Ender's Game

[TNGTony]

[CONTAINER][MOVIE1]Title: Ender's Game

Tagline: This is not a game.

Genre: [GENRE]Action[/GENRE], [GENRE]Adventure[/GENRE], [GENRE]Science Fiction[/GENRE]

Director: [DIRECTOR]Gavin Hood[/DIRECTOR]

Cast: [ACTOR]Asa Butterfield[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Harrison Ford[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Hailee Steinfeld[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Abigail Breslin[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Ben Kingsley[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Viola Davis[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Aramis Knight[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Suraj Partha[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Moisés Arias[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Khylin Rhambo[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Jimmy "Jax" Pinchak[/ACTOR], [ACTOR]Conor Carroll[/ACTOR]

Release Date: [RELEASE]2013-10-30[/RELEASE]

Runtime: [RUNTIME]114[/RUNTIME]

Plot: [PLOT]Based on the classic novel by Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game is the story of the Earth's most gifted children training to defend their homeplanet in the space wars of the future.[/PLOT][/MOVIE1][POSTER1]

[/POSTER1][/CONTAINER]

 

[TNGTony]

I may have to read the book Ender's game to see if it is any deeper than the movie. I don't want to give much away to those that haven't seen the movie so this post may be a little cryptic. In short, Ender's game is reasonable entertainment. Not a great movie, but then again neither was The Last Starfighter. Ender's game is better than that 80's space fantasy with Robert "there's trouble, right here in our own galaxy. And it starts with S and that rhymes with X and that stands for Xur" Preston. But it is in exactly the same genre. To be clear, Ender's game is fantasy, not sci-fi.
On the surface the movie is a middle school boy's R.E.M. accompanied by nocturnal emission. It touches on all the points of every fantasy every middle-school boy has dealing with his self-doubt, social status, and unfocused aggression both mental and physical. The whole premise is specifically geared to that demo. However there are several glimmers of much, much deeper ethical and social dilemmas within the rather simple surface storyline. Some of the characters, including Harrison Ford's and Ben Kingsley's were rather two-dimensional. If these characters were played by actors with less ability the movie may not have worked for me.
There were three moments in the movie where the answers were so transparent to me that I had a hard time believing the premise. The clearest example is the first training game in zero G. I thought of Ender's tactic to win the game the instant the rules were explained. When they were executing the maneuver, I was hoping I would be wrong, but no. The answer, to me, was so simple that I had a hard time believing that not even the wisest minds had thought of the answer.
I also guessed the instant they mentioned "The final simulation" what was up. However I did not guess the ultimate ending to the movie. This is why I say there were glimmers of much deeper ethical questions below the trite preteen fantasy. I could almost forgive this movie its adolescent fantasies when Ender spoke the last words to Graff. If that one line is the only thing people take away from the movie, the whole two hours were well spent.

 

[Ramy]

I actually found this movie boring. I just couldn't get into it for whatever reason.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

They created the world nicely, for the most part, but the movie pales in comparison to the book. They rushed him through battle school, everyone was a teenager, they had Ender half-a-foot taller than Bonzo, the list of problems goes on and on. But dramatic license was needed, given the fact that in the book he starts as a six year old, and ends up 12-13.

The book is a classic, I read it practically every year. Or I listen to the audio of it. Heck, last year a full-cast "Audio Play" came out; far more entertaining than this film.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Oh, and while the movie gives the end away pretty quickly, the book doesn't. But if you've seen the movie, you've had that spoiled I guess.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I think to say Ender's Game is Fantasy not Science Fiction is wrong.

 

[navychop]

It was enjoyable. More than I can say for most movies today.


Posted Via The FREE SatelliteGuys Reader App!

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Aw heck, I am going to pull it up on Apple TV. I did buy the digital version of it. Even though I had problems with the film, it was still Ender Wiggin, and the enemy's gate is still down.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Crud, my wife came in... No Ender's game tonight! She must be a teacher. And the teachers are the enemy. (Nah, she isn't).

 

[Ronnie-]

It was ok. Decent way to spend an hour or so.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Watching it now. Every once in a while I love it, but most of the time I am just disappointed.

 

[berck]

I always find it difficult to watch a movie about based on a book having read the book first. I had the benefit of having not read the book before seeing the movie. I enjoyed the movie very much, and my son, who had read the book, filled in some gaps. After watching the movie, I read the book and saw how things were suppose to be.

 

[meStevo]

I really like this movie, just wish I could lop off the last 10 minutes or so.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

If you like audio books, try Ender's Game Alive, a full cast "audio play" (along the lines of the old radio plays). Well done. Expertly acted. OSC wrote the script, drew some from the films, added a bit to dialogue. It was very enjoyable.

The movie is what it is, I have made my peace with it. But it will never really be Ender's Game for me.

 

[TNGTony]

I really like this movie, just wish I could lop off the last 10 minutes or so.

Without the last 10 minutes, this movie would have had no redeeming quality!