The Book of Eli

A few knife fights and one bigger shootout do not make an action epic. And what's worse, one suspicious punchline and a few attempts at existential dialogues do not create a drama at all. The survival book stumbles from nowhere to nowhere, the actors meander precisely into their predictable boxes, and everything ends with one big question mark as to whether this is meant seriously. With a reasonable distance, it is still a weaker, disjointed nothingness that holds a few glimpses of post-apocalyptic atmosphere beyond the one-star threshold. (11/12/2010)

As an action movie, this is an absolutely awesome ride that I enjoyed. But then there's the problem that this is actually a movie about being made by a group of strong believers who want to convey a very important message. Without the Bible, we're fucked. This is such unbelievable drivel that I almost wanted to cry sadly at the end. (24/10/2016)

It’s not as bad as they say. It has loads of ideas, the actors are great and the brothers in the director’s chair know how move the camera around the action in such that your eyes get an erotic massage at times, which makes the narrative weakness and author’s aimlessness all the more painful. The plot moves mechanically on a previously marked path, without ever developing the nature of a potentially interesting world, whose filth is lost in style, while the climax can’t deliver the punch that the mystery built around Denzel’s character would deserve. It’s watchable, but gratuitous AF. 60% (21/10/2018)

One of the most ridiculously WTF stupid things I’ve seen this year. The atmosphere is alright, and so are the performances, the problem is that I am not able to get over the twist, which is utterly pointless and pulled out of a (religious) ass, notwithstanding its outcome, which is just idiotic. The dialogues are toe curling (the Bible), Denzel fights better than Chuck Norris and The Book of Eli was an annoying film experiences. 30 % (31/05/2010)

I can see why Joel Silver tried to sell this film as a spectacular post-apocalyptic action flick. When the Hughes brothers presented him with the final cut, it must have been clear that he had poured eighty million into something that would never come back for the rest of his life. The Book of Eli is quite an unconventional road movie, which in its symbiotic audio/video position has an almost meditative effect. It's strange that even the few moments that get going (all of which were then furiously edited into the trailer) fit in and don't distract from it all. My only criticism is directed at the screenwriter, who sometimes lets the meaningfulness of the plot slip through his fingers. It's unfortunate that, according to the reviews, many were expecting another Terminator with the added bonus of a shocking point, which you can guess from the plot outline (and the poster), so there’s no point in ranting about it. (28/05/2010)