Who would you want to hang around with in a desolate, post-apocalyptic world? You could do a whole lot worse than Denzel Washington (“The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3”).

Washington’s latest vehicle is “The Book of Eli,” a stark sci-fi drama that inhabits a cinematic world that lies somewhere between the cerebral high-mindedness of “The Road” and the over-the-top violence of “Mad Max.”

As a result, it isn’t quite as good as either of them.

The story that filmmaking brothers Albert and Allen Hughes (“Menace II Society”) and novice screenwriter Gary Whitta are telling has spiritual aspirations, but they allow some curious absurdities to derail them.

The plot plays very much like that of an old Clint Eastwood spaghetti western.

Some thirty years have passed a cataclysmic explosion “blew a hole in the sky” allowing the sun to scorch the Earth into a gray wasteland.

For nearly three decades, our hero Eli (Washington) has been walking westward, carrying the world’s last remaining copy of the King James Bible. His mission, inspired by an inner voice, is to guard the scriptures with his life and ultimately deliver the holy book to someone, somewhere on the west coast.

Like Eastwood’s ‘Man With No Name,’ Eli is a peaceful sort, but can bloody up the scenery with the best of them if prodded. He carries a large, sharp machete that he uses to slice and dice roving gangmembers, thugs and the occasional cannibal.

Things come to a head when he arrives at a corrupt town run by a baddie named Carnegie (Gary Oldman from “The Dark Knight”) who has been searching for the holy book.

In Carnegie’s case, he wants to use the book’s power to manipulate people rather than inspire them.

Carnegie’s blind mistress Claudia (Jennifer Beals from TV’s “The L Word”) has a comely daughter named Solara (Mila Kunis (“Extract”) whom Carnegie uses to finesse Eli. But Solara has an independent streak and ultimately sides with Eli.

Washington is a good choice to play Eli, bringing the needed gravitas to the role. Kunis provides window dressing, but there’s only so much she can do with her underwritten character.

The art direction and washed out cinematography create an appropriately bleak and eerie landscape. While the movie is well produced and manages to keep our attention, it is saddled with multiple false climaxes and some pretentious and laughable “twists.”

Still, Washington’s presence saves it, making the end of the world seem a little less bleak. (R) Rating: ***

* Avoid at all costs
** Only if you're bored
*** Good movie
**** Well worth your time
***** Be sure to see it