If you're wondering if this is faithful to the book, the answer is: Yes, very.
That said, it all moves too quickly. This is a film that really needed an extra 30-40 minutes in order to flesh out the characters and plot. If you've read the book, you know why. There's simply too much going on to be covered in its already near 2-hour runtime. Key scenes are presented back-to-back with very little in-between, and no time for the plot to simmer. This isn't the movie that long-time Ender fans will hope it may be, but it is perhaps the best we could expect. Most of what you could want is up on the screen, minus the subplot that would require its own film, but it just feels a little empty. Glad to see it on the screen after all these years, but as the measure of any good book-to-film, I doubt this will make people want to run out and read Ender's Game.
Contrary to what KuroSawWhat said, this movie actually DID make me run out to grab a copy of Ender's Game and I love that I'm getting a deeper look into the characters and plot that I became quite enamored with in the film. For someone who had not read the book beforehand (sacrilege, I know) I found the movie easy to follow, incredibly intriguing, and I was blown away by the cinematography! I felt I got a good grasp of the characters and basic plot, but I'm glad I'm expanding my knowledge on said things by reading the actual novel. Movies aren't supposed to be exact copies of the books. (Actually movies and books can never equal each other for they are completely different art forms with different insights and expression.) Regardless, as soon as authors hand over the rights to their story, it is the director's job to make it something that reflects the original story and yet make it their own. If it was exactly like the book, including characters being able to fully develop (hard to do in any one movie), there would have been no need for someone such as me to rush to the bookstore for a copy. They would have gotten everything they needed out of the film. That would be awful. Needless to say, I loved the movie and am flying through the wonderful book!! I proudly celebrate the similarities and differences between both forms of this story. :)
The CGI is very good and you can sense that the book behind Ender's Game is a fantastic Sci-Fi story. Unfortunately it's not unravelled in this movie. Everything is going to fast, and there isn't time to dwell and breath in, or time for character development. Should have been an hour longer or so. Too bad, because this one could've been fantastic. Instead it ends up being just another drop from the, at the moment, very Sci-Fi productive Hollywood.
I feel this would have worked as a mini-series where the characters could have been developed, the major events could have been given space to breathe and have a sense of time. As a film it has none of these and just felt disposable.
In contrast to some others here, I hated the book Ender's Game. I thought it had some great ideas, but terrible development and flatter-than-flat characters.
I think the movie was a vast improvement, which realizes the great ideas presented by the book even better than the book itself. Well acted and with great effects, I think this is an prime example of book-to-film adaptation. I can't see myself ever reading the book again, but I'd be happy to give this film a second look.
i've not read the books yet so i cannot compare but i wouldn't even if i had.
as everyone has already said, the pacing felt REALLY rushed. many movies have the demerit of being too long. this unfortunately was way too short. whatever the reasons, the characters couldn't be fleshed completely, the plot couldn't be explored completely and the pace was slightly jarring. as it ended, it felt like it had only just begun.
that said, this is quite an entertaining movie and deserves a watch. technically the movie is great. good cinematography, decent acting with harrison ford being the most memorable and a good enough soundtrack to supplement the scenes. the editing was as good as can be for a movie that was all too short.
7/10
not a must-watch scifi movie by any stretch but still recommended
There's only one kid on this launch with any brains at all so far, and that's Ender Wiggin.
Brace yourself for again a graphically stunning looking SF, with a strong beginning, a story that will make you frown your eyebrows and a fairly disappointing end. It's again based on a book I haven't read. The good news is, it's not a very complicated story. It's not such a story you don't know what it's about, because you didn't read the book in which the details are usually described. You'll notice as the movie progresses that it's a youth book. I couldn't get rid of the impression that this was a kind of "Harry Potter in Space". A kind of magic boy possesses certain qualities that adults have long been looking for. He's repeatedly called "The One" (an echoing reverberating sound effect wouldn't be out of place here) and is apparently a wet dream of the leader of the cadet school (Harrison Ford). Of course, this little boy is looked at as an emerging hero and hailed for his intelligence that others apparently do not possess cause of a momentary brain disorder. Strange, because after all they also belong to the select group of highly intellectual kids. Well anyway, it leads to resentment, jealousy and hate. But our friend Ender eventually turns the tide and gathers together a fan base to protect the earth's population against the oncoming swarm of Formics.
