I went and saw the movie tonight. I thought it was good. I saw a few Psychological points to the film that I had to agree with. I also liked the guy who played the Accountant in Schindler's list. I always seem to like the movies he is in. Harrison Ford also makes decent movies. I mean they may not be supper block buster but they are usually family films.
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Movie Theater Enders Game with Harrison Ford
- Thread starter Finris
- Start date
I'm going to see it tomorrow. I have high expectations for it as I read the book, which is outstanding to say the least. This also makes it very hard for a movie to capture all that is in the book and or do it accurately as there are some pretty complex scenarios in the book that I am sure could be done with computer work but it would be challenging I am sure.
So if you liked the movie, or you don't, pick up the book as it is an incredible read.
So if you liked the movie, or you don't, pick up the book as it is an incredible read.
The book is a major classic in the genre and trying to get a film adaptation done has been a long, painful road. This time around it seems like they may have pulled it off but ultimately the box office will decide if their unique approach to this paid off. Part of the problem with this story is that making a film was going to be heavily involving visual effects, and the current state of the industry is such that a lot of VFX studios didn't want to touch it for the budget they were offering. They were basically trying to make a $250 million film for less than half that much and no VFX company was willing to take a loss on it at this point, even though it's one of the most beloved sci-fi novels. Right before I left Digital Domain at the end of "Speed Racer" and "Benjamin Button", we were gearing up for "Tron" and rumblings of "Ender's Game" were happening, but again, no one was taking it seriously. Then Ed Ulbrich worked a unique deal where DD would more or less do the majority of VFX work at cost, for a percentage of the backend - something that almost never happens. It's a huge risk because after almost 2 years of working on it, they're deep in the red and if the audience doesn't show up, they'll stay that way. And even if it's a blockbuster success, there's a good chance the movie studio's team of lawyers will do what they do best and make the film look like a break-even product or a loss on paper. Either way, I hope it does well because I know a handful of people who really put so much time and effort into it. For them, the big reward is getting to keep their jobs for a while longer 
Saw it and I must say that they didn't do a disservice to the book, as hard is it is to live up to the book when making a movie. However, it really only scratches the surface of the whole story in it's depth. As visually stimulating as the movie is, the book's detailed and in depth descriptions of what is happening will paint an even more vivid picture in your mind and explain what is only glossed over in some of the scenes in the movie.
I had figured as much, I haven't seen it yet but have read the whole Speaker series. I'll check it out, but am recommending to all my friends that they read the book first.
Not seen it yet. But was a big fan of the novel. That said I have been trying to figure out how audiences would empathize for Ender. From my recollection I remember the book building Ender up as the Uberkinder, good for a book but sometimes more difficult as a movie character, exception being James Bond or any Rambo film. Hollywood has made a move to show children as more empowered and capable like Harry Potter, Narnia, or Spy Kids. The extreme would be when children kill children as in Hunger Games. (SPOILER…) I remember from the book Ender has to resort to similar violence in one situation. Books are great for this reason, we as the reader force our experiences and perspectives into the imagined world that we in part create. With a book we can candy coat or make as horrific as our imagination dictates. Film however is a very literal experience.
I remember being super pissed as a kid when Dune finally came out but it grew on me after seeing the four hour directors cut. Looking forward to seeing this.
Did not read the book, saw the movie last night. Overall, it was a well done movie, but I give it a 2.5 out of 4. About 4/5 of the movie I was thinking it was not good. The plot came together at the end to make it pretty good. Acting was good, visuals were great. If you are aged 10-18, you will probably love it. Otherwise it was OK.
I saw it last night. It has a pretty steady pace. Never went too fast, never went to slow. The problem is that it moved from point to point, the characters there weren't really that developed. You just saw them and that was it.
I've never read the book, but the movie makes me want to.
I've never read the book, but the movie makes me want to.
