A story based in a post-apocalyptic world, "The Book of Eli" is a dystopian movie where a man travels through a chaotic world in order to protect the last remaining Bible known. This movie stands out to me because it is not your typical "Christian" movie. This action-packed movie shows the determination and faith of a man named Eli who is determined to take the Bible west in order to take it to a safe place where it can be reprinted and shared to the whole world. A woman named Solara accompanies him later in his journey and helps Eli reach his destination while also learning the importance of the Bible. The antagonist of the movie, Carnegie, is the only other person who recognizes the importance and power of the Bible. He knows that the Bible gives hope to those who understand it, and wants that power for his own selfish purposes. Eli battles his way through countless barriers setup by Carnegie and comes out on top at the end of the story, securing the Bible in the West.
This dystopian movie stands out to me due to the rare combination of action and thrill with a Christian background to the story. Eli preaches how he walks by faith, but does not reveal how truthful that is until finding out that he is blind at the end. His desire for peace mixed with his ability to kill shows how determined he is to do whatever is necessary for the sake of the Lord's Word. The most amazing part of this movie is how the viewer is clueless to Eli being blind due to his unbelievable use of the senses he still has. This movie emphasizes the ability of God's power to bless a blind man that seems to be put to an impossible task, even in a cold, dystopian world, and makes it to his destination. Eli's final scene shows him resting peacefully, with Solara ready to follow in his footsteps protecting the Bible. A sequel featuring Solara as the main character has not been produced yet, but "The Book of Eli" will always be one of my favorite movies.
For my independent project, I am planning on making a map of the United States with main events of the storyline depicted on the map. This will give a visual summary of the movie and show the multiple obstacles of his adventure. I will emphasize who was with him at each destination, Solara's route with him, the importance of each event, and an arrow pointing to the west. This map will complement the movie because it will connect all of the important scenes from the movie and visually show how amazing Eli's path to get to Alcatraz Island where the Bible would be safe. After watching the movie and finding out that Eli has been blind this whole time, you begin to be amazed at how much he accomplished as a blind man. This map will quickly show the viewer everything that Eli was able to do by only walking by faith, and not by sight.
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Works Cited Page
"The Book of Eli" movie cover
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