The Book of Eli

{{For-multi|the 12th-century English chronicle known as the Book of Ely|Liber Eliensis{{!}}Liber Eliensis|the High Priest of Israel mentioned in the Bible|Eli (biblical figure)|the album by Ski Mask the Slump God|Beware the Book of Eli{{!}}Beware the Book of Eli}}

{{Infobox film

| image = Book of eli poster.jpg

| alt = A man wearing sunglasses and strapped with a firearm on his back looks at something off-view in a cloudy day, all tinted with rusty coloring.

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = The Hughes Brothers

| writer = Gary Whitta

| producer = {{Plainlist|

| starring = {{Plainlist|

| cinematography = Don Burgess

| editing = Cindy Mollo

| music = {{Plainlist|

Atticus Ross
Leopold Ross
Claudia Sarne}}

| studio = {{Plainlist|

| distributor = Warner Bros. Pictures (United States, Canada and Turkey)
Summit Entertainment (International)

| released = {{film date|2010|1|15}}

| runtime = 118 minutes{{cite web|url= https://www.bbfc.co.uk/AVF262785 |title=The Book of Eli (15) |website=BBFC |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730222704/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/e8ea0df3a881175480256d58003cb570/7366d0d20ceadf94802576a30050da25?OpenDocument |archive-date=2012-07-30 |url-status=live}}

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $80 million

| gross = $157.1 million

}}

The Book of Eli is a 2010 American post-apocalyptic neo-Western{{cite web | title=The Book of Eli -- Film Review | website=The Hollywood Reporter | date=2010-01-12 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/book-eli-film-review-29089 | access-date=2019-08-10}}{{cite web | title=The Book of Eli | website=abc.net.au | date=2010-04-30 | url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/reviews/2010/04/30/2886505.htm | access-date=2019-08-10}} action film directed by the Hughes brothers, written by Gary Whitta, and starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, and Jennifer Beals. The story revolves around Eli, a nomad in a post-apocalyptic world who seeks to deliver his copy of a mysterious book to a safe location on the West Coast of the United States. Filming began in February 2009 and took place in New Mexico.{{cite web |url=http://www.thelocationguide.com/blog/2010/02/ithe-book-of-elii-shoots-in-new-mexico/|title= The Book of Eli shoots in New Mexico |last= Goundry |first=Nick |date= February 1, 2010|website= The Location Guide|access-date=July 15, 2013}}

The Book of Eli was released theatrically in the United States on January 15, 2010, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics but earned $157.1 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of $80 million.

Plot

Thirty years after a nuclear holocaust, Eli travels on foot across the wasteland of the former United States. Searching for water, he arrives in a ramshackle town ruled by a warlord named Carnegie, who seeks to control the people through the power of a certain book, which his henchmen have been unable to find.

Eli barters with a store owner, the Engineer, to recharge the battery of his portable music player. At the town bar, he is attacked by a gang of bikers but swiftly kills them all, demonstrating uncanny survival and fighting skills. Impressed, Carnegie invites Eli to join his employ, but Eli declines. Realizing Eli is a literate man like himself, Carnegie forces him to stay the night under guard. Carnegie's blind mistress, Claudia, brings Eli food and water, and Carnegie orders her daughter Solara to seduce Eli, but he rebuffs her. Solara sees Eli has a book, and he offers to share his food, saying grace before they eat. In the morning, Carnegie overhears Solara repeating the prayer to her mother and realizes Eli has the book he has been seeking: a Bible.

Eli sneaks away, but Carnegie and his henchmen confront him in the street. When Eli refuses to give up the book, Carnegie orders him killed; the ensuing battle leaves Eli untouched, but many henchmen are dead, and Carnegie is shot in the leg. Solara catches up to Eli and leads him to the town's water supply, hoping to accompany him, but he traps her inside and continues alone. Solara escapes and is ambushed by two bandits who attempt to rape her, but Eli reappears and kills them. Continuing west, Eli explains his mission: he has the last remaining copy of the Bible since all other copies were intentionally destroyed following the nuclear war. He says that he was led to the book by a voice in his head, directing him to travel westward to a safe place and assuring him that he would be protected and guided on his journey.

