Ender's Game

Engaging and fresh sci-fi. At first glance, Ender's Game seems like it will be a typical blockbuster for kids, but it's a very smart movie to go to the cinema at 13, so I know nothing of it. Asa Butterfield is probably the best actor of his generation and I hope he wins some Oscars one day because he does a decent job here. The visual effects are decent, the acting is wonderful, the final twist is solid and the entertainment is guaranteed throughout. I can't complain about anything. 80%. (01/25/2014)

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. (09/13/2015)

Ender's Game escaped me for years until it was finally my turn. I suspected it would be a pure young adult story and so I was careful with it, maybe even putting it off a bit. In the end, I wasn't far from the truth. It is indeed young adult, but at times so harsh that I had to struggle to withstand certain moments in the movie. The strength of the story lies mainly in the fact that even though the main characters are children, everyone treats them as adults. The supposed game intertwines with reality, all wrapped up in the defense of planet Earth against the Formics, who are preparing to strike and wipe out our planet. I had a hard time accepting those childish faces and the things they pretend adults say. But the finale totally stunned me on the couch and eventually made me add that fourth star. Thanks to this movie, I realized when boys become men. And it's not a pleasant realization. (01/30/2023)

Smart and intelligent sci-fi, thematically quite original and rather dark. Occasionally it reminded me of some non-action passages from Minority Report with its gloominess and detachment. But it is extremely unfriendly towards the audience. Some will admire this film, while the majority will see it once and give a nod of agreement. It is not pleasant sci-fi, it is a probe into the mind of a killer. Excellent psychology, rather iconic action. (11/02/2013)

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. (11/06/2013)