I remember going to see ‘9′ less than six months ago hoping to see a movie about the post-apocalypse that would make me appreciate humanity in a world devoid of it.

‘The Book of Eli’ accomplished that where others did not.

The year is unknown, but thirty years prior to the film’s present, war devastated mankind and ruined most of the planet.  A dazed mankind has entered the world to find what they loved has become extinct.  A full generation grows to adulthood not knowing how to read, never having known the life we all take for granted, struggling to survive in a land where any food or water is a precious resource.

Denzel Washington plays Eli, a nomad who believes he is guided by the will of God to his destination in the west.  And, as you might have guessed, Eli carries a book with him – the last known Bible in existence.  Aided by Solara (Mila Kunis) and following the voice of God, Eli has journeyed on foot for the past thirty years to an unknown place where the book can be kept safe from evil men such as Carnegie (Gary Oldman) who would use it to control entire societies.

The two things that really leap out at viewers with this movie are exactly what it meant to show us: the struggle of human survival in a dismal world, and the awe and power of real faith, combined in a way that is hard to describe.  Any scene in the film will show you the hardship of living on a planet that has seemingly fallen apart, and the thought of scavenging for anything you can find that is worth its weight shows us how fortunate we are to have what we do and what we will leave behind long after we are gone.

At the same time a viewer can see the beauty of the human spirit in its attempt to survive, and the amazing difference that true belief can make while attempting even the most trying of tasks.  Seeing a character so resolute and committed to faith as Eli traversing the world is truly awe-inspiring.  The soundtrack is a great help.

This is the first movie in theatres this year that I cannot find fault with.  At times it is funny, while at others it is brilliantly violent, but throughout the film is a deeply somber feeling of spirituality.

For someone like me who had almost forgotten what people can accomplish when they truly believe in what they are doing, ‘The Book of Eli’ is the most important film of the year.

Grade: A.