At an isolated house, Eli and Solara fall into a trap but manage to allay the suspicions of the elderly residents, George and Martha. Realizing that George and Martha are cannibals, Eli and Solara attempt to leave just as Carnegie and his men arrive. In the ensuing shootout, George and Martha are killed, and Eli and Solara are captured. Threatening to kill Solara, Carnegie forces Eli to surrender the Bible before shooting him and leaving him for dead, departing with his caravan. Solara escapes, destroying one truck with a hand grenade and driving back in another to find Eli. With his remaining vehicle low on fuel, Carnegie returns to town.

Solara finds Eli, and they drive until they reach the Golden Gate Bridge. They row to Alcatraz Island, where they find a group intent on preserving what remains of literature and music. Eli tells the guards that he has a copy of the Bible. Taken inside, Eli dictates the New King James Version of the Bible from memory to Lombardi, the sanctuary's leader.

In the town, Carnegie discovers Eli's bible is in Braille, revealing Eli to be blind. Claudia, feigning ignorance of Braille, tells Carnegie that his leg wound has become infected and the loss of his enforcers has led the people to run amok. At the sanctuary, Eli dies, but not before reciting the entire book. A printing press begins producing copies of the Bible, and Lombardi places one on a bookshelf between the Hebrew Bible and the Quran. Offered sanctuary in Alcatraz, Solara chooses to return home instead, taking up Eli's machete and other possessions.

Cast

Denzel Washington as Eli
Gary Oldman as Bill Carnegie
Mila Kunis as Solara
Ray Stevenson as Redridge
Jennifer Beals as Claudia
Evan Jones as Martz
Joe Pingue as Hoyt
Frances de la Tour as Martha
Michael Gambon as George
Tom Waits as Engineer
Chris Browning as Hijack Leader
Malcolm McDowell as Lombardi (uncredited)

Production

In May 2007, Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures signed the Hughes brothers to direct The Book of Eli, based on a script by Gary Whitta.{{cite journal | last=Fleming | first=Michael | url= https://variety.com/2007/film/markets-festivals/hughes-brothers-set-for-book-of-eli-2-1117965533/ | title=Hughes brothers set for 'Book of Eli' | journal=Variety | date=May 21, 2007 | access-date= November 28, 2008 }} Subsequently, Anthony Peckham rewrote the script, and in September 2008 Denzel Washington won the lead role.{{cite journal | last1=Fleming | first1= Michael |first2=Dave |last2=McNary | url= https://variety.com/2008/film/features/denzel-washington-picks-up-book-1117991628/ | title=Denzel Washington picks up 'Book' | journal=Variety | date=September 4, 2008 | access-date=November 28, 2008 }} The following October, Gary Oldman was cast to star alongside Washington.{{cite news | last= Kit | first= Borys | url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/gary-oldman-joins-book-eli-121979/ | title=Gary Oldman joins 'Book of Eli' | agency= Associated Press | date=October 29, 2008 | access-date=November 23, 2023 }} Principal photography began in February 2009 and took place in New Mexico.{{cite magazine | last=Vozick-Levinson | first=Simon | url=https://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20251067_2,00.html | title=Jack Black Rocks 'Yo Gabba Gabba' and More First Looks | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | publisher=Time Warner | date=February 2009 | access-date=February 26, 2009 | archive-date=February 27, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227221313/http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20251067_2,00.html | url-status=dead }} Alcon Entertainment financed the film and co-produced with Silver Pictures.{{cite web |url= http://reelsuave.com/2008/10/30/gary-oldman-joins-denzel-on-%e2%80%98eli%e2%80%99/ |title= Gary Oldman joins Denzel on 'Eli' |website= Reel Suave |date= October 30, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091117165656/https://www.reelsuave.com/2008/10/30/gary-oldman-joins-denzel-on-‘eli’/ |archive-date=2009-11-17}}

Jeff Imada choreographed the complex fight scenes, which feature the Filipino martial art of arnis. Washington trained for months with Dan Inosanto and Imada for his role.

