We were quite excited to see Ender’s Game after we had read the book. The origins of the storyline came from the novel by Orson Scott. The actors are Asa Butterfeld, Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, and Hailee Steinfeld, and more but these actors and actresses were the main characters. The story is focused on the kids and it’s unique from other movies because they’re focused on adults. In the next few paragraphs, I will review the movie directed by Gavin Hood.
It starts off as kids being recruited by the International Fleet and Ender being one of them. The kids are trained and tested on their various skills, mostly battle room games. Their goal is to prepare for the 3rd attack of the Formics, also known as the buggers in outer space. The battle is very important therefore it will determine the fate of Earth. Most of the main characters are kids. Ender starts out young and weak and is later strengthened through training and studying. Petra is a supportive friend who aids Ender throughout the story. Graff overlooks and builds the storyline. Unfortunately Peter isn’t present too much but Valentine is a secondary support to help Ender’s mental state. Finally, Ender’s crew consisting of Alai, Bean, and Bernard are developed like Ender. These characters are quickly built up through the games but the pace was too fast to clearly identify how they were strengthened.
The technical elements in the film were well done. Other than unrealistic barf and the bugger model, all of the camera techniques felt professional. Special effects were essential so they did a good job trying to show the realism of space and futuristic elements. Sound wasn’t important because most of the scenes didn’t require much detail but the space fighting scenes felt 3D. Lighting was balanced well to show the depth and size but also illuminated the indoor settings so we could see clearly. Overall, the technical elements were all up to our standards and ran smoothly with very little problems.
A movie focused on kids may not be the usual Sci-Fi you’re looking for. It faces challenges that youths face every day. The movie doesn’t show the good characteristics that the novel depicts so the importance might fade away. But we can see Ender’s accomplishments and realize that the students are what they are supposed to be depicted so we still have some focus left. Important factors from the book were missing and that might’ve made the viewer’s lose the sense of time and importance. Nevertheless, we can also notice the theme because Graff is keeping a constant focus. I just hope the theme is clear to the people who haven’t read the novel so they can stop their annoying rant.
At the end, I want to make a clear statement for people to go back and to reflect why the director might have taken some scenes out. Some scenes were kept out to maintain the focus and to keep the complexity out. Not all viewers like to read a book, probably the majority doesn’t even enjoy reading. So I’m guessing the director was aiming this movie towards the majority who don’t read and who just want to enjoy a good movie. So please stop ranting about what they missed and how horrible the film was. Maybe the director made a mistake but it was his decision and I think it was a good choice to keep some scenes out.
Anyway, this movie wasn’t so bad but it also didn’t meet all of our expectations. The technical elements have made up for the fast paced and disappointing skips. I would rate this a 7/10 but it may be more disappointing to some of you. I would give it a thumbs up for people who haven’t read the novel but if you have, you should skip this one. There’s no significant changes or alterations to make it a completely different story. If you are having any questions, read the novel to tie up some loose ends.
Adolescentia 