In The Book of Eli, Denzel Washington is bringing the last known copy of the King James bible out west, on foot, because he believes that is what God wants him to do.
In The Road, Viggo Mortensen is bringing his son toward the sea, on foot, because he believes that there may be other people there.
In The Book of Eli, Denzel protects his copy of the bible from falling into the hands of roving cannibals by killing anyone who even looks at him funny. Killing them with a sword!
In The Road, Viggo protects his son from falling into the hands of roving cannibals by hiding, and teaching him how to kill himself.
The largest difference between these two films is the amount of fun the viewer has while watching. The Book of Eli manages to put aside its somber nature every fifteen minutes or so and kick-ass for a while. Old-man Denzel is a believable badass, Mila Kunis is so hot it's silly, and there are explosions a-plenty in the third act. Ray Stevenson from Rome is notable, as is Gary Oldman. Oh, and Tom Waits!--He's only in two or three scenes, but still--Tom Waits!
Conversely, there isn't a single smile to be had while watching The Road. The film has two brilliant performances, is beautifully photographed, and the score by Nick Cave is great, but there is absolutely not a single feel-good moment in the entire thing. It's bleak and depressing from beginning to end, with only the slightest glimmer of hope.
I don't think I could ever bring myself to sit through The Road a second time. During every scene in which Viggo and his son hid from the cannibals I kept waiting for Denzel to show up with his bible and his sword. That would have been awesome.
The Book of Eli: 3 / 5 on the Awesome Meter
The Road: 2.75 / 5
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