{{cite web

| url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810067275/info

| title=The Book of Eli – Behind the Scenes:Stunts

| website= Yahoo! Movies | year=2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100125084511/https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810067275/info |archive-date=January 25, 2010

}}

Release

The Book of Eli was released in theaters on January 15, 2010, by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States; international sales were handled by Summit Entertainment,{{cite news|title=The Book of Eli|website=Screen Daily|first=Mike|last=Goodridge|date=11 January 2010|access-date=9 August 2021|url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-book-of-eli/5009522.article}}{{cite web|title=Summit picks up The Book of Eli|date=October 23, 2008|website=Screen Daily|access-date=9 August 2021|url= https://www.screendaily.com/summit-picks-up-the-book-of-eli/4041564.article}} with Sony Pictures Releasing International distributing in a large number of international territories.{{cite web|title=SPWAG confirms multi-territory acquisition of The Book of Eli|website=Screen Daily|first=Jeremy|last=Kay|date=13 November 2008|access-date=9 August 2021|url=https://www.screendaily.com/spwag-confirms-multi-territory-acquisition-of-the-book-of-eli/4041965.article}}

The film was released on home media (DVD and Blu-ray Disc) in the United States on June 15, 2010, by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.{{cite web |last=Gallagher |first=Brian |url=https://movieweb.com/the-book-of-eli-opens-up-on-dvd-and-blu-ray-on-june-15th/ |title=The Book of Eli Opens Up on DVD and Blu-ray on June 15th |website=MovieWeb |access-date=15 October 2022 |date=19 March 2010}}

Reception

=Box office=

The film was released in North America on January 15, 2010, in 3,111 theaters. It took in $11,672,970 on its opening day, averaging $3,752 per theater.{{cite web | url=https://boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/?sortdate=2010-01-15&p=.htm | title=Daily Box Office for Friday, January 15, 2010 | work=Box Office Mojo | publisher=IMDb | date=January 15, 2010 | access-date=January 22, 2010}} By the end of its opening four-day holiday weekend, it had grossed $38,437,553, averaging $12,355 per theater. It ranked number two, behind Avatar.{{cite web | url=https://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2010&wknd=03a&p=.htm | title=Weekend Box Office Results for January 15–18, 2010 (4-day weekend) | work=Box Office Mojo | publisher=IMDb | date=January 18, 2010 | access-date=January 22, 2010}} On its second weekend, it placed third, being surpassed by Legion, and grossed $15,732,493, averaging $5,057 per theater.{{cite web | url=https://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2010&wknd=04&p=.htm | title=Weekend Box Office Results for January 22–24, 2010 | work=Box Office Mojo | publisher=IMDb | date=January 24, 2010 | access-date=January 25, 2010}} On its third weekend, it dropped down to number five, and made $8,908,286, averaging $2,897 per theater.{{cite web | url=https://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2010&wknd=05&p=.htm | title=Weekend Box Office Results for January 29–31, 2010 | work=Box Office Mojo | publisher=IMDb | date=January 31, 2010 | access-date=February 15, 2010}}

The film grossed $94,835,059 in the United States and Canada, and $62,256,659 in other markets, with an estimated worldwide total of $157,091,718, over an estimated budget of $80 million.{{cite web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/01/movie-projector-book-of-eli-first-major-challenger-to-avatar.html|title=Movie projector: 'Book of Eli' first major challenger to 'Avatar'|work=Los Angeles Times | date=January 14, 2010|access-date=January 22, 2010|quote=Alcon spent $80 million to produce the movie, which stars Denzel Washington.}}{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bookofeli.htm|title=The Book of Eli (2010)|work=Box Office Mojo|publisher=Internet Movie Database|access-date=October 23, 2010}}

