The Book of Eli (*** WARNING Contains MANY spoilers!***)

[Gaillo]

OK, then... preppers, doomsdayers, and post-apocalyptic silver kings of GS-US...

In our latest Netflix shipment I got the movie "The Book of Eli". I enjoy watching post-apocalyptic road-warrior type movies because of the ideas I get for prepping and alternative views on end-o-the-world scenarios... I just can't think of it all by myself! ;D

The Book of Eli was interesting... the religious angle on it was a bit different than most movies of this type. Being Atheistic, I have no "dog in the fight" so to speak, so the bible and faith stuff in the movie didn't do much for me... as for the rest of it, here are my thoughts:

(** WARNING - MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW, IF YOU PLAN ON SEEING THE MOVIE STOP READING NOW! **)

iPod - you GOTTA be kidding me! After 30 years, a hard-disk based iPod would DEFINITELY be toast... hell, most hard drives fail after a few years under climate controlled conditions!

KFC Wet Wipes - Same thing. They would be dried out after 30 years, unless you stored the packages in a jar of alcohol.

Bible being rare - THE most unbelievable part of the movie. C'mon, folks... it is THE MOST PRINTED book in the world, with literally BILLIONS of copies floating around. It's my opinion that EVEN IF the movie's premise that the book was "rounded up and burned" after the war is correct, there would be MILLIONS of bibles to be found that would miss destruction - in dusty attics, buried in basements, etc.

Firearms and ammo being rare - Check. Standard fare for these types of movies.

Gas powered vehicles with fuel - Not after 30 years. No way, no how. MAYBE they were alcohol powered, but spare parts would be a MAJOR problem in a post-apocalyptic scenario, not to mention EMP destruction of most vehicle's electronics following the nukes.

Functional lead-acid motorcycle battery - Maybe... but highly unlikely - unless it got minimal use and maximum maintenance during the 30 years.

Woman with shopping cart as "bait" for passing men - At first, I thought "yep." However, on further reflection, after 30 years it would be HIGHLY unlikely that a "woman in distress" would be ANYWHERE on the landscape, and any appearance of such would be IMMEDIATLY recognized as a trap/ambush by the guy who stumbles across her.

Water being scarce - BS meter pegged... it would not be all that scarce even in the desert. Solar stills would be EVERYWHERE, wells would be dug by hand, and there is plenty of vegetation and urinating humans/animals evident in the movie to provide AMPLE water supply.

Cloth and lighters being valuable and used as currency - check. LOVED that part of the movie... made me want to double-up on my clothing and lighter stockpiles! ;)

Eli reciting bible passages at end of movie - TOTAL NONSENSE. It would take YEARS for a person recite the entire KJV with paragraph numbers and stops as he was doing, and he was on his death bed with a gunshot wound.

Alcatraz publishing/typesetting - Yeah... right. Isolated island, supporting all those people AND time left over to typeset books? Color me dubious... I'm thinking they'd have their hands full just trying to feed themselves isolated on an island like that!

Of course, for all the talmud fans out there, there is the final scene where the finished printed bible is placed on a shelf in the Alcatraz library ALONG WITH all the sacred Jewish and Arabic writings. Nice touch - haha. ::)

The most interesting part of the movie? THE best movie line by Eli where he tells the young woman that before the war we were a "civilization of plenty that didn't know what was precious" where people "threw away things that we now kill each other for". Definitely an impactful moment, and food for thought!

Anyone else have thoughts on this film?

[Antonio]

THE best movie line by Eli where he tells the young woman that before the war we were a "civilization of plenty that didn't know what was precious" where people "threw away things that we now kill each other for". Definitely an impactful moment, and food for thought!

It seems deep and food for thought only for Americans. Russians have known this for a long, long time, we`ve never thrown away anything.
PS. No offence meant, whatsoever. :(

[chad]

i liked it when he told everyone to back off (woman with the shopping cart scene) and then proceeded to hack everyone's limbs off.

[k-os]

I think that's got to be everyone's favorite line from that movie. It is so true! Think about all of the wasted food and how most people won't drink water from a hose, lake or river. Heck, I won't drink the water out of my well because it smells like sulfur. (R.O. works like a charm though.)

One of the things that I took away from that movie was the need to stockpile (more) soap, shampoo and conditioner. I don't even wear deodorant, but I bought a bunch of that too, to be used as barter items. I guess I imagine everyone will be dirty and stinky. ;D

I thought the iPod thing was stupid too.

Although I am not a religious person, I do think the bible helps teach morality. I can see why some dictator bad guy would want to destroy all of the bibles. In contrast, I can see why people would want desperately to save the bible and pass it on to future generations.

