'Eli' breaks post-apocalyptic mold

I hate disaster movies. The plots are repetitive, the characters forgettable and once you've seen one iconic landmark destroyed by an earthquake/tornado/volcano/Michael Bay, you've seen them all.Hollywood, on the other hand, loves disaster movies for the same reasons. All they have to do is dump "X" millions of dollars into special effects, hire a few monkeys to write the dialogue and then create a dramatic trailer highlighting the aforementioned iconic landmark destruction.

"The Book of Eli," I'm happy to say, is not a disaster movie. Rather than focusing on the destruction of the world, "Eli" instead looks at the post-apocalyptic aftermath. Although there is enough action and violence to satisfy even the most depraved among us, that's not the showpiece of the movie.

At its core "Eli" is an action drama. What this means is that, in addition to some amazing fight sequences, there is an actual story here, driven not by explosions and gunfights but by the characters and their struggles.

The main character of the movie is Eli, played by Denzel Washington. He is a man who has managed to survive out in the wilderness of the former United States with nothing more than his iPod, a book, some KFC moist towelettes and his trusty machete.

For more than 30 years he has journeyed west following a path that has been laid out for him and by the time we meet him, he is nearing the end of his quest. Eli then comes to a makeshift town run by the evil Carnegie (played by Gary Oldman) with the intention of stocking up on water. Hilarity and bloodshed ensue.

A word of warning: this movie is dark, very dark. In the first 15 minutes of the film there is a scene of someone killing, cooking and eating a cat followed by suicide, rape, murder and a few decapitations.

Eli's world is bleak, both literally and figuratively. If you want to play the world's worst drinking game, take a shot every time you see a living tree, I guarantee you that you won't need a designated driver on the way home. The environment (or more precisely, the lack thereof) is haunting.

From the broken-down highways littered with deserted cars to the makeshift look of the characters and their homes, the movie draws you into Eli's world and doesn't let you go until the credits roll.

If I have one minor complaint, it's that Washington's performance of Eli is just too good. Eli is such a compelling character that he overshadows everybody else. The worst part is that the supporting cast did a great job but they just weren't in the same league as Eli.

The best parallel I can think of is the Joker from the "Dark Knight." When he wasn't on screen I rapidly lost interest in the movie, not because the movie was bad, but because the Joker was just that damn good.

I really enjoyed this movie but I don't think it's for everyone. If you're deciding which movie you want to see this weekend, ask yourself the following questions: Do you love Denzel Washington? Do you enjoy large doses of cinematic violence? Are you stocking up on canned food and bottled water for the bomb shelter you're building in your backyard "just in case?" If the answer to any of these questions is "yes," I'm betting you're going to enjoy "The Book of Eli.