I just realized I did not post this review last month as I’d planned. Here it is now.

          I went to see the book of Eli recently. (Well, since this didn’t get posted when I’d planned, it was over a month ago. ) I am amazed and thrilled that this movie came from Hollywood.

          The Book of Eli is a “dystopian” movie, a depiction of society that has devolved into a bleak, harsh world where hope and joy are non-existent. I’m not sure what it indicates about our current society, but it seems these types of stories are becoming more and more popular. The difference with The Book of Eli, though, is that the overarching message (at least the one I got) is one of hope.

          Eli, played by Denzel Washington, is a nomad, a sword-wielding, ferocious nomad on a years-long trek across a country almost unrecognizable as our own. Decades before, the world was devastated by a cataclysmic natural event that shattered society and blinded anyone exposed to it. All that is left are pockets of pseudo-civilizations, mostly ruled by cruel gang lord types. Eli stops to barter and rest in one such gang lord’s ‘town’.

          This gang lord, Carnegie, learns Eli has a book. A book Carnegie believes holds the power he needs to solidify his domination over the region and beyond. Eli says he was led to a book sometime after the cataclysmic event that destroyed society and that he was told to protect the book and to take it west. He refuses to give it to Carnegie or even to allow him to see it. The rest of the movie is the chase and struggle and seeming defeat of Eli at the hands of Carnegie. In true poetic justice, though, Carnegie’s victory is short-lived and Eli’s defeat is really no defeat.

          Eli is a true to life personification of a man caught in a horrible world trying to do what he’s been called to do. He does some things that don’t fit with the idea of a pacifist Christian. He’s hard and solitary and not at all friendly. He kills, he’s rude, he’s abrupt and to the point when discussing, confronting and negotiating. He’s a hard man. But he’s a man. He’s a man intent on accomplishing the task he’s been given. He’s a focused man and he’s a capable man. He wields a sword and his wits with equal dexterity.

          sometimes he makes choices that seem contradictory to what we think of as the Christian life (such as refusing to share with others what is in the Book), it is evident he is focused on completing his task. A task he knows came from the author of that Book. Those seeming unChristlike choices are addressed later in the movie when he says, “I was so intent on protecting the Book that I forgot to live by what it taught.” Even with that confession, it was obvious he did believe and live much of what he’d learned. He walked without fear across the country. He gave warning to those attacking him, giving them a chance to abandon that course. He steadfastly refused to desert his task. He was faithful.

          The book of Eli is filled with violent images and depicts a tragic world, one almost devoid of hope or joy and anything good. The world seems to be place filled with pockets of thugs ruling little fiefdoms or solitary people living an horrific existence. This movie just as graphically imposes hope, realistic, possible to attain hope into that dystopia. The book of Eli, while one of the most stark dystopian movies I’ve seen, is also one of the most hopeful. One of the few that I’ve walked away from encouraged and inspired.

          The hope that is depicted in the storyline is also seen in the way the film is recorded. One of the complaints I have about a lot of the emotionally dark movies is how they are also filmed in dark surroundings. This makes things hard to see and gives an oppressive feel to the entire story. I realize that is probably the intent, but I think sometimes it is overdone. Maybe that’s why I don’t like dark movies. (By dark, I mean those storylines that depict life as oppressive, tragic, devoid of enjoyment, where bad triumphs over good.)

          The Book of Eli was a different. Yes it is an oppressive society. There is little enjoyment and life is tragic. But most of the movie was filmed in daylight. Even the nighttime scenes are lit well. I think this is significant. Again, this was probably done intentionally. Even if not, it added a huge subliminal message that light can dispel darkness, right can triumph over wrong, and justice will be done.

          The ending scene is of the book, the Holy Bible, being put on the shelf with the Koran. I’ve heard many complain about that, saying it equates the Bible with all the other great books, or that it dilutes the message of God protecting His book. I disagree. I think it sharply, with one crisp visual, shows how God accomplishes His purposes even through those who do not acknowledge His involvement. All throughout history, the Lord, His Word and His people have been protected and guided, sometimes by obvious means, most times by not so obvious. In the Book of Eli, Eli is guided directly by God, given a sight and an understanding he doesn’t have on his own. Just because the Lord also used a group of people intent on preserving all the great literature does not discount God’s working in those events.

