Earth is attacked by the Formics, an alien race scouring the Galaxy for more resources, in a battle that devastates our Planet. 70 years later we are still healing and preparing for the next wave of invasion, but our tactics have changed. Instead of sending adults, kids are being prepared, training their minds for battle through games and strategies. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is a boy of brilliant promise, and Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) believes Ender could be Humanities savior.
Ender's Game is based on a book of the same name written by Orson Scott Card, a novel that's earned both the Nebula and Hugo awards, a huge feat in the science-fiction world. Surprisingly I've never read the book, though I've heard so much about it. This may have been a benefit, because if I had the books knowledge in mind while watching the film, I probably would have been disgruntled. Huge chunks of the book has been left out (my brother Robbie thought the scenes on Earth involving Ender's siblings more interesting, none of which made the film.) And a lot of character interaction and growth was also sacrificed, creating a movie that felt rushed, lacking proper development.
And the ending . . . goodness, I don't want to give anything away. There's a couple surprise ending, one of which wasn't explained thoroughly (I had a discussion with my brothers verifying some of the things I gathered), and the other surprise ending felt like a crazy dream sequence that made no sense. Graff would not have allowed it . . . I hate movies that leave out key information, when the remaining information defies established logic and motivations.
The game simulation scenes were really quite spectacular, as were the space-scapes and technology. There is one scene I have issues with: a scene where a spaceship carrying a group of kids enters zero-gravity. But that's the thing, it felt like pretend, kids lifting their arms as if weightless, looking like it was a game of make believe. Then this kid barfs into a bag. You see the liquid fall . . . fall . . . as if there's gravity, but we're told there is none, and then really bad CGI barf floats away. I kept thinking of the film "Gravity." The Zero-G effect Sandra Bullock pulled off truly was brilliant.
Ender's Game was a wild wide, and I enjoyed the journey, though at this point I don't know if I want to see the movie again.
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some violence, sci-fi action and thematic material.
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