[ximmy]

I love the hand grenade scene...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYaaG5Xgt6k

[Bullion_Bob]

All of what was said in OP, and maybe someone else than Denzel Washington. He was ok/good, but not great. This movie could have better on the same plot with someone a little bit more badass. Machete perhaps ;D

I heard a lot of complaints on the religion thing, but it didn't bother me. Denzel saves mankind by memorizing the bible....yeah uh...ok...sure...maybe just save the book in some super cool clever way, and probably leave it at that.

Enjoyable watch, liked it.

[willie pete]

but a grenade wouldn't cart-wheel that truck like that...pure hollywood... :D

[ShortJohnSilver]

Note: some iPod's are flash based (solid state, like RAM chips), so they could possibly continue working. Battery - I don't think even the best battery would last longer than 10 years.

Fuel - some small pumps might still be around, like in Oklahoma, the ones that kick out a couple barrels a day. Small scale refining would be multiples of expense vs. the way it is done now, but people would pay it.

Parts - heck, Cuba shows otherwise! They have 60 year old machines still running.

Good point about the woman in distress!

[Gaillo]

Note: some iPod's are flash based (solid state, like RAM chips), so they could possibly continue working.

Yep... thought of that. However, the iPod model Eli is using is the larger (hard-disk based) model. They should have given him an iPod nano or touch if they were going after realism... I'm assuming he's charging it off the motorcycle battery, at first I though he must have one of those compact solar chargers, until the shop scene where he gets his battery recharged.


Battery - I don't think even the best battery would last longer than 10 years.

With proper maintenance and low usage, lead-acid batteries could POSSIBLY last 30 years, but again it is pretty unlikely.


Fuel - some small pumps might still be around, like in Oklahoma, the ones that kick out a couple barrels a day. Small scale refining would be multiples of expense vs. the way it is done now, but people would pay it.

Perhaps... but the storage life of gasoline is short, and there is the problem of transporting it to the "town" where the vehicles are. Those guys would have to (a) be close to one of the small-scale refineries you are talking about, (b) have the electricity to run the refinery, and (c) have the technical knowlege to operate the refinery. Pretty unlikely in that scenario, where "head kingpin guy" is burning all the books the biker gangs are bringing him.


Parts - heck, Cuba shows otherwise! They have 60 year old machines still running.

Indeed. However, Cuba is not (quite) post-apocalyptic... there are machine shops, electricity, and technically proficient people in Cuba that make the most out of the least... I get the impression that "Eli" society is quite a bit more primitive than that.


Good point about the woman in distress!

Again, I initially "bought it" until I thought a little more about it - then it just seemed really unrealistic.

[Ponce]

In what is to come those who now has "plenty" will be the one's to suffer the must......if I had a choice as to where to be WTSHTF it would be in Cuba because they have been living under those conditions for the past 50 years..........I had a long talk with my brother when he first came here and the whole time there I was with my mouth open, but learning all the time.

Lighters and clothing are two of the main things wanted in Cuba.........so........I have about 75 bags full of clothing and five boxes of 100 lighter each in stock.

Those of you with some money? buy today for the way that you want to live tomorrow.......those of you with little money? buy a gun so that you can take what you want from those with something.....remember, this is about SURVIVAL and not about being "nice".

Some of you my think that what I say I have and what I say do is simply BULLSHIT......but.......I have the experience of already knowing what it will be like and getting ready for it.

[MAGNES]

Why is Hollywood putting out more and more movies like this, the end,
is " Dystopian " the right word ?

This is the question for higher order discussion IMO.

The Agnostics/Occult are against God and Nature, Beauty and Good.

A part of it is psychological warfare on viewers and society, horror movies are a part of this as well,
and they have become more and more blatant with the violence and blood, just for its own sake.
Some crazy movies recently, torture, suffering, no art just pure carnage. Notice it coincides, the blatant with the degeneration of society, this is one of their main goals. What do you learn from all this, nothing.

I saw the movie and I agree with a lot of what Gaillo said, what do you learn from movies like this, IMO nothing. You can though learn a lot from history, real knowledge. Most of you know cities even in a more likely national emergency will degenerate and you must get out fast, preparations, moving before it happens, homesteading, learning low technologies, knowing skills, people skills and trading, selling, motivating.
You don't need to see a movie for that, also survivors of wars and conflict are treasures of knowledge.

You must have hope and a will to live and survive. No hope no survival. Never give up.

A Grand Aunt of mine just died at 99, she survived the burning of her town 3 times.
Her generation were giants. Most of them did survive against all odds, short of nuclear
war your odds and position today are far better and greater than theirs. People have
gotten fatter and softer, that is the greatest thing going against us, that includes all
of us including me, we don't know the suffering that previous generations endured.
They never gave up.

