Filmmaker reacts to The Book Eli (2010) for the FIRST TIME
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- Опубликовано: 15 май 2022
- Hope you enjoy my filmmaker reaction to The Book Eli. :D
Full length reactions & Patreon only polls: / jamesvscinema
Original Movie: The Book Eli (2010)
Ending Song: / charleycoin
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I think the theme, as fascinating as it was, was one of the reasons it got such mixed reviews. Usually when it comes to issues like faith most media approaches somewhat obliquely, and when it is direct like this it makes some folks uncomfortable. Having it pointed out that your beliefs can be manipulated and used to control you isn't something everyone is willing to acknowledge.
I vividly remember it being about the "twist". I personally fell for his memorizing the book, but I really never thought it distracted from the story itself - or how it is told. Rewatching the movie makes it so much better, there are so many great moments. The whole bartering stuff, the tidbits about a world prior, the mythology... most of all though, I love the atmosphere the most. How the soundtrack meshes with those bonkers shots, everything is composed so calmly - even the action with the orbiting cameras is very much focused and pleasing to look at. It's never chaotic, even when it almost feels like it. And the sun adoration, I just feel this movie. Just put on music and lay down in the sun sometime (Sunshine too), it can be something else, and I always connect so fundamentally with all the scenes of him and other characters basking in the light.
It's got a bit of crust here and there, but that's 2010 releases for ya. Super competent movie in my book.
I thought the same about Hacksaw Ridge.
I am not Christian, but I loved that movie.
@Ryan Flake I can give a more straight forward take. The group of people rating films (like everything else) is made up of overtly anti Christian atheists of a certain political persuasion. They are incapable of reviewing films objectively. The Bible that he's transporting in this film explicitly mentions false profits and charlatans. I think the religious are the least uncomfortable watching this film. Beliefs aren't only religious.
@@asaventurasderobson You shouldn't have to be Christian to like a good film.
The first time I saw this movie I really didn't catch that he was blind, I just thought he was a protected prophet. The reveal of the bible being brail just brought all I watched to another level
A man led by the hand of god
This is such a good movie. I was flabbergasted when I first saw it - it came out of nowhere! If you want another underrated movie, try Galaxy Quest - Alan Rickman at his finest!
Alan Rickman is also great in the film Dogma.
Galaxy Quest please
Great recommendation. I only watched Galaxy quest this year and couldn't believe how I'd never seen it before. Love sci-fi
@@himynameis3664 If you liked his character in Galaxy Quest. Then please give Dogma a chance. A fantasy/comedy in which Alan Rickman plays the actual “Voice” of God. There is a rip of the film on RUclips. Probably the only way that one can watch Dogma nowadays, sadly.
Galaxy Quest is a hidden gem of a movie...loved Rickman in it, too.
This is definitely one that worth watching again once you know the twist. Denzel’s performance really shines at that point. All sorts of little details just pop into place.
Oh absolutely. Definitely a banger of a film to watch with friends too
@@JamesVSCinema it blows my mind that this film has less than a 7 on IMDB. Simply a fantastic movie
@@JamesVSCinema You caught that he was blind off the rip, even though the things he does seem to have a divine intervention since he is blind ;)
My favorite notion along this line, is that every time he goes outside he looks at the sun. You'd assume it's just a reflex of "Oh man it's so hot out" but then you think, he's feeling the sun on his face to orient himself so he can keep walking
@@biggswigg2613 exactly, it is a smarter movie than anyone gives credit.
I'm impressed that you realized he was blind so quickly, I didn't see that coming at all. On the rewatch there are so many clues though, my favorite being that in the street shootout he only ever reacts to people making noise (usually shots but also the guy that runs across the street)
Blind people never see it coming!
I always felt this movie flew under the radar, criminally underrated.
I am so mad that you figured out the movie way before the end. Truly a cinematic genius! You notice things on the first go round that I never could. You truly are a treasure in this reaction space on RUclips. Always looking forward to your vids.
Ah this comment made my night. Thank you!
I'm legally blind, and figured out the twist in the first two minutes.
I like how realistic this post apocalypse environment is. Not pretty, ain't no hipster Negans runnin around with samurai swords, just dirty desperate people. This is the closest thing to what it would actually look like if shit ended foreal.
