Ender's Game

[singlebanana]

Just wondering if anyone else has seen "Ender's Game." The wife and I dropped the kids off at their grandparents for a night out and went to see it. I know they have been trying to make this film for years and I thought they did a good job with it. It was pretty close to the book and included the majority of all the important parts. I also thought it was well-paced and nothing seemed to drag out like I thought it might. The kid that played Ender was very good in that role and it looks like they are keeping it open for a sequel.

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

I was pretty excited to go see it but then I heard too many mehs from friends. Think I'm going to wait for dvd.

[singlebanana]

Just curious, what were their "mehs" about?  I thought it was well done and worth going to see it in the theater. I don't see a lot of films on the theater (young kids), and only make exception for a few. This one was worth it to me.

[bombatomba]

Just curious, what were their "mehs" about?  I thought it was well done and worth going to see it in the theater. I don't see a lot of films on the theater (young kids), and only make exception for a few. This one was worth it to me.

I asked a few friends and they also seemed "meh."  I'm wondering if it has something to do with all the main characters being (or appear to be) made up of kids.  Personally I don't care that much, but I know more than one person who will immediately change the channel if they see one kid in a movie drop his/her head in an attempt to look evil.  Then there is the controversy surrounding the author.

Personally I plan on checking it out when it hits the store shelves (be it physical or digital), although if my Dad wants to go see it I'll go to the theater and see it.

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

The majority of them who were big fans of the book were pretty much all saying it was too condensed and that they were puzzled by what was left out.

People that hadn't read it said it was OK. They seemed to like the performances and special effects but the story was kind of "off" which to me suggests they didn't translate it so well.

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

Just curious, what were their "mehs" about?  I thought it was well done and worth going to see it in the theater. I don't see a lot of films on the theater (young kids), and only make exception for a few. This one was worth it to me.

I asked a few friends and they also seemed "meh."  I'm wondering if it has something to do with all the main characters being (or appear to be) made up of kids.  Personally I don't care that much, but I know more than one person who will immediately change the channel if they see one kid in a movie drop his/her head in an attempt to look evil.  Then there is the controversy surrounding the author.

Personally I plan on checking it out when it hits the store shelves (be it physical or digital), although if my Dad wants to go see it I'll go to the theater and see it.

Well you can't have Ender's Game without a cast of kids. That's the point. But they're hyper-intelligent and bred for glory kids, so that's where a large part of the interest lies.

[russlyman]

I just stayed last night after work to watch this. I thought it was amazing. I Never read the books but I thought the story was very good and the twist was great

[singlebanana]

Yeah, it's been a while since I read the book (about 4-5 years ago), but from what I remember of it, they really hit all of the important parts of the book. There are always those that like to nit pick what is left out, especially with a popular book, so I would not let that deter me from seeing it at all.

I had not problem with the kids. There were some great actors/actresses and yeah, the whole point of the film is that they are kids, so you can't change that. My biggest problem was with Harrison Ford. I just felt that he was so out of place in this film. With most of the actors/actresses being lesser known, his appearance cracked the wall a bit. Not enough to hinder my enjoyment, but it was noticeable.

Then there is the controversy surrounding the author.

Funny, but Orson Scott Card lives in my town and writes for one of the local papers. I will say that I DO NOT agree with his opinions, but it is a shame that Hollywood is shutting him out of all of the fanfare and openings of the film. Ironically, this is the same Hollywood that embraces Roman Polanski....... I am not defending OSC, just saying that everyone is entitled to their opinion and no matter how crazy it is, they still deserve credit and the right to be associated with the fruits of their labor that executives are profiting on as well. Don't let politics/ethics sway you from missing a good film. You have to separate the two and enjoy the film/book for what it is on its own. Also, see "Chinatown," it's a great film.

 

[nupoile]

We saw Ender's Game yesterday. While watching it and as it got over I was really wondering what everyone would think of it. More so than other movies made from books, there must be a big difference between people who have read the book(s) and those who have not.

As for me, I didn't read the book until a few years ago, 5 or 6 maybe. Then I discovered audio books and read/listened to them all. There have been a couple more books in the series since I did that but I made it through the first 11. The movie only covers the first book but some of the other books overlap the timeline of the first book. Even then, when I read them, there was internet hope they would make a movie someday. The author talked about what he wanted from a movie, if one was ever to be made, in interviews and such. Several of the audio books I listened to had Orson Scott Card talking at the end, sometimes for an hour or so, telling his thoughts on the story.

After I was exposed to all that, I always wondered how a movie could be made of the first book. So very much of the story is internal thoughts, conflict and planning. More so than most other movies I've seen.

I like watching movies. I even like watching movies I don't think are good movies. You have to keep this in mind when I comment on movies because I just like them in general. I easily look past flaws and really enjoy the best parts.

So this movie was pretty good. How could they have made it better without making it three and a half hours long? Ender's Game hits all the most important parts, it cuts out huge chunks of the book, but I think if you are familiar with the book the 114 minute long movie does the best it can. Trust me though, if you haven't read the book, the movie cuts out, by necessity, the parts which make the book so great. It's not a different story, just a very compressed one. Starship Troopers cut out more, by-the-way, like 97%, but that is a different story 

So this brings me to the question I was wondering about during the movie. What do people think who haven't read the book? I can see the story being very odd compared to what most people think of when they think of sci-fi movies. I talked with my wife about whether the movie compels you to mull over the questions it brings up about the 'why did this or that happen?' Do people wonder about the personal interactions and conflict in the movie, or do they just think, 'huh, that was odd' and leave it?

