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The Book of Eli - (mod note, spoilers included)

F

FaithlessThinker

New Member
arg-fallbackName="FaithlessThinker"/>
Sounds religious, right? Well it is.

I haven't watched the movie, but I read the plot on Wikipedia. It's the story of a blind guy who goes against all odds to protect a certain book which supposedly can give you the power to build cities and control people. The book is none other than... King James Bible.

I think the producers are trying to glorify the bible and religion in general (at the end of the movie, there's also a quran and a torah). If it was some fictitious book, I would have given the movie my eyes, but I feel it's really a complete waste of time watching a movie that's both post-apocalyptic and glorifying religious ideologies.

Anyone watched this movie? Is it worth the time?

The Book of Eli
 
arg-fallbackName="Squawk"/>
Re: The Book of Eli

Personally I loved it.

Plot spoilers.

For starters there are numerous references to the way the book can be used to control people. It's really well scripted and well acted. The fact that the book in question is the holy wibble is a bit of a shame, but it doesn't really detract.
 
arg-fallbackName="CosmicJoghurt"/>
I really enjoyed watching the movie. I mean, it was beautifully acted, the message was beautiful. It was just awesome.
 
arg-fallbackName="borrofburi"/>
anon1986sing said:
I'm gonna watch it! Will let you guys know what I think.
Click to expand...
Make no mistake: it is pro bible. And it is anti atheists with all their want of book burnings and apocalypse making.

But it's still an ok movie, and a lot of it ends up criticizing the bible (possibly unintentionally).
 
arg-fallbackName="Squawk"/>
You tought pro bible?

It's referred to throughout as a way to control people, thats why the dude wants it
 
arg-fallbackName="televator"/>
Squawk said:
You tought pro bible?

It's referred to throughout as a way to control people, thats why the dude wants it
Click to expand...

You mean "thought"? As in I thought the movie was pro-bible? IDK if it is, but if atheists are just going around burning all books in general for the hell of it...that's a negative and untrue portrayal. :cry:

Oh well. I guess it's better to watch and see what it's all about first.
 
arg-fallbackName="borrofburi"/>
Squawk said:
You tought pro bible?

It's referred to throughout as a way to control people, thats why the dude wants it
Click to expand...
It's also revered, and the main character, the good guy, has much of it memorized (he's always quoting bits). It's implied that there's a "wrong" way to use the bible (controlling people) and the "right" way of using it: gain enlightment and peace and goodness and be super powerful... Indeed I could even argue that it's implied that the way (even the only way) to be a really good person like Eli is to study the bible.
 
arg-fallbackName="Leçi"/>
I guess I'm not going to bother watching it because as soon as they talk about religion in a supportive way in a mainstream movie it sucks out all the fun in a second for me, even if religion is shown in a negative way like "The mist" it irritates me but I guess that was the intention.
 
arg-fallbackName="Anachronous Rex"/>
The whole film seemed to me to be making the, "there is a right way to use faith, and a wrong way to use faith" argument that you see apologists bring up from time to time. If you don't agree with the argument then your enjoyment of the film will probably suffer somewhat.

Of course, this is somewhat undermined by the protagonist being genuinely guided by god in a literal sense. Hence, if he has faith at all it seems to be only in that he is not mentally ill. If there were actually people around who could do those kind of things, I think religion would have a far more convincing empirical argument.

That said, it wasn't a bad film. There are a few ridiculous plot points, but it does a good job of keeping everything else firmly grounded (which is what you have to do when you have ridiculous plot points in fiction.)

Overall I enjoyed it. B, B- somewhere in there. I'm a huge Fallout fan though, so take that for what it's worth.
 
arg-fallbackName="Master_Ghost_Knight"/>
The plot entry about the guy is a complete missunderstanding. I have watch the movie and he was definitely not blind, I think that comes from a missunderstanding of the plot twist.
 
arg-fallbackName="Anachronous Rex"/>
Master_Ghost_Knight said:
The plot entry about the guy is a complete missunderstanding. I have watch the movie and he was definitely not blind, I think that comes from a missunderstanding of the plot twist.
Click to expand...
Watch it again, he clearly was.

I mean, if nothing else they gave his eyes a cataract effect when they finally showed them, but beyond that he always wears shades, his eyes never focus on anything, and he always waits for a sound before acting. Or didn't you notice that he had to hear them shoot before he shot back in the gunfight?
 
arg-fallbackName="Master_Ghost_Knight"/>
Anachronous Rex said:
Watch it again, he clearly was.

I mean, if nothing else they gave his eyes a cataract effect when they finally showed them, but beyond that he always wears shades, his eyes never focus on anything, and he always waits for a sound before acting. Or didn't you notice that he had to hear them shoot before he shot back in the gunfight?
Click to expand...

Damn you giving me doubts... *shakes angry fist* you are going to make me watch it again. ;)
 
arg-fallbackName="Daealis"/>
I really didn't get anything out of the movie, but a bad taste in the mouth. In any aspect there is a movie that has done it better. Been a while since I saw it so I can't remember any scenes or even the overall theme, only that the bible was the centerpiece, the book everyone wanted. I remember just having a feeling like I watched some semi-clever bible-brainwashing, not really a movie.
 
arg-fallbackName="stuart"/>
I loved it, I thought its core messages was about how religion can be used to control people and that control, in the wrong hands, can be dangerous. The book didn't hold any power, more that it was a symbol. It was just an object that could be exploited to control people and gain power through that control (as it had been used originally)

I didn't get an anti-atheist feeling from it all. If anything I would say it could be seen as anti-religion. You could certainly argue that the film was saying that religions only power comes from those who choose to exploit it.
 
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