Dystopia is no doubt one of the most overused genres in books (Hunger Games, Mortal Engines, Inheritance Cycle), movies (Star Wars), and even video games (Half Life, Fallout), but you can never have too much of a great thing. It’s my genre of choice, writing-wise, and almost all of the good stuff I’ve ever concocted fits somewhere into the dystopian spectrum. So it’s no surprise that I love almost every dystopian thing that comes along, but this one was special.
From all the average reviews I assumed The Book of Eli was your average post-apocalyptic film… and I could not have been more wrong. I don’t watch that many movies, and I can’t remember the last Denzel one I saw… but if this is one of his worst (as the critics say) I’d wonder what he’s like at his best. Eli is a terrific character, the perfect evangelical knife-fighting nomad, and easily one of the best dystopian heroes I’ve ever seen. Gary Oldman is just and awesome actor, and his character is utterly flawless in every way. Also, I didn’t even know Mila Kunis was in this when I started it, but by the time it was over I was glad she was. Each character was amazing in their own right, and together they make a masterpiece.
Even with the great characters… I almost loved the world itself more. Filmed in New Mexico and made to look like a dark Death Valley, the cinematography is incredible and goes with the storyline perfectly. It’s an amazing piece of work, and easily ranks up there as one of my favorite post-apocalyptic / dystopian worlds.
Then of course comes the story itself, which I loved from start to finish. I know really the main focal point for the criticism was the final twist… but I didn’t see anything wrong with it. In my mind, it was pretty ingenious. The whole thing was superbly told, superbly acted, and surrounded with a superb world and a superb soundtrack. So you can easily guess the adjective I’d use to describe it.
SONG OF THE DAY: ROCKET MAN
You’ve all heard this before… but I was at a loss and had no other songs. So with ten minutes to midnight I say goodnight… and hello to the penultimate (look it up) day to Harry Potter 8.
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