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THE BOOK OF ELIMovie Reviews
Action drama about a man in a post-apocalyptic America who, as he journeys west, is safeguarding the last copy of the Bible. Cast:Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Michael GambonDirector:Albert Hughes, Allen HughesRelease Date:January 15, 2010DVD Release:June 15, 2010From:Warner Bros.Rating:RLength:1 hr 58 min
The Book of Eli played to good not great reviews. • Clint O'Connor wrote in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, "...a decent action-adventure flick aided greatly by its charismatic star, Denzel Washington. Washington brings such tremendous gravitas to his role that we're invested in the film as soon as we glimpse him." • And Lisa Kennedy called the film in the Denver Post, "...a stylish, gritty fantasy..." More Reviews Below...
The Book of Eli Positive Reviews (46 Reviews, reviews below)
Oliver Jones, People: WEAK(cg) "...slow-moving... in the end it's Washington, with his scorched voice and world-weary lope, that serves as the lone reason to go on this ponderous journey."(See all of Oliver Jones's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 159 words, 01/14/10
Richard Corliss, Time: EXCELLENT "...a smart drama that marks a welcome return for the Hughes brothers while indelibly establishing the image of Denzel Washington as one tough, sanctified dude."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,198 words, 01/15/10
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "It's fun to see Gary Oldman, made relatively boring in the 'Batman' films, return to full, theatrical villain mode.... Washington, too, is in his wheelhouse."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 719 words, 01/12/10
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a stylish post-apocalyptic Western... directors Albert and Allen Hughes have traveled parallel to 2009's 'The Road,' but made a more entertaining film."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 72 words, 01/14/10
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: POOR(cg) "...a ponderous dystopian bummer... feels stripped of drama, imagination, sensibility.... like a movie based on a graphic novel you don't want to read."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 498 words, 01/15/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "For about 3/4 of the running length, the movie holds together reasonably well... Unfortunately, it all falls apart during the final half hour..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,122 words, 01/13/10
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...isn't as exciting or funny or inspiring as it wants and needs to be... But Washington, a movie star who can act, is one cool dude who is worth following anywhere."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 353 words, 01/22/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...throws in several WTF! Moments, which are a bonus. They make everything in the entire movie impossible and incomprehensible -- but, hey, WTF."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 779 words, 01/14/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "A road warrior of a different sort... the movie keeps you watching and generally engaged.... you're happily, goofily hooked."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 997 words, 01/15/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: MODERATE(cg) "...it all comes down to one simplistic idea, and the result feels like a one-film evangelical movement.... Washington, though, is solid and soulful as always..."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 420 words, 01/15/10
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD "...marks a return to form for Allen and Albert Hughes... what they've made here, from a script by Gary Whitta, is a sly Old Testament 'Mad Max'-y sort of Western..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 582 words, 01/15/10
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Denzel Washington kicks butt as a mysterious road warrior toting the world's last copy of the Bible across a post-apocalyptic North America... never-boring..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 532 words, 01/15/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...throws in several WTF! Moments, which are a bonus. They make everything in the entire movie impossible and incomprehensible -- but, hey, WTF."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 779 words, 01/14/10
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...has Denzel whirlwind lopping off heads through philistine hordes, sequences only good for insight into what PS3 games the Hugheses were playing in pre-production..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 699 words, 01/13/10
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "...a derivative downbeat diversion... pales in comparison to superior recent films like 'Daybreakers,' 'The Road' and 'Zombieland'..."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 665 words, 01/15/10
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...just another prophet-in-the-wilderness tale - not nearly as bad as those trailers would suggest, yet neither will your soul run any risk of enlightenment."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 635 words, 01/15/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Gary Whitta's screenplay isn't particularly original - and its morality is more than a little dicey - but the Hughes brothers invest every frame with energy and intelligence."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 202 words, 01/14/10
KEY CITIES (16 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "There's actually a twist coming, worthy of O. Henry. It's more than a little satisfying and just about makes up for all the handsome, portentous nonsense that came before..."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 657 words, 01/15/10
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...employs the genre conventions of the western to make mythic its principal character.... In a word, Eli is inspirational."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 554 words, 01/15/10
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "The Hughes brothers get us ready for a wallow in postapocalyptic gloom, but their movie doesn't stay bleak and meditative -- nor simply ugly, with flashes of violence."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 641 words, 01/15/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: MODERATE(cg) "...a desolate, deliciously bleak film of violence and allegory.... a movie that can't help but suffer in comparison to the much-delayed and much better 'The Road'..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 412 words, 01/15/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: WEAK(cg) "This futuristic action catastrophe, seemingly collaged together from the lesser works of Vin Diesel, is an affront to anyone with even moderate blood flow to the brain."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 493 words, 01/15/10
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "...truly, if one must wander a barren, post-apocalyptic landscape with somebody, who better to wander with than Denzel Washington?"(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 583 words, 01/15/10
Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News: VERY GOOD(cg) "...borrows heavily from Westerns, particularly the films of Sergio Leone, with its cinematic sweep, updating its lone-warrior hero to the man with one name."(See all of Tom Maurstad's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 602 words, 01/15/10
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a stylish, gritty fantasy feature that wrestles with the agonies, joys and eternal wrinkles of faith and evil and the dangerous minuet they do."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 812 words, 01/15/10
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...certainly watchable - the Hughes brothers are born filmmakers - but it's never quite convinced of itself, and so it never comes close to convincing us."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 755 words, 01/15/10
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a decent action-adventure flick... Washington brings such tremendous gravitas to his role that we're invested in the film as soon as we glimpse him."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 370 words, 01/15/10
John Hartl, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "It's an action movie rather than a meditation -- more 'Blade' than 'The Road,' though it's oddly listless and at times surprisingly dull."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 478 words, 01/15/10
Mike Russell, Portland Oregonian: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...as derivative movies go, 'Eli' goes down fairly smoothly, thanks to an unusually strong cast and visual ideas from co-directing brothers Albert and Allen Hughes."(See all of Mike Russell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 515 words, 01/15/10
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...doesn't quite achieve the greatness to which it so clearly aspires. But how many sci-fi flicks have Al Green on the soundtrack?"(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 308 words, 01/15/10
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: GOOD(cg) "Gary Whitta's original screenplay aims for simplistic morality, almost a spaghetti Western vibe. It's a lowbrow approach to high-minded spirituality..."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 542 words, 01/14/10
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: POOR(cg) "You'd expect 'The Book of Eli' to offer something special enough to have lured the brothers from retirement, but the Hugheses settle for serving up all the usual clichés..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 344 words, 01/15/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...has Denzel whirlwind lopping off heads through philistine hordes, sequences only good for insight into what PS3 games the Hugheses were playing in pre-production..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 699 words, 01/13/10
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the man (Denzel Washington) is a warrior of 'Kill Bill' prowess, and the light of humanity is embodied not in his son but in the tome of the title."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 159 words, 01/14/10
Scott Tobias, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a stark affirmation of faith as a guiding light for a broken, lawless civilization, but to their credit, the film stops well short of proselytizing."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 362 words, 01/14/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Gary Whitta's screenplay isn't particularly original - and its morality is more than a little dicey - but the Hughes brothers invest every frame with energy and intelligence."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 202 words, 01/14/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: FAIR "...a bizarre and sententious pastiche... Washington manages to sustain a heroic aura in the face of some serious silliness. Gary Oldman is scruffily impressive..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 321 words, 01/15/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "A road warrior of a different sort... the movie keeps you watching and generally engaged.... you're happily, goofily hooked."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 997 words, 01/15/10
David Denby, New Yorker: WEAK "...combines the maximum in hollow piety with remorseless violence. It's a true American commercial product, overflowing with barbarous acts and improving bromides."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 180 words, 01/11/10
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...marks a return to form for Allen and Albert Hughes... what they've made here, from a script by Gary Whitta, is a sly Old Testament 'Mad Max'-y sort of Western..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 582 words, 01/15/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety: MODERATE "Washington's Eli is ultimately too confined by the man-of-few-words movie norms he's saddled with.... The prevailing approach forces Oldman to hit mostly obvious notes..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,152 words, 01/10/10
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...an intense, surprisingly serious study of a man making his way through a wilderness of catastrophic destruction and human cruelty... well-paced..."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 729 words, 01/10/10
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...marks a return to form for Allen and Albert Hughes... what they've made here, from a script by Gary Whitta, is a sly Old Testament 'Mad Max'-y sort of Western..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 582 words, 01/15/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "...a hodge-podge... the first film from the gifted Hughes brothers in nine years, is a major disappointment, a mishmash of ideas courtesy of neophyte scribe Gary Whitta."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,218 words, 01/13/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "A road warrior of a different sort... the movie keeps you watching and generally engaged.... you're happily, goofily hooked."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 997 words, 01/15/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: FAIR "...a bizarre and sententious pastiche... Washington manages to sustain a heroic aura in the face of some serious silliness. Gary Oldman is scruffily impressive..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 321 words, 01/15/10
17.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Book of Eli's reviews are separated by an average 17.5 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Book of Eli (46 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Book of Eli's reviews cover 93.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 25,837 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 562 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Book of Eli Coverage, Volume & Length (46 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 6.7 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Book of Eli's reviews on average broke 6.7 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Book of Eli's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Book of Eli (46 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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