YMMV / The Book of Eli

• Awesome Music: The main theme, "Panoramic" by Atticus Ross, that combined with the awesome desolated post-apocalyptic landscape with green clouds, back hair chills guaranteed.
• Complete Monster: The despotic Carnegie uses his followers to rob and murder travelers, seeking a book to extend his grip on the post-apocalyptic world. Discovering Eli has the book he seeks, Carnegie tries to use Solara, the daughter of his abused mistress, to seduce Eli, and beats his mistress when Solara fails. Revealing the book to be a King James Bible, Carnegie intends to use it to manipulate people's faith for power. Pursuing Eli and Solara after they flee, when Eli gives Carnegie the book because of his threat to Solara's life, Carnegie immediately fatally shoots Eli, leaving excitedly to bend more people to his will.
• Genius Bonus: For those familiar with Christian tradition. When someone says "God is good", it is common to respond with "All the time". Thus, Carnegie's use of this phrase is insulting on an even deeper level for Eli than one may first perceive.
  • In the Gospels, Jesus remarks on various occasions that even if Heaven and Earth are destroyed, the Bible will endure. The ozone layer (Heavens) are destroyed and the Earth is a wasteland, yet the Bible still survives.
  • On the same token, 2nd Corinthians 5:7 gets quoted. Walk by faith, not by sight. These words becoming extremely meaningful at the end.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Claudia's blindness is this, due to a Reality Subtext: Mila Kunis (Solara) used to be blind in one eye due to chronic iritis.
• It Was His Sled: A lot of people barely know anything about the movie except for Eli's blindness.
• One-Scene Wonder: The shopkeeper who barters with Eli, though he shows up again later for a brief time. Since he's played by Tom Waits, he's going to be memorable.
• Tear Jerker: Eli passing away after he completes his mission. His final voice-over has him being thankful to God for finally being able to rest, knowing that he did good on the world.

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