So, in full disclosure, I have never read the book that this movie is based on. Many with me in the theater though had read and loved this book as a child. Those who have read this semi-classic novel by Orson Scott Card may disagree with how I feel concerning this movie, but so be it.
Ender's Game is set in the future, 50 years after an invasion of an alien race known as the Formics. It is decided that Earth's best hope for survival is genius children because they can comprehend complex situations faster than adults can. The best and brightest of these is Andrew Ender Wiggins, or Ender. Ender then goes through training in Battle School and Command School so he can prepare for an all out offensive against the Formic race. I won't spoil the rest for those of you who haven't read the book, but I did not see the end of this movie coming at all.
Some of the visuals and effects in this movie were just breathtaking. It was very well done from that perspective and apparently this movie took nearly 3 years post filming to finish. There are certain scenes, especially in the last major battle simulation where I can really see how that could be. Some of those visuals are just insane. However, at the same time, director Gavin Hood creates some parts of this movie that just seem to drag. While the movie doesn't bore you at all, there are times where you wish it would get to a good part. Though, in Hood's defense, as he also served as the screenwriter, those are some of the more important plot sequences.
The acting in this movie was decent. You get an alright performance from Asa Butterfield, who plays Ender. He is obviously young and newer to acting, and as such, some of his more emotional moments felt forced and I did not feel like it was genuine. He was at his best though in battles and at the command. He was sharing the screen with Academy Award Nominees Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, and Viola Davis along with Academy Award Winner Ben Kingsley and held his own for the most part. The supporting work, especially from adult commanders Ford, Davis and Kingsley was great and I loved the nearly emotionless Ford who pushes Ender to, if not past, his own limits. As a side note, Harrison Ford has put together a decent year in film between this, 42 and Paranoia. It's good to see him getting back to form after making some terrible films the last few years like the new Indiana Jones and Cowboys and Aliens.
Overall, this movie is entertaining though it did lack some of the punch I felt it could have had. The message behind it was one I could get behind, though I think it missed some of its ability to portray it to an extent. While there were gorgeous visuals, some of the sci-fi action sequences were a tad bit bland, or were over too quickly to keep my interest as it went. I liked this movie, though I feel it could have been better. I give it a B.
The thing I liked the most about Ender's Game when I read it was the struggle that Ender went through. You get some of this in the movie when he explains how he ends up loving the people right before he destroys them. Though they tried to portray this I feel like they didn't do a very good job on it. Although I felt this way I was very pleased with the movie. The movie I was "hoping" for would have been about 15 hours long...so its a good thing they figured out how to shorten it. Nice review!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think the writing did a good job of allowing for that and it was Asa Butterfield (the actor playing Ender) that was probably more the cause of that than anything. I think he just failed on getting the full emotional spectrum of Ender that he could have had.
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