=Critical reception=

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 47% of 210 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 5.50/10. The site's consensus is that "It's certainly uneven, and many viewers will find that its reach exceeds its grasp, but The Book of Eli finds the Hughes brothers injecting some fresh stylish fun into the kind of post-apocalyptic wasteland filmgoers have seen more than enough of lately."{{cite web |title=The Book of Eli (2010) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_book_of_eli |access-date=August 25, 2023 |work=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media}} Based on 33 critic reviews, Metacritic (another review aggregator) has assigned the film a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews".{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-book-of-eli |title=The Book of Eli Reviews |publisher=CNET Networks |work=Metacritic |access-date=February 5, 2021}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |access-date=2023-08-25 |website=CinemaScore |language=en-US}}

Todd McCarthy of Variety predicted "this will not be one of ... Denzel Washington's bigger grossers".{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/the-book-of-eli-1117941866/ |title=The Book of Eli|date=January 10, 2010|work=Variety|publisher=Reed Business Information|last=McCarthy |first= Todd|access-date=January 13, 2010}} Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, stating: "You won't be sorry you went. It grips your attention, and then at the end throws in several WTF! moments, which are a bonus."{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-book-of-eli-2010 | last=Ebert |first=Roger | author-link=Roger Ebert | title= Strange, how post-apocalyptic doom can be grim and goofy |work=Chicago Sun-Times | publisher=Sun-Times Media Group | date=January 13, 2010}}

Reviewing the film for The A.V. Club, Scott Tobias graded the film a B and wrote, "At a time when theaters are experiencing a glut of doomsday scenarios, the Hughes' ashen, bombed-out future world looks a little too familiar, no matter how crisply they present it. But the showdown between Washington and a deliciously hammy Oldman complicates the film's overt religiosity".{{cite web| url =https://www.avclub.com/the-book-of-eli-1798164135| title=The Book of Eli |work = The AV Club| last=Tobias |first=Scott | date=January 14, 2010|access-date =August 27, 2017}}

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a D, calling it "a ponderous dystopian bummer that might be described as The Road Warrior [Mad Max 2] without car chases, or The Road without humanity.{{cite magazine|url= https://ew.com/article/2010/01/15/book-eli-2/ |title=The Book of Eli |date=January 15, 2010|magazine=Entertainment Weekly | publisher=Time Warner | first=Owen |last=Gleiberman | author-link=Owen Gleiberman |access-date=January 17, 2010}}

Home media

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on May 31, 2010, in the UK and on June 15, 2010, in the United States and Canada. The DVD took the top spot on all three national home video market charts in its first week. It premiered at No. 1 on Home Media Magazine's Rental Chart, the Nielsen VideoScan Blu-ray chart, and the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert Sales Chart, where it outdistanced its nearest competitor in sales by a 3 to 1 margin.{{cite web| url =http://wowcelebrities.us/the-book-of-eli-sweeps-video-charts| title =The Book of Eli Sweeps Video Charts| work =wowcelebrities.us| date =June 24, 2010| access-date =June 24, 2010| archive-date =September 2, 2011| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110902160824/http://wowcelebrities.us/the-book-of-eli-sweeps-video-charts| url-status =dead}}

Television series

In January 2024, it was announced that a prequel television series was in development. Created and written by Whitta, who was to serve as an executive producer, the series would be set decades before the film, and once again center around the titular character. John Boyega was to star in the lead role, and he and the Hughes brothers would be executive producers also. Alcon Television Entertainment was shopping the series to various networks.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/the-book-of-eli-prequel-series-john-boyega-shopping-network-1235799330/|work=Deadline|title='The Book Of Eli' Prequel Series Starring John Boyega From Film's Creative Team Hits Marketplace|author=Andreeva, Nellie|date=January 22, 2024|accessdate=January 24, 2024}}