day holiday weekend it grossed $38,437,553—$12,355 per theater. It ranked No. 2, only behind Avatar.[9] On its second weekend, it placed No. 3 with Legion taking its No. 2 place and grossed $15,732,493—$5,057 per theater.[10] By its third weekend it dropped down to No. 5 and made $8,908,286— $2,897 per theater.[11] The film has come to gross $88,369,000 in the United States and Canada, and $20,201,699 in other markets, with an estimated worldwide total of $108,570,699.[2]
Critical reviews
The film has received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 45% of 152 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 5.3 out of 10.[12] Among Rotten Tomatoes' "Top Critics", which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 50%, based on a sample of 30 reviews. The site's general consensus is that "It's certainly uneven, and many viewers will find that its reach exceeds its grasp, but The Book of Eli finds the Hughes brothers injecting some fresh stylish fun into the kind of post-apocalyptic wasteland filmgoers have seen more than enough of lately."[13] Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 0–100 reviews from film critics, has a rating score of 53 based on 33 reviews.[14]
Todd McCarthy of Variety predicted "this will not be one of ... Denzel Washington's bigger grossers."[15] Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert said of the film: "You won't be sorry you went. It grips your attention, and then at the end throws in several WTF! moments, which are a bonus."[16] Reviewing the film for The A.V. Club, Scott Tobias graded the film a B, and wrote "At a time when theaters are experiencing a glut of doomsday scenarios, the Hughes’ ashen, bombed-out future world looks a little too familiar, no matter how crisply they present it. But the showdown between Washington and a deliciously hammy Oldman complicates the film’s overt religiosity...".[17] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a D, calling it "a ponderous dystopian bummer that might be described as The Road Warrior without car chases, or The Road without humanity."[18]
References
- ^ "Movie projector: 'Book of Eli' first major challenger to 'Avatar'". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. January 14, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
Alcon spent $80 million to produce the movie, which stars Denzel Washington.
- ^ a b "The Book of Eli (2010) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
- ^ Fleming, Michael (May 21, 2007). "Hughes brothers set for 'Book of Eli'". Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ Fleming, Michael (September 4, 2008). "Denzel Washington picks up 'Book'". Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ McNary, Dave (October 29, 2008). "Gary Oldman joins 'Book of Eli'". Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (2009). "Jack Black Rocks 'Yo Gabba Gabba' and More First Looks". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Gary Oldman joins Denzel on 'Eli'". Reel Suave. October 30, 2008.
- ^ "Daily Box Office for Friday, January 15, 2010". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. January 15, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for January 15-18, 2010 (4-day weekend)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. January 18, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for January 22-24, 2010". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. January 24, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
- ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for January 29-31, 2010". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. January 31, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
- ^ "The Book of Eli (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
- ^ "The Book of Eli (Top Critics)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- ^ "The Book of Eli: Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (January 10, 2010). "The Book of Eli Review". 'Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (January 14, 2010). "The Book of Eli review". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group.
- ^ Tobia, Scott (January 14, 2010). "The Book of Eli". A.V. Club. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher=|publisher=(help); Text "Film" ignored (help); Text "Review" ignored (help) - ^ Owen Gleiberman (January 15, 2010). "The Book of Eli - EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Retrieved January 17, 2010.