The road with viggo mortensen is pretty damn stark accurate as well.
@@Mike-hj7gg facts, I forgot about that one, Damn. That's top tier apocalypse.
@@offworld_coop The cannibal scene in that film is inteeense,
I think the closest for the US would be a combination of this and The Postman. Probably closer to The Postman in the more populated areas and this in the less populated.
@@captbrownbeard1599 I unapologetically love The Postman. One of my favorite Costner movies actually. I know most people hated the movie, but I just loved it. I wish more people would give the movie a chance. And I'd love if James reacted to it or The Road.
When Solara makes the sign of the cross with her fingers, Gary Oldman's character withdraws from it slightly. Kind of like a vampire. I love that small detail.
What an incredible film. I always loved the setting in this post apocalyptic wasteland and the black shades are so iconic. I also loved the idea to make something like the Bible so powerful, and a weapon to use against the people so you can make them submit to you. Little detail to foreshadow his blindness that people don’t notice, in the beginning Eli looks up at the sun and his pupils don’t dilate.
Ahhhh I didn’t even catch that last one.
Great detail. Hadn’t ever caught that
I'm sorry but that's exactly what the bible is. Same as every other holy book.
@@brothergrief9531 you’re mistaken brother, the Bible was never meant to be a weapon. The idea of the Bible has always been powerful and it holds a lot of meaning in a lot of peoples lives, but it was never meant to be a weapon to make people submit to your authority. In a perfect world it’s just a book to help you worship your god
The eye dilation is a cool detail but blind people can still burn their corneas. It's probably still very uncomfortable.
I have a new found respect for you, James. You nailed the big elements of the story long before I did. Denzel was amazing. The casting for this movie was epic, even in the smaller roles. I loved Tom Waits. Not sure what happened to this movie though. It seems like it came and went with little fanfare.
Yeah it got mixed reviews and opened in mid-January which meant it was competing with the Oscar contenders that typically open in late December (or even do 2 movie theatres Christmas and then go Wide in early January), so the combination of poorish reviews and a lot of competition meant it didn't do that well. That said, it still made some ~$33M opening weekend and $95M in the US and Canada, about just shy of $160M worldwide which isn't a bad box office.
But really it was an outstanding movie with such a great cast and great film treatment. When I saw it in the theatre I really liked it, but was much slower on getting that he was blind. I really liked that the ending didn't involve him storming back to retake the book, but instead in realizing that it wasn't the physical copy that was important, instead it was the knowledge and that he carried that in himself already. You can also interpret that in a number of different ways as he is thus in some ways a living embodiment of the word of god (for the religious view) or the embodiment of an idea, and ideas aren't so easy to kill (for the metaphorical take).
.@@michaelbodell7740 Yup! This and the marketing for it was absolutely dismal and a complete disservice imo.
it didnt do all that well because of how cliched and predictable the story is. James called literally every plot point and 'surprise' long in advance which is a strong indicator of poor writing.
it really is a shame because the setting and technical aspect on the film are excellent.
It's a religious movie.
Most people, most smart people at least, steer clear of religion, because.. Well, we know it's bullshit.
@@OriginalPuro I guess we will all know if it's bullshit some day. I imagine it will be quite a surprise to you if it's not. 😇
The outside gunfight shot with the camera running towards the window then rotating to showcase the fight scene inside. Pure genius. I've never seen anything like that. Shout out to Don Burgess.
20:21
My real name is "Eli" too
The two brothers who directed this film, the Hughes Brothers, are underrated dons in Hollywood if you ask me. As a duo they directed Menace II Society and From Hell, as well as this obviously. Individually, Allen did a crime thriller with Russell Crowe called Broken City and a great documentary miniseries called The Defiant Ones, about Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine. And Albert's been on a bit of a hot streak over the last couple years, he did a really cool prehistoric adventure film around 2018 called Alpha, and then produced/co-directed an incredible TV miniseries called The Good Lord Bird, starring Ethan Hawke, Wyatt Russell, and Daveed Diggs. Unfortunately for them, they've been consistently great brother directors at the same time as the Coens and the Russos, so no one pays em any mind hahahahaha
And now the Safdies.