[Horn]

The opening tune & scene's what made the movie. :'(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vng66yaAtdI

[ximmy]

The booby trapped house scene was fun too... I wish the old man and woman would have lasted longer though, oh, well they were cannibals... ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0q5Hjv5XDk

[Gaillo]

Why is Hollywood putting out more and more movies like this, the end,
is " Dystopian " the right word ?

This is the question for higher order discussion IMO.


Yes, MAGNES, Dystopian is the right word.

It is my firm opinion that we are seeing more "end of the world" and horror movies out of hollywood because there is a WELL ORCHESTRATED and PLANNED attempt to "dehumanize" the viewers of those movies. You watch movies like "The Road" or "The Book of Eli" and at some level, you "identify" with the people portrayed. In most cases, the people portrayed in post-apocalyptic films are selfish, completely lacking in compassion, kindness, or empathy... and usually behave according to "pack mentality" where they prey on weaker people as members of thuggish gangs.

Most people would say "but it's just a movie..." - but movies, like everything else we experience, shape our minds and influence us... even if we aren't immediately conscious of it.


P.S. I disagree with you, though, that there's nothing to be learned from movies like these - if nothing else, they give us a "window" into the mind of our enemies... by identifying the tactics they seek to use against us! ;)

[MAGNES]

On Dystopian, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dystopia if you look at the genre,
I am no expert here, it only covers one group, but what about the other movies
that are very similar, end of the earth type movies, how many
asteroid or global warming destruction type movies and other
similar movies, all destruction of society. There is something
greater going on, and you notice NWO writers are leaders here,
the Occult is behind all of this and their hatred of the world as
I stated above. A Jewish friendly philosopher actually admits
a key element here, hatred of God, Beauty, Good, is their basis.

As far as learning, I am more interested in understanding what they are pushing and why,
like you just stated but as far as learning something useful I learn nothing like that.

I just watched The Green Zone, they actually teach people about the NeoCons,
I don't know if the apathetic understood how close it was, it was perfect, except
the names, that is what happened politically and everything was deliberate, not an
accident, the result is the plan all along.

You Gaillo are full of far more knowledge than any if not all of them put together.
You yourself talking to and educating people if they are interested and listen are
capable of doing far more than any of these movies put together. Same goes
for most people here. It is nothing but visual effect and action for most part.
You took it apart yourself.

How bad is it going to get ? How about facing down invaders and empires,
groups that have no rules to follow, mass murdering people. Some people
actually survived that with far less resources than most have today.

[Book]

Bible being rare - THE most unbelievable part of the movie. C'mon, folks... it is THE MOST PRINTED book in the world, with literally BILLIONS of copies floating around. It's my opinion that EVEN IF the movie's premise that the book was "rounded up and burned" after the war is correct, there would be MILLIONS of bibles to be found that would miss destruction - in dusty attics, buried in basements, etc.



That was the movie-breaker for me too.

Come on kids...another negro saving us at the end of the world? Almost as incredulous as this negro punk being a rich famous Microbiologist who comes up with a cure for zombiecooties and saves humanity in I Am Legend:

http://www.motifake.com/image/demotivational-poster/0803/i-am-legend-i-am-legend-demotivational-poster-1205183577.jpg

http://timvp.com/freshprincedvd0.jpg

[Book]

You watch movies like "The Road" or "The Book of Eli" and at some level, you "identify" with the people portrayed.



The Road was very dark and grim and actually worth watching. The Book of Eli is filled with what I call magical thinking, which has no place in a real survivalist movie. Many of the fantastical-fighter scenes defies belief and is jumping the shark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark).

:dunno

[MAGNES]

Good one Book,

They are brainwashing society , conditioning them to accept their own destruction as normal.

There is a few of them out there as well where society is destroyed through viruses.

Children of Men is one, a virus hitting UK forgot name, Resident Evil series.

Some of these fit other themes from NWO masters.

HG Wells , NWO Occult crap, turning man to animals as well.
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/w#a30

Things To Come is our future apparently some have claimed.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbs=vid%3A1&q=Things+To+Come&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=

[kregener]

You realize that one could pick apart EVERY movie ever made, right?

[Libertytree]

At the very least TPTB are, as this Jack Johnson song says is "desensitizing the nation" and the world for that matter. This is at the base level of their twisted agenda, just like seeing more cops, more checkpoints and more control etc..etc... To me this tune speaks to what they try and want to saturate us with, it's a good tune but the message is relevant.

Jack Johnson - Where did all the good people go?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ4bfhV1zr8&feature=related

[Horn]

Many of the fantastical-fighter scenes defies belief and is jumping the shark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark).


C'mon everyone wants to be on a mission from God, and bullets deflect away from him.

I'll suppose you didn't dig the blues brothers either?