As I said already, this SF is an eye catcher. I bet the "Special Effects" department has spent a lot of money on this one. It looks nice, crispy and flashy. As a SF fan you'll start to drool for sure. The comparison with recent works such as "Oblivion", "Elysium" and "Prometheus" is obvious. Even "Gravity" is included when it's about the images from space with a beautiful planet at the background. I even got flashbacks from earlier films like "Battlestar Galactica," "Independence Day" and "The Black Hole". Generally you can say that it looked fine and worked out into perfection. The space battles in both the simulator and the real one, looked pretty impressive. The alien spacecrafts that moved like a flock of starlings was magnificent to see. And indeed, the heroic deed by Mazer Rackham looked like a duplicate of scenes out of "Independence Day".
The performances were usually excellent. No Oscar material, but nothing that really annoyed me. Asa Butterfield was a convincing Ender. Harrison Ford was a confident Colonel who has no problem with the fact that they actually are training kid soldiers. Viola Davis, the psychologist on board, was a convincing motherly military. And the rest of the little ones did what they had to do: or they were from the beginning an adoring friend of Ender (Petra and Co) or buggers who immediately began to tease him. Moisos Arias was the best example. In Ender's place, I would have kicked this South American annoying brat into space.
The thing that started to annoy me was the content of the story. Indeed it is kept simple and rather childish. Initially I don't have a problem with that. The run-up to the training was fascinating to watch and kept my attention. I just started to question myself about the usefulness of the whole training since later on, they didn't make much use of it anyway. It looked like a sort of "Quidditch" but then in space suits. And you could also win the game by getting someone of your own team through the opponents gate, instead of throwing a ball ! It was a pleasure to see the various team members floating around in those glass balls. But that was it. Only some floating around! The idea of those little guys learning a kind of Lasergun teen game and afterwards using real war material to teach those aliens a lesson, kind of felt unreal and surealistic. The lack of explanation about the relationship between Ender and his brother Peter and sister Valentine was kind of a disappointment. I wanted to know more about that. It would have been interesting material. And as a grand finale Ender suddenly transformed into a Good Samaritan and was outraged about the fact they have lied to him. I thought they were preparing him for this task anyway and that he fully understood that. But no, the little fellow got extremely mad and suddenly he unravels the complete mystery and goes on his last mission as Admiral to accomplish a promise he made. Deep disappointment ! I can only conclude that it's a visually delightful film. The story is of a childish level, but is actually still a bridge too far for the youngest. But I found the end a huge letdown that screwed up the rest of the movie.
Although nothing beats the book, the movie is still great and for those who haven't read the book, get ready for a shocker at the ending ;)
The movie consisted too much of land warfare combat training which wasn't even apparent in the movie when they should have included and focused more on space battle simulations.
Have yet to read the book but I concur with the other reviews in general that the movie feels very rushed even at its solid 2 hour length. It's decent Sci-fi but as the movie progresses into the 3rd act it gets somewhat jumbled and cheesy. Not to mention that the whole climax of the movie is a fake one (have to see it to understand). Movies that keep promising (and putting off) a good 3rd act climax don't typically work out when you find out that you've already watched it and the movie is now over.
Update: After reading the book (and loved it), plus also seeing it for the second time, I'm actually a lot more impressed with it than before. The major issue is that the book is the kind of novel where it really needs to simmer for a while to bring out the excellent flavor. The movie just doesn't have the time to do that. Add another, say, 25 minutes to the movie and that might have worked. It kind of highlights the main issue between taking a classic novel and cranking it out as the next Hollywood blockbuster, there's a lot that is always lost in transition, but impressively a good deal is kept here. It's a real testament to the potency of the novel in the sense that I knew what was going to happen at the climax because I had watched the movie... and I was still blown away by it.
That being said, it is still a pretty good book-to-movie transition and Asa Butterfield is convincing as Ender. One thing that really struck me in the book was the violence and I can't help but fantasize what it could have looked like with an R rating.
Very cool visuals, the acting is good, Asa Butterfield (Hugo) and Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) were fantastic even Moises Arias (The Kings of Summer) was good in a despicable role.
Didn´t read the book, I don´t care, make a movie and I will watch it. Love the first quote.
