Las Vegas Weekly

I’ve already seen “The Road”; should I also see “The Book Of Eli”?

The Book of Eli

The Details

The Book of Eli

Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis

Directed by Albert and Allen Hughes

Rated R

Beyond the Weekly

Official Movie Site

IMDb: The Book of Eli

Rotten Tomatoes: The Book of Eli

For the acting?

Yes: The Road’s Viggo Mortensen gets points for looking scruffy, hungry and dirty; in The Book of Eli, Denzel Washington’s character is less flawed, but certainly a good deal more badass.

No: As far as traveling companions go, Eli’s Mila Kunis may be easier on the eyes, but Kodi Smit-McPhee is a great deal more affecting, and his character makes more sense.

For the story?

Yes: In both, the characters move through a wasteland toward the coast. In The Road, there’s simply hope that things are better there, but in Eli, there’s an actual point, more suspense, a cooler ending.

No: The Road is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel written by one of our greatest living authors. Eli is a cheeseburger and fries in comparison to lobster and caviar.

For its evocation of a believable postapocalyptic world?

Yes: The future in Eli is more fun than the one in The Road, more like the old West, where a guy can walk into a town, scowl a little, visit the trading post and then exterminate some drunks in a bar.

No: The guys in Eli have it too easy. Some things are hard to find, but no one’s going hungry, and there are cute girls and plenty of ammo and gas for car chases and explosions.