The Book of Eli- Blu Ray/DVD Combo Edition

DVD Reviews | Jun 16th, 2010

Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Jennifer Beals, Frances de la Tour, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Michael Gambon, Tom Waits
Written By: Gary Whitta
Directed By: Allen Hughes, Albert Hughes
Studio: Warner Bros

Denzel Washington stars in this post apocalyptic action drama, in which it takes place in a desolate wasteland some time after what was a nuclear event, and provides great action sequences. Also starring Gary Oldman and Milas Kunis, The Book of “Eli is not hard to figure out but the film is enjoyable nevertheless with its bleak cinematography and exciting action.

Traveling west, Eli (Washington) is on a mission. From who, we don’t know just yet, but it’s believed he is on a mission that is focused and must deliver something special to the remaining people in the world. Not disclosing where the film takes place it is believed to be somewhere in the Southwest U.S. as Eli travels west without trying to get involved in the affairs of others. As he stops into a small town, run by war lord Carnegie (Oldman,) Eli is trying to mind his own business and find water and power for his ipod. Trouble ensues and Eli is now having to defend himself in the local watering hole in town, and whooping a whole lot of ass too! As there is not enough mysteries surrounding Eli and where he came from, it’s also not known how he is such a quiet and somewhat subdued person and has the level of skill to easily defend against most people in his way. I get a “Kung Fu with David Carradine” kind of vibe when I see Eli.

Also, while in town, Carnegie finds out about the ass whooping’s Eli delivered to some of his men in his bar and wonders what brings him through these parts. Staying over for the night in Carnegie’s hotel, Carnegie forces one of his girls onto Eli, Solara (Kunis.) Solara and her mother Claudia are pretty much slaves to Carnegie and must do everything he demands. Eli and Solara hit it off but not in that romantic way and soon she realizes he has a book in his possession. Carnegie is a war lord and wants everyone to fear him as an educated man, therefore all books in the area must be confiscated and destroyed. Carnegie is out for that one book that may bring the planet hope once again and steal it away from whoever may hold it. Solara can’t read and brings the news to Carnegie that he holds a book in which he keeps secret. As you can imagine, Carnegie is obsessed with finding Eli as he has escaped and must find him before he tries to move on further.

There are plenty of extras, and in High definition for fans to enjoy. On top of getting a standard DVD and a digital copy of the film, you also get several featurettes including a look at the interesting score to the film, and a Lost Tale, which is a graphic novel about a character not featured in the film. With Maximum Movie Mode Survival Guide, you get a picture in picture commentary with Denzel and the Hughes Brothers for a good portion of the film. From a visual aspect, the film looked great in High Definition. It’s hard to really wage how well colors come through since its shown in very bland, sepia type of cinematography which works great in this type of film setting. The film video was crisp, with not much of that noticeable film grain and the audio was good for the most part. I think my audio settings were messed up on my end because the dialogue was very low and the action was LOUD. Maybe it was the film. Anyone out there have that same issue? It didn’t detract from what was a very enjoyable movie. The religious undertones of the film weren’t in your face and could be viewed by many without distaste.

Features:
Maximum Movie Mode Survival Guide
Starting Over
Eli’s Journey
The Book Of Eli Soundtrack
Additional Scenes
A Lost Tale: Billy
Includes Standard DVD Copy Of The Book Of Eli
Includes Digital Copy Of The Book Of Eli For Portable Media Players

Video:
Widescreen 2.40:1 Color

Audio:
ENGLISH: DTS-HD MA 5.1
SPANISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:
English, Spanish, French

Bottom Line: Opening sequence, Showdown at the Old House, Journey Out West
Running Time: 118 Mins
Rating: R
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating:

Topics:

, , , , , ,