4/5
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Comments 1 - 15 of 24
KuroSawWhat
If you're wondering if this is faithful to the book, the answer is: Yes, very.That said, it all moves too quickly. This is a film that really needed an extra 30-40 minutes in order to flesh out the characters and plot. If you've read the book, you know why. There's simply too much going on to be covered in its already near 2-hour runtime. Key scenes are presented back-to-back with very little in-between, and no time for the plot to simmer. This isn't the movie that long-time Ender fans will hope it may be, but it is perhaps the best we could expect. Most of what you could want is up on the screen, minus the subplot that would require its own film, but it just feels a little empty. Glad to see it on the screen after all these years, but as the measure of any good book-to-film, I doubt this will make people want to run out and read Ender's Game.
AcidSky87
Contrary to what KuroSawWhat said, this movie actually DID make me run out to grab a copy of Ender's Game and I love that I'm getting a deeper look into the characters and plot that I became quite enamored with in the film. For someone who had not read the book beforehand (sacrilege, I know) I found the movie easy to follow, incredibly intriguing, and I was blown away by the cinematography! I felt I got a good grasp of the characters and basic plot, but I'm glad I'm expanding my knowledge on said things by reading the actual novel. Movies aren't supposed to be exact copies of the books. (Actually movies and books can never equal each other for they are completely different art forms with different insights and expression.) Regardless, as soon as authors hand over the rights to their story, it is the director's job to make it something that reflects the original story and yet make it their own. If it was exactly like the book, including characters being able to fully develop (hard to do in any one movie), there would have been no need for someone such as me to rush to the bookstore for a copy. They would have gotten everything they needed out of the film. That would be awful. Needless to say, I loved the movie and am flying through the wonderful book!! I proudly celebrate the similarities and differences between both forms of this story. :)Ressa
The CGI is very good and you can sense that the book behind Ender's Game is a fantastic Sci-Fi story. Unfortunately it's not unravelled in this movie. Everything is going to fast, and there isn't time to dwell and breath in, or time for character development. Should have been an hour longer or so. Too bad, because this one could've been fantastic. Instead it ends up being just another drop from the, at the moment, very Sci-Fi productive Hollywood.neocowboy
I wonder how many actual New Zealand actors Ben Kingsley beat with his amalgam accent of Kiwi, Aussie and a twinge of South African.ChrisReynolds
I feel this would have worked as a mini-series where the characters could have been developed, the major events could have been given space to breathe and have a sense of time. As a film it has none of these and just felt disposable.dorkusmalorkus
In contrast to some others here, I hated the book Ender's Game. I thought it had some great ideas, but terrible development and flatter-than-flat characters.I think the movie was a vast improvement, which realizes the great ideas presented by the book even better than the book itself. Well acted and with great effects, I think this is an prime example of book-to-film adaptation. I can't see myself ever reading the book again, but I'd be happy to give this film a second look.
aniforprez
i've not read the books yet so i cannot compare but i wouldn't even if i had.as everyone has already said, the pacing felt REALLY rushed. many movies have the demerit of being too long. this unfortunately was way too short. whatever the reasons, the characters couldn't be fleshed completely, the plot couldn't be explored completely and the pace was slightly jarring. as it ended, it felt like it had only just begun.
that said, this is quite an entertaining movie and deserves a watch. technically the movie is great. good cinematography, decent acting with harrison ford being the most memorable and a good enough soundtrack to supplement the scenes. the editing was as good as can be for a movie that was all too short.
7/10
not a must-watch scifi movie by any stretch but still recommended
Earring72
Great visuals and well acted but story felt rushed and missed some clear explenation about some characters. Could do with an extra 15minutes or so. OKIrynasami
Amazed. Really good. I like how it leaves a scent of hope, heart and peace.DaniloFreiles
In guerra la prima vittima è la verità.ikkegoemikke
There's only one kid on this launch with any brains at all so far, and that's Ender Wiggin.Brace yourself for again a graphically stunning looking SF, with a strong beginning, a story that will make you frown your eyebrows and a fairly disappointing end. It's again based on a book I haven't read. The good news is, it's not a very complicated story. It's not such a story you don't know what it's about, because you didn't read the book in which the details are usually described. You'll notice as the movie progresses that it's a youth book. I couldn't get rid of the impression that this was a kind of "Harry Potter in Space". A kind of magic boy possesses certain qualities that adults have long been looking for. He's repeatedly called "The One" (an echoing reverberating sound effect wouldn't be out of place here) and is apparently a wet dream of the leader of the cadet school (Harrison Ford). Of course, this little boy is looked at as an emerging hero and hailed for his intelligence that others apparently do not possess cause of a momentary brain disorder. Strange, because after all they also belong to the select group of highly intellectual kids. Well anyway, it leads to resentment, jealousy and hate. But our friend Ender eventually turns the tide and gathers together a fan base to protect the earth's population against the oncoming swarm of Formics.