On the topic of The Good Lord Bird, Ethan Hawke helped write some of that. From his writing in the Before trilogy alone it's noticeable how talented of a writer he is.
Menace II Society is such amazing movie and even crazier that it's their first.
Absolutely agree. I am surprised at how few films they have directed, because everything they touch is gold. From Hell, Dead Presidents, Menace II Society, and this film are all amazing.
They're making a movie about the North Hollywood Shootout next. I'm psyched to see that. There was a TV movie about that event a while back that was pretty good, but it definitely deserves the big screen treatment.
You're cancelled. Sorry. You failed to mention the Wachowski brothers. They don't count anymore just because one of them switched to being a female director? Shame. They were "brothers" when they made The Matrix.
You sniped that ending twist a mile off! 🤣 Granted I was much younger when I saw it the first time but it caught me out of NOWHERE. This movie is top-tier
The power of knowing filmmaking haha. Knowledge is power
Eli carried the book, completed his task, and in the end he created a disciple of the word. Fantastic film.
I got to see this movie in theaters. It was incredible. Atticus Ross, a music writing partner of Trent Reznor, did the soundtrack. Glad you enjoyed this, man.
The soundtrack (and the editing, and the choreography, and the sound editing) is definitely on point, the movie is such an ephemeral, dreamlike piece.
No wonder the soundtrack is so good
Glad you loved this one-- I loved this movie when it came out and still can't understand the critics giving it bad reviews.
I'm surprised you didn't say anything about the soundtrack, I really think it was phenomenal but everything in this movie was so well done. Such an under rated movie.
Was always hoping for a sequel like the Book of Solara
You are the only person I know of who figured out the blindness of Eli before he shows the book to the Mother, everyone I've talked to about it all had their minds blown, including myself, and then all the other things clicked, the fact you noticed it the first scene and then had that as a basis throughout was amazing to watch along with
Can’t believe you caught the fact he is blind within the first 5 minutes of the filmm! When it took myself and a lot of others until that final reveal, I’ve watched this movie many times and missed the fact he bumped into things in the beginning. Made my jaw drop honestly that you caught it that quick
I'm genuinely suprised that not a lot of people have seen this. Its one of my favorites.
I didn’t know what to expect when I first saw this film. But the way it’s layed out is so masterful I was really blown away. The critics got it wrong with this one. Denzel and Gary Oldman at their finest!
When the guy from the overpass gang (the first gang Eli encounters) Says “who are you?!” I immediately think of Denzel replying “I’m Batman!” gives me a chuckle every time.
Wow man picked it up 10 mins into the film. That’s amazing!
Book of Eli is an amazing film and your reaction to it blew me away, man. This is why you're the best.
Really watch that fight scene again. He pulls back under bridge because he can feel the shade and knows he'll have a slight advantage because their vision will have to adapt. Love it.
a western with a lone wanderer on a quest set in a post-apocalyptic world, Denzel being an absolute badass, great atmosphere, and some of my absolute favourite cinematography... what's not to like? :D
bruh, you picked up on him being blind so quick, lol, respect.
Gotta agree with ya, James (as per usual), there are head-scratchers and there are head-scratchers... the 6.8 imdb rating on this is like, wtf(?). It's a gem that is not only rewatchable, but still stands up over time... even all these years later. This was a great watch with ya, thanks for that.
Happy to hear this brotha! Yeah, this was honestly such a great experience.
This is one of my favorite movies. Denzel doing his Denzel thing, just nailing the performance. Kunis at her best. And the film is so so pretty despite being such a drab-colored world.
BEST Movie of 2010. One of my All-time favorites. So unappreciated ! A special Film, a brilliant work of art.
This movie was truly a masterpiece! Loved your reaction man
One of Denzels best movies IMO. Such a cool concept too with the Bible. In a post apocalyptic world something like that could actually be very very powerfull.
Its kind of a statement on how the Bible was used during certain era's of humanity aswell. For all the good morals and teachings in it, they used it to control populations with fear by cruelly punishing those that didn't follow what the leaders at the time took as the meaning from it
I loved your mention of the cinematography looking like a video game. The movie was written by Garry Whitta who wrote and was the Editor in Chief of PC Gamer magazine for many years.
