The Book of Eli
I just went to see “The Book of Eli” with my wife and stepson. It’s generating some controversy from within the Christian community, though I’ve noticed most Christian based web sites are giving it a better than average review. I don’t want to give too much away, but most of what I’m going to say could probably be figured out from the context of the movie trailer. Eli is on a mission from God, protecting the last known copy of the Bible from those who would destroy it or abuse its message to manipulate the masses. It is filled with a lot of graphic violence, a lot of foul language, and references to cannibalism and rape.
While many Christians might be turned off by the elements of this movie, it probably isn’t too far off the mark of what a Godless, post-apocalyptic future would be like. In that sense, “The Book of Eli” merely portrays what a world without God would be like, but it doesn’t endorse it. The movie brought to mind a few verses of Scripture. One was Exodus 20:13, another was Matthew 5:38-39. Some will ask “What about ‘Thou shall not kill?” It should be pointed out that Eli never initiated violence, he only used violence to protect himself or others being attacked. Others will claim that Eli is just another hypocritical Christian, because he didn’t “turn the other cheek,” but instead used violence to respond to violence.
The other scripture that came to mind was Matthew 11:12. Eli was clearly using violence against men who were assaulting the Word of God. Near the end of the movie, Eli expresses regret that he didn’t follow the Bible’s message more closely while trying to fulfill his mission, but I believe that has more to do with the people he failed to help than those he killed out of self-defense.
I was a little disappointed in the end of the movie, where the Bible is placed between the Tanach and the Koran. It definitely sends a mixed-message about the importance of the Bible, essentially saying that while the Bible is an important historical book, in the end, it is just another book.
I liked the movie over all, and feel it is a good one to see on the big screen, since it helps to deepen the sense of desolation the world has fallen into. I also believe it would send a strong message to Hollywood that there is a market for movies that have Christian themes, which are in short supply these days.
Mike
My thoughts exactly. This would have been a phenomenal movie if only the last scene were different. The ending message was one of religious pluralism and relativism, and that was a missed opportunity if this film had been directed by a Christian director. But given the fact that it is a secular movie, we probably couldn’t expect anything more…
Good review…