What I Think About Movies I've Seen

It's been 30 years since nuclear wars ended civilization as we know it. The world was sent back to much more primitive times. Food and water are scarce, and it's a struggle to survive. Some people, like Eli (Denzel Washington) are travelers, moving from place to place and never staying anywhere too long, while others band together, often living in fear of a powerful, violent few. On his journey, Eli ventures into such a town led by Carnegie (Gary Oldman), a smart, ruthless, power-hungry man who rules by force, and pays plenty of unwanted attention to Eli. I don't want to give too much of the story away, and if you've seen the trailer then you should already know more than I've told you, but the best way to find out what happens is to watch it for yourself. I definitely plan on seeing it again.

This is one of the best post-apocalyptic movies I've seen in a long time. It's what The Road should have been and then some. Everything about it is just about perfect. The story is powerful, the acting is magnificent, and even the sound and the progression of light and color throughout the movie adds to the effect. There are a lot of visual effects, but they blend in seamlessly.

As a pass-holder for Fantastic Fest 2010, I was given a free screening of this movie, and the directors (The Hughes Brothers) were there to introduce the movie and give a Q&A after it was over. Warner Brothers seemed overly concerned about piracy, and everyone was subjected to being wanded with a metal detector, and someone was watching the audience for the entire duration of the movie. That seems rather excessive for a screening that ended less than two hours before midnight on the day it opens for its wide release, and I've never seen that in any other early screenings I've had, including some months in advance of their release. It didn't detract from the experience, but it did stand out.