Seriously impressed how quickly you figured out he's blind.
This movie is an underrated gem. Kudos to you for being so observant you caught the twist right at the beginning!
I feel like Book of Eli is a low key masterpiece. It's a BEAUTIFULLY made film with some truly incredible action.
I love this film too, but I am in awe that you picked up on the blindness so quickly. Great reaction.
"I was totally not expecting this!". Dude, you LITERALLY called out everything before it happened.
The house fight was all ONE cut too! A masterpiece and truly underrated
I would argue it offers an oversimplified take on the clash between cultures, worldviews, and religions. With that said this is amazingly well done and very entertaining.
I loved this movie. I totally missed he was blind on first viewing (irony?) so the end was a surprise twist for me. On second viewing, I saw the clues. It was very well done. I think it's awesome that you caught it right away. I don't know why this movie didn't do better in the box office. I thought it was awesome.
Omg! I've been asking reactors to watch this movie for a year! Thank you!!! This is one of my all time favourites! So underrated! Love your channel buddy ❤️❤️🇨🇦
James eye for detail, lighting, cinematography, story telling, character development etc. is what makes his reactions not only entertaining, but educational as well. I'd love to see him direct a major movie one day...
I remember when this movie came out, the mainstream youtube reviewers at the time kept nit picking at Eli's blindness aspect, I thought it was an awesome twist. There are various degrees of blindness, I chose to believe Eli could see lights and shadows at least.
Up until the reveal that he’s blind, he fights with out getting touched, bullets can’t hit him, and he says that a building fell on him, and after he crawled out of the rubble, God told him to walk west. All that other stuff informs you that he’s obviously protected by God to complete his mission. That they accept, but him being blind was a step too far. But if your going to accept divine intervention, then Eli being blind shouldn’t be an issue.
Just want to say ,,,,, You are amazing in the way that you caught the context of this movie so fast , WOW , you are impressive . I have friends that still to this day have no Idea what this movie is about ! In your 20's and I am never disappointed by you , you are amazing and thank you for that !!! Just remember , in the fight , can you hear the baby cry ?
I really just said "YES!!!!" out loud when I saw that you reacted to this, thank you James!! 😍
I genuinely do not know of anyone else who analyzes the elements at play in a film on the level that you do, James. You see key plot points and character details early on that take most people multiple watches, your attention to detail is next to none. From watching your videos, I now watch films differently and have a newfound appreciation for camera work that I had previously never noticed. I thoroughly enjoy watching you experience these movies and shows so much, keep up the great work man!
This is so awesome to hear!! Glad to bring forth some additional value to you guys 🙏🏽
I've been suggesting this movie on a lot of channels. Finally, someone's picked the right one. I hope other channels find this hidden gem of a movie.
So, all I'm gonna say about this film is....at the end, when he starts reciting the Bible...those words hit me so hard. It's weird and amazing to hear those words just being said in that context. Such an amazing film. I saw it in theaters and was blown away.
Faith comes by hearing.
hope you're having a good day man. your perspective on story telling and how the characters act before a significant revelation astounds me. always enjoy your commentary and reactions. have a good one brother
ah I appreciate this y’all! happy to bring forth some value on this already great film.
I was so impressed with this film when I watched it. I've yearned to watch it again at various points in my life, but had a hell of a time trying to find it on any streaming services. As good as it is, nobody talks about it. Glad you got the chance to see it, and that you enjoyed it as much as you did. Your reactions put a smile on my face.
I love how quickly you picked up the blind thing.
[Solo]
That shootout at the farmhouse was SO GOOD. And then after that, the fight in the car just keeps the adrenaline going. Such a good movie.
When you said "is he blind?" my mind was blown. I've seen the whole movie several times and I still don't know if he's blind or not. but I think he is and that's the twist.
Hahaha glad you caught it with me! I thought I was going crazy!
If you have the disc check the extras. The Book of Eli: Lost Tales explains the beginnings.
The attention of detail you find is astonishing like the cross on the wall or that the protagonist is blind and I’ve watched this quite a few times I had to go back and watch this again. Much thanks!