[MAGNES]

" desensitizing the nation ", Libertytree, that is a key one I missed and agree totally,
it complements the degeneracy promoted deliberately. The shock value and conditioning.
You can make productive and entertaining movies, for the most part they don't,
Mel Gibson has some great movies too, even Mad Max was a classic, a scenario
that is more realistic, that movie would be more like a warning, but what they put
out now goes beyond that. The virus ones bug me the most, it is almost as if
they are conditioning people to accept that the destruction of society through some
virus is very possible, possibly due to a crazy scientist, a mistake, incompetence, etc,
but if something like that comes it will most likely be spread by Governments just
as the movie V for Vendetta shows, to control the population, there is evidence they
have programs, to what end ? War protecting society, nonsense, it is as dumb as
nukes protecting us.

[Libertytree]

In the mix of all this I'll also add the caveat that I think that "they" are bound to tell us in advance of what their plans are, exactly which plan is the million dollar question. The common denominator in ALL of these movies/shows/news is human suffering by any number of methods and means. Suffering is suffering is suffering, no matter the cause.

[Shami-Amourae]

If you want the ultimate post-SHTF experience, check out the Fallout series, especially Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. The games take place after a nuclear war with China, setting the world into a Mad Max kind of setting. The biggest problem though isn't lack of oil, but it's lack of clean water, namely since almost all the water on the planet is irradiated. The whole point of Fallout 3 for instance if fixing a water filtration system, which takes you on a massive adventure to find all the key parts.

http://www.sghi.info/GL/img/Post.Nuclear.PC.Games/Fallout.3_development.screenshots/8-04.07_Walking.into.the.sunset_PC.and.dogmeat.jpeg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYZpR51XgW0

[Gaillo]

You realize that one could pick apart EVERY movie ever made, right?


Yes... but some movies are funner to pick apart than others! ;D

[Hillbilly]

The Bible being rare is part of the Albert Pike letter that talks about how the nihilists will destroy all religion after the 3rd world war. I think that's the world Eli is living in.

[undgrd]

I think one of the things being overlooked here is the final message of most of these movies. Life goes on and people survive. Here's the thing. Most of these movies seem to imply you'll stumble across some OTHER group of people who have started rebuilding and you'll join in. There won't be ANYWHERE to go if everyone has this mentality.

I am Legend - Migrated to Alaska where the virus couldn't survive and joined up with an established Colony.
Book of Eli - On a mission from God to find a place you know HAS to exist and join up with an established Colony.
28 Days Later - Survivors of a virus seek a sanctuary of other survivors.


I think this sets up the mentality of people to move in groups and search for a settlement rather than taking it upon themselves to start rebuilding. "Hey! Look over there! These people have everything we need. All they want us to do is follow their rules!"

The Road doesn't do that for you. They NEVER find an establishment to join. They never find a group of people who have already done the hard work of getting basic necessities setup.


Many of these films seem to imply you'll need to rely on someone or something else to survive. Look to someone else for the answers to your survival rather than yourself and your neighbors.

[DMac]

The fight scenes, while fun in a dramatic sense, were far too unbelievable. In particular, the shootout in town.

Odd, as Book mentions, another black hero saving us from the white cannibals. I created a thread on The Road back when I first saw it and asked the question, "why are the white people always the cannibals in these end of the world movies??" Still wondering about that..

These movies, and in particular the horror/torture/bloodbath flicks that Hollywood has been spamming us with are definitely part of a bigger plan to not only desensitize us to violence, but I think sway our subconscious into thinking this is where we are headed.

I think Hillybilly has a point, re: Pike and the 3 world wars. Eli takes place after the 3rd war, which was fought over the exact reasons Pike wrote in the letter to Mazzini. More hollywood foreshadowing?

Gaillo, the nit picking points are spot on and lead to a more fantasy style movie, compared to the Road, which was chock full of tragedy in a more believable light (except the all white folks are cannibals aspect!).

Movies like this are affecting our subconscious mind in ways many are unable to understand let alone articulate.

[Book]

http://www.threeworldwars.com/overview.htm

[Twisted Titan]

The person that has comfort items ( books,cards smokes, toiletrees)

And acess to clean drinking water ( Berkey, Aqua stat chlorine tabs)

And the abilty to defend ( firearms, Knives, Archery )


Will truly be a Undisputed Warlord of the Area they occupy.

You can hire Help to protect your Fifedom and Pensantry to till your fields


T

[Awoke]

I loved the entire movie, for entertainment purposes. I was blown away when it was revealed that he is blind.

What is a second time with that in mind, and you will see clues. (ie: when he finds and tests the lighter for flame by running his hand over it, etc)

[Horn]

First you target your audience, than you supply the demand.

[JDRock]

That was the movie-breaker for me too.

Come on kids...another negro saving us at the end of the world? Almost as incredulous as this negro punk being a rich famous Microbiologist who comes up with a cure for zombiecooties and saves humanity in I Am Legend:

[


they cant even take out the trash in the neighborhoods... :oo-->