As I said already, this SF is an eye catcher. I bet the "Special Effects" department has spent a lot of money on this one. It looks nice, crispy and flashy. As a SF fan you'll start to drool for sure. The comparison with recent works such as "Oblivion", "Elysium" and "Prometheus" is obvious. Even "Gravity" is included when it's about the images from space with a beautiful planet at the background. I even got flashbacks from earlier films like "Battlestar Galactica," "Independence Day" and "The Black Hole". Generally you can say that it looked fine and worked out into perfection. The space battles in both the simulator and the real one, looked pretty impressive. The alien spacecrafts that moved like a flock of starlings was magnificent to see. And indeed, the heroic deed by Mazer Rackham looked like a duplicate of scenes out of "Independence Day".
The performances were usually excellent. No Oscar material, but nothing that really annoyed me. Asa Butterfield was a convincing Ender. Harrison Ford was a confident Colonel who has no problem with the fact that they actually are training kid soldiers. Viola Davis, the psychologist on board, was a convincing motherly military. And the rest of the little ones did what they had to do: or they were from the beginning an adoring friend of Ender (Petra and Co) or buggers who immediately began to tease him. Moisos Arias was the best example. In Ender's place, I would have kicked this South American annoying brat into space.
The thing that started to annoy me was the content of the story. Indeed it is kept simple and rather childish. Initially I don't have a problem with that. The run-up to the training was fascinating to watch and kept my attention. I just started to question myself about the usefulness of the whole training since later on, they didn't make much use of it anyway. It looked like a sort of "Quidditch" but then in space suits. And you could also win the game by getting someone of your own team through the opponents gate, instead of throwing a ball ! It was a pleasure to see the various team members floating around in those glass balls. But that was it. Only some floating around! The idea of those little guys learning a kind of Lasergun teen game and afterwards using real war material to teach those aliens a lesson, kind of felt unreal and surealistic. The lack of explanation about the relationship between Ender and his brother Peter and sister Valentine was kind of a disappointment. I wanted to know more about that. It would have been interesting material. And as a grand finale Ender suddenly transformed into a Good Samaritan and was outraged about the fact they have lied to him. I thought they were preparing him for this task anyway and that he fully understood that. But no, the little fellow got extremely mad and suddenly he unravels the complete mystery and goes on his last mission as Admiral to accomplish a promise he made. Deep disappointment ! I can only conclude that it's a visually delightful film. The story is of a childish level, but is actually still a bridge too far for the youngest. But I found the end a huge letdown that screwed up the rest of the movie.
More reviews here
Tezelian
Although nothing beats the book, the movie is still great and for those who haven't read the book, get ready for a shocker at the ending ;)DisneyStitch
Have yet to read the book but I concur with the other reviews in general that the movie feels very rushed even at its solid 2 hour length. It's decent Sci-fi but as the movie progresses into the 3rd act it gets somewhat jumbled and cheesy. Not to mention that the whole climax of the movie is a fake one (have to see it to understand). Movies that keep promising (and putting off) a good 3rd act climax don't typically work out when you find out that you've already watched it and the movie is now over.Update: After reading the book (and loved it), plus also seeing it for the second time, I'm actually a lot more impressed with it than before. The major issue is that the book is the kind of novel where it really needs to simmer for a while to bring out the excellent flavor. The movie just doesn't have the time to do that. Add another, say, 25 minutes to the movie and that might have worked. It kind of highlights the main issue between taking a classic novel and cranking it out as the next Hollywood blockbuster, there's a lot that is always lost in transition, but impressively a good deal is kept here. It's a real testament to the potency of the novel in the sense that I knew what was going to happen at the climax because I had watched the movie... and I was still blown away by it.
That being said, it is still a pretty good book-to-movie transition and Asa Butterfield is convincing as Ender. One thing that really struck me in the book was the violence and I can't help but fantasize what it could have looked like with an R rating.
Joker of Gotham
Very cool visuals, the acting is good, Asa Butterfield (Hugo) and Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) were fantastic even Moises Arias (The Kings of Summer) was good in a despicable role.Didn´t read the book, I don´t care, make a movie and I will watch it. Love the first quote.
4/5
meysam_a
Unexpectedly amazing!Showing items 1 – 15 of 24