The Book of Eli: Sci Fi Explores the Authentic Transformational Power of Scripture in Contrast to Religious Ideology
The Book of Eli is an incredible sci-fi feature set in a post-apocalyptic earth, and a thought provoking exploration into the authentic transformational power of Scripture in contrast to use of the Bible to give leverage to abusive ideology and social control. It is a wonderful allegory, speaking to modern issues of religious ideology and the goodness of the Good Book.
As the story goes, earth has been all but destroyed by war and weapons of mass destruction, and survivors must do their best to live in a world of scarce resources under anarchy. In all the mess, Eli (Denzel Washington) receives a divine calling to take his Bible westward. Although he is unaware of all the details of his quest, the end of the journey is Alcatraz Island, where there is a printing press though which the Good Book can be duplicated, yet this detail is hidden from Eli. What he does know is that The Bible he possesses is to the best of his knowledge the last one in existence, since after the nuclear holocaust, people began to blame the Bible as the reason for all the calamity, and set forth a campaign to burn all the remaining copies.
The journey westward takes Eli to a makeshift town run by Carnegie (Gary Oldman), an unscrupulous town leader who has acquired power and influence through his monopoly on fresh water. The corrupt Carnegie even sends out his cronies to do some marauding on unsuspecting nomads for their goods, and especially likes it when they bring back books for his own reading pleasure. What Carnegie really wants is to acquire a copy of the Bible. He desire is not to obtain spiritual truth, but to use the religious text as a way of gaining leverage over the masses, and because he is one of the few individuals who know how to read, he will be its sole authoritative interpreter. In this way, he can use the power of religious language to give religious sanction to his corrupt plans. Carnegie is the archetype of those who really do not understand the power of God’s Word, but actually twits its message as a self-serving ideology. (Perhaps very similar to Tetzel who exploited the sale of indulgences to release loved one’s from purgatory, which the Reformer Martin Luther criticized in the Ninety-five Theses.)
While bartering for some water and recharged batteries, Eli runs into a scuffle with Carnegie’s cronies, and hacks them to pieces with a machete. Carnegie witnesses the battle, and sees potential in Eli into becoming one of his cronies, and tries to seduce him into services, even employing the use of Solara (Mila Kunis) to give him sexual favors in exchange for his allegiance. Eli resists the temptations.
After the failed attempt to gain Eli’s servitude, Carnegie interrogates Solara and learns about the Bible. Carnegie attempts to take the Book, but winds up getting a leg injury in a gun battle, and our hero escapes. Solara is perplexed by the strange habits of Eli, particularly his devotion to prayer and reading his Bible, but also fascinated by them as well, which becomes her reason to leave town and join Eli’s quest.
Eli is the archetype of the one who truly has been infused with the Word of God. He is not perfect, for in spite of the fact he has committed to memory the Good Book, he still habitually turns a blind eye towards people in distress. Yet, Scripture serves as a tutor, informing Eli on what is the right thing to do. He also understands the power of the Scriptures, knowing that in the wrong hands its message can be twisted to endorse evil.
Carnegie and Eli eventually face off for one final battle, and this time Carnegie comes into possession of the Bible; however, it is no victory for the antagonist. The movie ends with a twist, for Carnegie obtains the Book, but cannot read it, for it is in Braille. Moreover, Eli is revealed to actually be blind (the movie implies he lost his sight from the flash of a nuclear explosion), but does not need the physical book to deliver the King James Bible to its final destination, for he had it completely memorized! His memorization allows him to dictate word for word the Scripture to a scribe at Alcatraz and out of which would become the manuscript for the reprinting of King James Bibles. In the end, Carnegie and Eli die from their battle wounds, but the latter is the victor.
(It should also be noted, The Book of Eli is far from something family friendly, and there are lots of bloody battles and severed heads and limbs on screen, so it is not for the squeamish or an underage audience. On the other hand, it is one of those movies that really plays out well some important insights on the Bible’s influence upon culture.)
As the story goes, earth has been all but destroyed by war and weapons of mass destruction, and survivors must do their best to live in a world of scarce resources under anarchy. In all the mess, Eli (Denzel Washington) receives a divine calling to take his Bible westward. Although he is unaware of all the details of his quest, the end of the journey is Alcatraz Island, where there is a printing press though which the Good Book can be duplicated, yet this detail is hidden from Eli. What he does know is that The Bible he possesses is to the best of his knowledge the last one in existence, since after the nuclear holocaust, people began to blame the Bible as the reason for all the calamity, and set forth a campaign to burn all the remaining copies.
The journey westward takes Eli to a makeshift town run by Carnegie (Gary Oldman), an unscrupulous town leader who has acquired power and influence through his monopoly on fresh water. The corrupt Carnegie even sends out his cronies to do some marauding on unsuspecting nomads for their goods, and especially likes it when they bring back books for his own reading pleasure. What Carnegie really wants is to acquire a copy of the Bible. He desire is not to obtain spiritual truth, but to use the religious text as a way of gaining leverage over the masses, and because he is one of the few individuals who know how to read, he will be its sole authoritative interpreter. In this way, he can use the power of religious language to give religious sanction to his corrupt plans. Carnegie is the archetype of those who really do not understand the power of God’s Word, but actually twits its message as a self-serving ideology. (Perhaps very similar to Tetzel who exploited the sale of indulgences to release loved one’s from purgatory, which the Reformer Martin Luther criticized in the Ninety-five Theses.)
While bartering for some water and recharged batteries, Eli runs into a scuffle with Carnegie’s cronies, and hacks them to pieces with a machete. Carnegie witnesses the battle, and sees potential in Eli into becoming one of his cronies, and tries to seduce him into services, even employing the use of Solara (Mila Kunis) to give him sexual favors in exchange for his allegiance. Eli resists the temptations.
After the failed attempt to gain Eli’s servitude, Carnegie interrogates Solara and learns about the Bible. Carnegie attempts to take the Book, but winds up getting a leg injury in a gun battle, and our hero escapes. Solara is perplexed by the strange habits of Eli, particularly his devotion to prayer and reading his Bible, but also fascinated by them as well, which becomes her reason to leave town and join Eli’s quest.
Eli is the archetype of the one who truly has been infused with the Word of God. He is not perfect, for in spite of the fact he has committed to memory the Good Book, he still habitually turns a blind eye towards people in distress. Yet, Scripture serves as a tutor, informing Eli on what is the right thing to do. He also understands the power of the Scriptures, knowing that in the wrong hands its message can be twisted to endorse evil.
Carnegie and Eli eventually face off for one final battle, and this time Carnegie comes into possession of the Bible; however, it is no victory for the antagonist. The movie ends with a twist, for Carnegie obtains the Book, but cannot read it, for it is in Braille. Moreover, Eli is revealed to actually be blind (the movie implies he lost his sight from the flash of a nuclear explosion), but does not need the physical book to deliver the King James Bible to its final destination, for he had it completely memorized! His memorization allows him to dictate word for word the Scripture to a scribe at Alcatraz and out of which would become the manuscript for the reprinting of King James Bibles. In the end, Carnegie and Eli die from their battle wounds, but the latter is the victor.
(It should also be noted, The Book of Eli is far from something family friendly, and there are lots of bloody battles and severed heads and limbs on screen, so it is not for the squeamish or an underage audience. On the other hand, it is one of those movies that really plays out well some important insights on the Bible’s influence upon culture.)
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