Movie Review: The Book of Eli

"The Book of Eli" is officially the first awesome movie of 2010. I actually watched this one in the theater. I thought it was great...5 stars all the way!

First off...the trailers were very misleading. I was expecting an apocalyptic-type action film, and while there was action, "The Book of Eli" had so much more. Basically, it was totally different from what I was expecting, but I loved it nonetheless.

Denzel Washington (does he ever make a bad movie?) stars as Eli. Eli is a "walker" in the not to distant future of earth. We find out it's approximately 30 years after "the war", and all indications point to it being a nuclear war. Eli is carrying a special book, and heading west. I can't tell you what the book is, but I will tell you that I thought it was really cool. As he goes west, he finds a settlement, run by a man named Carnegie (Gary Oldman). Carnegie happens to be searching for the book Eli holds. Once Eli is discovered, the story goes in a direction I never expected, but ended up loving. I'm trying really hard not to give much away here, because I think you just have to see this movie!

The characters were interesting, complex, and not always likable. Of course Eli is a wonderful character, and I almost always like Gary Oldman. Oldman plays the perfect villain, and at the end, you even feel somewhat sorry for him. However what surprised me the most was Mila Kunis (she played Jackie on "That 70's Show"). Kunis played Solara, a young girl who tags along with Eli once he leaves the settlement. She showed depth as an actor that I didn't know she had. I was worried when she showed up in the movie, but it really worked.

I find myself wondering why there can't be more movies like this. Maybe there are, and I'm just not open to them. "The Book of Eli" had some action in it, but it was also a terrific story with some really interesting twists, including one on the level of the "Sixth Sense" plot twist involving Bruce Willis' character.

Just go watch "The Book of Eli." I think you'll enjoy it. It is rated R, so don't take little kids. If you do watch it, I'd love to know what you think.