This is the post-apocalyptic Christian thriller that we've been waiting for

One of the most popular bits of Christian subculture in the last decade has been the Left Behind series of books and movies staring Kirk Cameron. They portray a vision of the end of the world in which all of the good Christians have been sucked up into the sky while the rest of us get to languish under the thumb of the anti-Christ. The Left Behind films are anti-semitic, jingoistic, and generally devoid of any solidly biblical or traditional theology. And yet the thing that offends me the most about them  is just how simply bad they are as films. These are crappy, crappy movies. I mean crappy. We're talking bottom of the barrel here. The kind of movie you watch with friends just for the fun of mocking it out loud. Left Behind makes The Rocky Horror Picture Show look like Citizen Kane.

The problem with Left Behind is the problem with most so-called Christian art, including Christian novels, Christian film, and Christian music. For the better part of a generation American Christians have assumed that having a good, biblical message was all that was necessary and that quality doesn't matter. Many Christians turn their noses up at Hollywood for its endless stream of banal perversities, and I share some of that concern. But the answer to bad art is not more bad art. And it doesn't do the Church any favors when the complex, rich subtleties of the gospel are communicated in simple minded, almost cartoonish ways. Flannery O'Connor once famously said "Christian writers should be much less concerned with saving the world than with saving their work."

This is why The Book of Eli is so refreshing. Like Left Behind, The Book of Eli tells a post-apocolyptic story with heavy religious consequences. But in Eli, most people believe that religion was actually the cause of the crisis, not its solution. We're never actually told what happened to turn the world into what it is, although hints abound, but what we know from the very start is that this is a world where anarchy reigns. People kill each other for the smallest things. Water is scarce. Roadside hijackings, rape, and cannibalism are common. And because all of this was believed to be the result of religious fervor, all traces of ancient religion have been eliminated, including every last known copy of the Bible. Those born in the last thirty years have never seen or heard of Christianity in any form.

At the heart of the story is Eli, played by Denzel Washington (who is himself a very devout Christian), an ordinary man with an extraordinary mission. He has found the last surviving Bible on the planet, and a voice has called him to carry that Bible west to a place where it will be safe, where its words can once again be shared with the people. In the process of this journey, Eli faces a host of dangerous situations filled with moral and ethical dilemmas that most of us thank our lucky stars that we never have to face.

This kind of film, in the wrong hands, could easily come across as preachy and one dimensional. But instead the end product is subtle, visually interesting, and filled with the kind of highly choreographed action scenes that film goers have come to expect in recent years. Washington's portrayal of Eli is sympathetic because Eli is an everyman, complete with flaws and brokeness, and yet he is faithful to a vision of the truth which he isn't always given assurance of. Equally fine performances are given by Mila Kunis, Jennifer Beals, and Gary Oldman who reminds us that he's still the best bad guy on film.

This is not a Christian film per se, in the sense that it's meant to be purely evangelistic or apologetic. And yet the Gospel comes through. While Eli doesn't always do what's right, we see in him the struggle for good against evil and the hope of redemption. The name of Jesus isn't invoked at all in the film, and yet Eli clearly points us towards Him, not by being perfect but by being faithful, even in the midst of situations that instill great doubt.

That's not to say that there aren't quandaries here for Christians. Eli's use of violence is at times as fierce as those around him, though he tries to avoid it. What implications does that have for those of us who follow Jesus to the cross? Moreover, there's a question here that's only alluded to in the film, that of investing so much attention in the Bible in and of itself that we forget about the fact that the scriptures are part of a living tradition within the Church. The Bible belongs to the Church, not the other way around. What does it mean to give one's life for the bible in a world where there is no Church? In a world as perverse as the one depicted, where is sacramental grace to be found?

These are not easy questions but they are worthwhile questions to be asked. Christian film makers should dare to ask big questions, not just to give easy, straight forward answers. This film points towards God without insulting the intelligence of the viewer. It presents an apocalyptic scenario that is much more realistic than that of Left Behind, which makes it at once much scarier and also much more hopeful.

I highly recommend this film, although I hasten to add that it won't be everyone's cup of tea. It is very violent and contains a healthy dose of profanity and sexual innuendo. Not for children or the faint of heart. And if you're generally not the kind of person who enjoys action films, it may also fall flat for you, although there's a lot more to grasp onto here than in your average big budget shoot-em-up flick. But if you have the stomach for it, The Book of Eli is probably going to be remembered as one of the best films of 2010. It's the kind of film that Christians should be making.