I appreciate that!! That’s one of the joys of this channel especially for me because now I know I’m not going insane hahaha
I don't usually lean into films with strong religious undertones, but when I do Denzel is usually involved - Fallen was the first, and I can't mention Denzel without mentioning Glory.
Fallen is an amazing movie that a lot of people missed.
Oh Fallen...a great movie indeed.
First 5 minutes of the movie you caught on that he's blind. It took me to the end of the first watch through to realize that, and then the clues were screamingly obvious. Bravo, homie!
This movie is in my all time top 5
Loved the reaction bro…beautiful breakdown 🙌🏼🙌🏼
I'm so happy you reacted to this. Book of Eli is one of my favorite movies and I always thought it was very underrated. But great reaction man and keep up the good work!
I love this movie. I still remember the first time I watched it I was so awestruck I had to rewatch it right after. If you pay attention you’ll notice he never shoots something until it makes a sound, because he can’t see. Whether it’s a bird squawking or another person shooting, he never shoots until he hears them. The detail is incredible. I think you’ll love this movie and I’m stoked to watch your reaction to it!
I love how you caught him being blind right away, it honestly took me a hot second to catch that. It's an underrated gem.
You should check out Lawless
Bravo on picking up on the fact that he was blind. I didn't realize that until the twist at the end
I really appreciate your insight in one of my favorite movies. I enjoy your reactions, but your approach and commentary throughout this movie was top notch. Keep up the great work.
Dang, it took me FOREVER to figure out he was blind. You're smooth!
I'm really glad you did a reaction to this movie, you've got a new patron just for that (not that you weren't worth it before but I I was able to scrape it up for a full reaction, I love your content sir, thank you for sharing thoughts with us.)
"STOP!" You saying "nah" then the gesture you did 😂 I spit my drink out and had to clean my carpet
"Is he blind?" Wow dude, that's the fastest I've seen someone figure it out.
I too caught the video vibe in the openning scene.
James's movie skills are over 9000! How did you call that he was blind? How did you call the book was brail? How you call that he memorized it? Dude..... Watching you nail those three was almost as good as watching this movie for the first time. I love this damn channel!!
Hahaha cheers man!! Alittle bit of filmmaking knowledge does wonders 🙏🏽🙏🏽
Love you man. Hope your channel grows and grows. Health, wealth, and joy to you brother.
For some reason Book of Eli got a lot of shit back in the day. I love it! Kudos for picking up on him being blind so early, because there are so many scenes where it seems he isn't, due to his Daredevil like abilities.
Marvel's WHAT IF tomorrow!
Finished Chernobyl & Peacemaker on the patreon! Click here for early access: www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema
Have a great day everyone!
Have you seen Man on fire? Another great Denzel movie.
Don't want to spoil it, but for a fairly unique movie in the choice of how it was filmed (as whilst other movies do it for sections, it isn't too common over a whole movie)
Can I recommend 1917 if you've never seen it? Was made after the success of Dunkirk, but a much better movie. And, as I said, the choice of filming technique is much less used as a choice in film direction. Although, as you're a filmmaker, this style may annoy you as you'll find yourself concentrating more on how the hid the technique instead of the actual movie lmao. Shots used were wide, so they couldn't hide the shot technique as well, but it lends itself strongly to an adventurous war movie style, which is why I believe the directional choice really lent itself to that movie
Funny that the movie Book of "Eli" the same name as I do
If you want another great Oldman joint that is not given a lot of credit check out Romeo is Bleeding. You'll love it.
Sorry i cant believe that you didnt know before that he was blind
Great reaction bro! I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. And yes, Denzel Washington looked just as deadly as John Wick in this film.
Eli: "...and to the dust you shall return"
James: "Oh boy"
I’ve been wanting someone to react to this movie for a long time. So glad it finally happened. Impressed on the details you picked up right away. I didn’t know he was blind until the reveal at the end.
24, You... are ouryo future, young man, and I support you 100%. This was great to watch with you. Thank you.
Thank you for this, there is the quote 'keep pushing yourself in doing better for others' As always, stay awesome, stay genuine.. much love
This movie surprised the hell out of me, it's a lot deeper than it first appears
That's a good eye you have. To pick up on him being blind. I didn't know until the end. I was like omg ! He's blind!?
