The Book of Eli is a post-apocalyptic drama about a lone wanderer named Eli who travels across a devastated United States with a single, sacred mission: to protect and deliver a copy of the Bible to safety in the West. Along the way, he confronts violence, scarcity, and the temptation to wield religious power, revealing themes about faith, knowledge, and the preservation of culture after civilization has collapsed. Key points

• Plot premise: In a world ravaged by war, Eli carries what appears to be a single, valuable book and believes he has been guided to reach a secure location where it can endure.
• Central object: The “book” is eventually revealed to be the Bible, specifically a complete copy in the New King James Version, which has survived despite most other texts being destroyed.
• Villain’s arc: A warlord named Carnegie seeks the book to wield control and wealth, representing how power can corrupt religion when tied to material gain.
• Thematic focus: The film explores whether faith and knowledge can survive catastrophe, and what it means to protect culture, language, and meaning when much of humanity has been eroded.
• Resolution: Eli reaches a safe enclave where scholars commit the Bible to print again, ensuring its preservation for future generations. Eli dies after fulfilling his mission, and the community that preserves literature and music continues the work of keeping human knowledge alive.