I saw it last night and really enjoyed it. I caught a lot of the things that have been nitpicked in this thread, but they didn't ruin it for me.
I'm surprised at all the complaining about character development - I felt that Eli and Carnegie were both developed very well and were even dynamic throughout the movie. Maybe they were too unbelievable for some people because they're used to cookie-cutter, two dimensional characters in the movies they watch.
The only character I didn't really care for was Kunis'. I think Gary's explanation about the final scene really does ruin the movie, since without this scene/explanation God's presence is ambiguous. She's also the only character that doesn't react well to being in a post-apocalyptic world, since she supposedly grew up in it (even if she was sheltered at Carnegie's bar the whole time, she should understand more about the world than she demonstrates).
At first I was angry about the twist -
- but after thinking about all the subtle queues toward it, it's grown on my and I think it was a clever writing device.
The most distracting problems I had with it were the following:
The Bible is the most widely published book in the world. It's been translated into a billion different languages and a copy can be found just about anywhere you look. I was cleaning house the other day and found 3 copies and I'm an agnostic.
Product placement - The truck was too clean for 30+ years laying in wreckage... Motorola doesn't even make a commercially available megaphone. Other than those two, I dug the headphones and wondered what they were, but never saw the actual "product placement" in them (ie. the logo wasn't obvious enough that I picked up on it). The iPod was a stretch because that gen of iPod was notorious for its smiley face of death, but whatever, it was a nice addition to the movie.
The woods in the opening scene were cool and is how I imagined a lot of The Road scenes to be like (I haven't seen The Road yet). Beside the final scene, the rest of BoE was shot in Nevada or someplace that looks a lot like Nevada though, and that was disappointing.
Aside from that, I thought it was a great movie and will be recommending it.
Before I address a few posts I felt compelled to respond to, I just wanted to point out that the GAFers I disagreed with the most in this thread were also the most egregious abusers of the words there/their/they're and were/where. The typos in this thread were more distracting than any product placement or plotholes I saw in BoE.
Buckethead said:
Excellent flick.
Has Gary Oldman ever acted badly in his life? Methinks not.
Tiptoes. 'Nuff said.
koam said:
It's not nitpicking. Nitpicking would be wondering how in the little time they were in the house, how did he manage to disassemble a TV and place the book inside and close it. Or why was a song that was never released on vinyl playing on the record player :lol
Anita Ward - Songs of Love (Vinyl)
Also, I imagine George had already dismantled the tv for parts and/or a stash spot since Martha mentions that he's a resourceful handyman.