Yes! So glad you've finally got to this one. More people should react to this awesome movie!
I normally am not big on fighting scenes and explosions like in action movies because I'm more into the drama and acting and the people not the background effects and stuff but this movie has really epic fight scenes and action sequences that I love.
I'm a massive fan of Denzel Washington.
This is an amazing movie.
Have you seen Man on Fire?
If you haven't, I highly recommend you watch it.
Hell yeah
If you like Man on fire, I recommend a Korean movie called "The Man from Nowhere"
Dude you were psychic, figuring out all the plot twists. Trust me 99 out of 100 had no clue. Such a gut punch at the end for me, much like the 6th sense. This is one of my all time favorite movies. It has a graphic comic book (300) slash Mad maxx feel to it. Thx so much for this review.
Catching that he is blind that early is wild. Well done.
Watching this film in reaction videos nearly a decade and a half after it came out really reminds me JUST how different and unique this was when it came out. It was stylistic, almost neo-noir/surrealist in its shading of a post-apocalyptic world, and it was basically one giant sucker punch given the cast.
This is hands down one of my favorite movies of all time. I think Denzel was amazing in this movie and played the character well. I know when it came out it got mixed reviews because of the subject that it depicts. But the casting for this movie was superb. So happy you were able to react to it
I remember this film when i was younger. Was one of the best films out at the time. The acting, and when thr ting happens 😭 Emotional film!!
Interesting fact about the shootouts in this movie- Eli never fires first ..because he needs to know where the enemies are, therefore he returns fire only as he needs to use sound to figure direction.
You got great taste in movies my dude! I used to listen to critics a lot until I started seeing certain biases forming.
Another mixed review movie that I think you'd really love is "The Jacket" staring Adrien Brody! It has a really unique style and story! Also a pretty dope soundtrack 💯
Hope all is well my friend!
Very underappreciated movie. Great cast. Original story. Thank you for putting a spotlight on it.
Thx for your reaction. Loved this movie. Seen it a half dozen times. Great acting and filming. I didn't catch on that he was blind 'til it was revealed toward the end.
Score still gives me goosebumps 🔥
Another good Apocalyptic movie, that this movie reminds me of, is "The Road" starring Viggo Mortensen. Definitely recommend.
The Road is amazing.
amazing. scarring. horrifying. and amazing
Feel good movie of the year right there.
The only way you can compare it to "The Road" is if it was good. This is pure religious propaganda wrapped in a cool package to appeal to younger people.
@@johnnytable844 how? By making religion look good or bad? I’m not religious consider myself agnostic but I like this movie. It’s about a man on a journey, reminds me of stories from the Bible or the odyssey by Homer. It’s showing both the good and evil of religion and how powerful something like the Bible is. It’s a fantasy movie I don’t think anyone is going to change their beliefs based off it. If they do then there wasn’t much helping them to begin with.
That's awesome how fast you caught on to how he was blind, I watched the whole movie before I realized it at the end. This is one of my favorite post apocalyptic movie. Keep up the good work!
Both when I first saw Book of Eli and also when I first saw Children of Men, I had the same feeling while watching. I think its because the created world is so believable, even when its unbelievable.
According to what i've read about the movies plot, Eli was supposedly blind before whatever went down. However, he somehow gained his vision back by the time the movie takes place. That's why he does things like a blind person, but also like he can see.
I remember finding this film after falling in love with Fallout 3 on my Xbox 360 back in the day. Been dreaming of a fallout movie or series that looks similar to this ever since lol.
I've always loved this movie. You predicted all the twists so early!
You are the first person Ive seen either In reactions or in person that figured out the twist like that. And to figure it out so early. Even me and my mom who can figure stuff out pretty fast took until he met the girls mother at the bar to figure it out. 🤗
I love Gary Whitta(the writer of the movie) He used to always be on a podcast I listened to back in the day.
Its funny you compared the opening of the film to a video game. Gary Whitta was a video game journalist/reviewer before he wrote this movie.
Yeah, I bought this one on Blu-ray! Not one to watch every day but good to have if someone hasn't seen it!!