Hopefully I've gotten across my point of why this movie is different than other book-to-movie stories. Of course movies are different than their books. They have to be. Ender's Game though, is so much about the internal reasons behind the actions presented. Does it come across in the movie?




Oh, and Orson Scott Card, the author, said time and again he was not going to wavier on the age of the children in the movie. In the book, Bean is 4 and Ender is 6 when they get to the school. Card did not want any actor older than 8ish to play Ender. Clearly he changed his mind. Was it all the money other sci-fi book/movie series have been making? Harry Potter, Hunger Games anyone?   

[singlebanana]

My wife has never read the book and we had some great conversations about the movie last night and this morning. She'll be the first to tell you that she isn't into sci-fi, but there are certain titles that she loves and that appeal to her emotions enough that she does not view the film(s) genre specifically. She really loves the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings movies, and of course the original Star Wars trilogy more due to their human element. She really liked Enders Game and I think this was because it did the same thing. The acting was powerful considering the age of actors/actresses and I think she really latched on to the emotional state of Ender. Not to ruin the film, but

Spoiler (hover to show)

 when she realized that he was tricked into fighting the war through what he perceived as a simulation

I looked over and saw her mouth agape. I think what makes Enders Game such a great book is that twist and how you get drawn into the psyche and character of Ender. I had read the book and knew it was coming, but she was knocked over by it. Because she had never read the book and the movie was just as successful in conveying this feeling to her as it was to me having read it, I think the film accomplished its intent for the non-reader. 

I understand what Card meant about the ages of the children, but 4 and 6 year-old child actors would never have the maturity to pull this off.

[nupoile]

I understand what Card meant about the ages of the children, but 4 and 6 year-old child actors would never have the maturity to pull this off.

I agree completely. That OSC was so adamant about it before and then to change his mind for this movie....I just wonder what the reason was. I'm sure he has stated his reasons somewhere, he is not a man of few words, I just haven't bothered looking. But if I had written a book and people were like, "you can make eighty bazillion dollars on the movie deal" I'd be like, "where do I sign?" and they'd be like, "we have to change a few things" and I'd be like, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER ME SIGNING THE CONTRACT!"

I'm glad your wife was taken by that one twist. I really wondered what people thought of it if they hadn't read the book. So in her case, does she want to read the book now? Did she ask questions about Ender's brother? Why it's a big deal Ender is a 'third'? Did those bullies die? Stuff like that?

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

I understand what Card meant about the ages of the children, but 4 and 6 year-old child actors would never have the maturity to pull this off.

I agree completely. That OSC was so adamant about it before and then to change his mind for this movie....I just wonder what the reason was. I'm sure he has stated his reasons somewhere, he is not a man of few words, I just haven't bothered looking. But if I had written a book and people were like, "you can make eighty bazillion dollars on the movie deal" I'd be like, "where do I sign?" and they'd be like, "we have to change a few things" and I'd be like, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER ME SIGNING THE CONTRACT!"

Totally this. On one hand you hate to see your creative universe changed for the plebs, on the other you'll be diving Scrooge McDuck style into a vault of money.

[singlebanana]

I think there are some artists out there who are more concerned with the integrity of their work than profits from it. And as a matter of fact, we could use more of these types (but that's another issue). Let's just say that OSC isn't doing bad; I'm sure he is still getting good royalties from sales and I know the neighborhood he lives in.

I'm glad your wife was taken by that one twist. I really wondered what people thought of it if they hadn't read the book. So in her case, does she want to read the book now? Did she ask questions about Ender's brother? Why it's a big deal Ender is a 'third'? Did those bullies die? Stuff like that?

No, she will not read the book. Not because she didn't enjoy the film, just because she doesn't read sci-fi at all.....unless it has to do with vampires, werewolves, or other such ghouls having coitus............. However, we had some discussions about Ender being a third and the idea that the government was attempting to contain population growth as a means of conserving resources (a lesson they obviously learned from the "bugs"). She didn't specifically ask any questions about "thirds" and I'm not sure that I could have answered them being so far removed from reading the book. As far as Ender's brother, they do not deal with him much in the film, we only learn that he was overly violent and rejected from the academy for this reason. To her, this was good enough and required no further explanation. As far as the bully goes,

Spoiler (hover to show)

she assumed that he died from Ender's comments. Again, Ford's character (sorry don't remember his name) said that the bully would be okay, but of course Ender stated that he knew better. A little foreshadowing of deception if you will.

From what I gathered, my wife was satisfied with the movie and there really weren't any loose threads she was left wondering about. Sure, for those who have read it, things were left out, but I think the movie does a fine job of wrapping itself up independent of the book. I think that mainly readers would come away from the film with questions based on other facts they are aware of.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

Just curious, what were their "mehs" about?  I thought it was well done and worth going to see it in the theater. I don't see a lot of films on the theater (young kids), and only make exception for a few. This one was worth it to me.

I asked a few friends and they also seemed "meh."  I'm wondering if it has something to do with all the main characters being (or appear to be) made up of kids.  Personally I don't care that much, but I know more than one person who will immediately change the channel if they see one kid in a movie drop his/her head in an attempt to look evil.  Then there is the controversy surrounding the author.

Personally I plan on checking it out when it hits the store shelves (be it physical or digital), although if my Dad wants to go see it I'll go to the theater and see it.

"Controversy". My roommates said they won't support OSC due to some of the controversy around him, though they'll have no problem stealing it off the internet and watching it. To which point, I walked out of the room.

[singlebanana]

That's funny. If I was so concerned about the views of what every person associated with a film said, I'd probably never watch another film again.  Again, I don't condone OSC's comments, I can just easily separate myself from them to see a good film, based on a great book.