          According to my statement of purpose I want to remark on and bring into better focus that which is good and pure and noble and lovely and of good report in the books and movies I review. In my reviews, you will read about what is good, what I liked about the movie, how I was enriched and encouraged by watching it, what I saw that made my Lord’s truths more clear, more real. In my opinion, The Book of Eli is a wondrous story of one man’s walk of faith and the impact it had on his world.

         I went to this movie expecting to like it. Several friends recommended it t. They said it was the best Star Trek movie ever. I like all things Star Trek, so I expected to like this. Just before I went, though, someone mentioned Romulans. That concerned me, made me wonder if maybe this movie wouldn’t live up to the hype. After all, as any Trek follower knows, the Romulans were first encountered in the original series. So even though I expected to enjoy the movie, I was on the alert for inconsistencies.

          I’m pleased to say the movie covered all the inconsistencies. I’m not so pleased to say I didn’t really get the story I expected to get. Supposedly I was going to see the younger Dr. McCoy, James Kirk and Spock, among others, meet and experience their first adventure. I didn’t really get that. I got an adventure, a wonderfully cinematic one. I didn’t get an introduction to the early years of the characters as I expected. They had the same names. They had the burgeoning versions of the same quirks. (The actors were superb! I forgot immediately that these people were actors. They became the characters.) They had the glimmerings of the same character chemistry and conflicts. But they weren’t the same. From the first moment we saw them on the screen, their lives had been subtly or not so subtly changed by a timeline invasion.

         I am of two minds about this movie. On the one hand, it was an excellent movie, with great acting, an interesting storyline and a set-up for many more adventures. On the other hand, though, it was NOT a movie chronicling the early years of Spock, McCoy, and Kirk. Yes it was enjoyable. Yes, the actors did an amazing job in portraying these younger counterparts. Yes, the story was compelling. But it was not the story of “my” characters, the characters I knew in my childhood and teens. In the words of young Kirk to old Spock, “coming back in time, changing history . . . that’s cheating.” That’s what it feels like . . .cheating.

          But if I can lay all that aside (and I can) to see this story without all those generational expectations, I am impressed. This is a superb movie. The acting is fantastic, the characters believable and the plot, while extraordinary is at least plausible. Add to that the potential of numerous more new on-screen adventures, and you have a movie worthy to be listed in the Star Trek library.

         There are the usual “red flags” many Christians (me included) object to, cursing, double entredres and outright physical encounters. This is to be expected. Unfortunately. However, they are few and almost inoffensive. Even the physical encounters are brief and not too explicit. I would have preferred not to see a scantily clad Kirk and alien cadet or Uhura strip down to her underwear for the camera, but those encounters were brief. There was no lingering on the scenes with the seeming intent to arouse (unlike Uhura’s distracting display in “The Search for Spock”). And, if you wait for the DVD and you have/buy a ClearPlay DVD player, you can easily filter out those offensive scenes without losing any of the major plot points.

          Overall, I liked this movie. It was an enjoyable 2 hours. It just wasn’t the Star Trek experience that I expected. It was the creation of a new Star Trek experience. As with the Next Gen, DS9, and Voyager stories, this one is full of possibilities. Once I’m past the disappointment of not seeing “my” Star Trek beginnings, I’m sure I will enjoy this new timeline as much as all the others.

          As for Christian merit, I can’t really cite anything memorable for or against. This movie was faith-neutral. Unlike many of the episodes, spiritually was not ridiculed or debunked, controversial social issues were not cast in a light at odds with traditional Christian thought. In fact, those issues were not explored at all. This was purely an action-adventure movie. There is no social commentary that is so prevalent in the TV shows. There was none of the evolutionary theoretical science presented as fact that is prevalent in the multiple Trek series. The only objectionable parts of the movie are the already-mentioned minor cursings and an aborted bedroom scene.

          I’m not sure I actually recommend it. That would imply that I see something that encourages and uplifts a Christian who chooses to watch it. I can’t really say that. While there is little that is objectionable, this is in essence just a fun ride. Possibly a bit more so for those already fond of the Star Trek universe. And fun rides are . . . fun. So go enjoy it if you want.

          For a more detailed review and analysis (compatible with the Christian perspective, of course), Focus on the Family’s Plugged in does a good job.

          IMDB has a full synopsis of the story.