Directed by:
Gavin HoodScreenplay:
Gavin HoodCinematography:
Donald McAlpineComposer:
Steve JablonskyCast:
Asa Butterfield, Abigail Breslin, Hailee Steinfeld, Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, Moises Arias, Aramis Knight, Nonso Anozie, Andrea Powell (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
The near future. A hostile alien race have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley), all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and the International Military are training only the best young minds to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a shy but strategically brilliant boy, is recruited to join the elite. Once there, he's trained by Rackham himself to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race. (eOne Films International)
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Reviews (10)
I don't know the source material, so I might have been surprised... And there was definitely something to be surprised by. The film is unexpectedly serious, conversational and simply acted, with neither special effects nor action playing a major role, and I was very pleased with that. Just like the protagonist, who is not the classic whiny poor guy nobody trusts, but a confident young man who goes after what he wants - or rather, what others want him to go after. Harrison Ford got a lot of space, which is also fine, Ben Kingsley was more of an ornament, but an important one. I didn't expect the ending, and its idea - and therefore the idea of the whole film - is commendable. It's a pity that the music is bland and unimaginative and there are a few illogical things - why none of the adults came up with the final strategy, for example (the book might explain it). Despite the fact that I liked Ender's Game quite a bit, I could do without a second part. For as we know Hollywood, it might not be so sympathetically "un-movie-like" anymore. Three and a half.
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Even as someone who hasn’t read the book, I feel the filmmakers had to leave a lot out and use many plot shortcuts, because the themes and ideas that they tap (and also leave untapped) are really a lot for those 115 minutes. The good thing, though, is that what remained makes pretty good sense, while at the same time it’s not hard to imagine those things that didn’t make the cut. After the awful Wolverine, I wasn’t expecting much from Gavin Hood, but he turned out to be a pleasant surprise and delivered one of the purest sci-fi movies of the year. With its detachment and lack of user-friendliness, Ender’s Game is not likely to make many fans among the average cinemagoers, but those who prefer something like Starship Troopers or Lord of the Flies over another happy blockbuster about a young, brave hero who saves the world from an extraterrestrial invasion shouldn’t miss it. A welcome compensation for the dodgy Elysium.
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An adaptation of a readers, awards and time tested prolog to one of the best literary sci-fi’s ever (yes, I mean “Speaker for the Dead"). The book works with purely adult, timeless themes seen through the eyes of children for greater chilling effect (a sort of “Lord of the Flies" in space) and, to the credit of the filmmakers, the movie tries to do the same. The problem is that it merely tries. However, it is prevented from succeeding because the characters are too pruned down and consequently one-dimensional, so we can’t get far enough into Ender’s skin. Plus, a clash of two approaches cries out from the entire movie; a faithful, coolly detached, toned down adaptation “about something" and audience-pleasing, multi-colored, glittering scenes aimed at tickling your insides. And this just doesn’t work together.
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It's been quite a while since I've seen a good, classic sci-fi that I really enjoyed. I did enjoy this, but the whole time I kept thinking how great the book must be. The ending wouldn't have been as bad there. However, they decided to make a film that is powerful, emotive, with interesting characters and strong moments, but also has weaknesses, where especially the zero-gravity training seems somewhat silly and the audience doesn't really understand what it's all about. Despite its relatively high budget, the film might come across as overly intimate. Nevertheless, something is always happening.
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They filmed it right. It could have been done a tad better - more desolate, but even so it’s a breath of fresh air among the sci-fi fantasies of recent times. The spirit of Card’s book was maintained, meaning some truncation and slight speeding up, but this helps the story. Hood is clearly a fan and does his very best. Visually, Ender’s Game glitters like an A-movie blockbuster, but the plot is more profound than theater audiences are used to and a lot of them will leave the theater feeling they’ve been robbed. They won’t understand the ingenious ending or they won’t like it. Perfect build-up in battles, not a boring movie and gallons of emotion can be squeezed out of the graduation. The casting is marvelous, especially the kids and Asa Butterfield has no problem selling her character to the viewer. Maybe they should have chosen a bigger fanatic than Ford. Jablonsky again serves up marvelous themes. I wonder if he record furniture.
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