*Possible spoilers read at own accord
The Ender's Game was a decent movie but they would of been better off calling it something else. It is a completely different story then the book, I love the books and it could of been better adapted IMO. First they cut out a whole Invasion, never mentioned the scathing of China and the world banding together to face the Buggers which could of been an easy prologue. They should of played up more of the teachers are the enemy feeling of the story rather than just adding a line blurting it out. Plenty to rant about it all book adaptations to the big screen but I guess they just stood out a lot to me as Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow are my all time favorites and was hoping for a lot more.
/rant off
The Ender's Game was a decent movie but they would of been better off calling it something else. It is a completely different story then the book, I love the books and it could of been better adapted IMO. First they cut out a whole Invasion, never mentioned the scathing of China and the world banding together to face the Buggers which could of been an easy prologue. They should of played up more of the teachers are the enemy feeling of the story rather than just adding a line blurting it out. Plenty to rant about it all book adaptations to the big screen but I guess they just stood out a lot to me as Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow are my all time favorites and was hoping for a lot more.
/rant off
Just saw it. I thought it was good, enjoyed it and only wished I had seen it in IMAX. Yeah, it was a slight departure from the book but I didn't mind that.
Didn't realize an old acquaintance of mine was effects supervisor, nice surprise.
Didn't realize an old acquaintance of mine was effects supervisor, nice surprise.
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Ender's Game is one of my favorite books. I thought the movie hit the main points very well and captured the moral issues of the book very well. While the movie did gloss over some of the best parts of the book, the movie was pretty solid throughout. The visual effects were mind-blowing in IMAX. Read the book, then go see the movie in IMAX, you'll love it.
Big fan of Game, have read Speaker, as well as the Shadow series (I think I got them all), just need to download Exile. None of them in recent years, and I'm glad for that. It gives me a fresher viewpoint, which I can flesh out by rereading after viewing the flick.
In recent years I have begun to recognize my knee-jerk response to finding new avenues, and learned to research and find a proper niche for those new avenues. Often, lately, they seem to fit in better if I can bring myself up to speed and prepare before snatching them up.
Greg
In recent years I have begun to recognize my knee-jerk response to finding new avenues, and learned to research and find a proper niche for those new avenues. Often, lately, they seem to fit in better if I can bring myself up to speed and prepare before snatching them up.
Greg
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This would be very difficult to make into a movie but it would be super awesome. For those of you who enjoy Sci-Fi this is a real treat, not a fast read but it avoids some of the silly nomenclature pitfalls many novels exude.
Startide Rising - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Startide Rising - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Was bored through the movie; I'm not sure if it was me or the fact that the movie is about kids, but I just didn't enjoy it. Harrison Ford seems to have gone the Al Pacino route of over-emoting instead of acting, though Ben Kingsley was pretty decent with what he had to work with. Battle Room and the Command interface were well done.
Liked it. Was visually very well done IMHO, and the story was interesting. Them being kids was central to the theme, it spoke to the mindset on earth. After the last attack they prioritized winning above all else, even if it meant putting kids into danger/war. Same reason they spent billions upon billions on the fleet of drones, etc.
The film was visually very good, a little slow paced, and an ending that had me disturbed - adults kind of mind fu....g children. Not a book reader so the ending was surprising. Still worth a watch.
Watched it this afternoon. I've read the Ender/Speaker series, and the Shadow/Bean series. I loved Ender's Game and all of the Shadow series. I thought they did a good job with the movie, but I think that a two or three part series of the book would have been better. There was so much great writing in the book that I wish they could have put in the movie. They just seemed to gloss over the points, but did show them. They seemed rather matter of fact. Overall though, I enjoyed it.
I've read the book. I look forward to seeing the movie on netflix. What the book made me think about is the future of drones in combat. Children nowadays can operate computers and play video games instinctively. You give my 8 year old a bag of cheetos and the controls to a drone and he would create a path of destruction visible from space. Wait until he's 18-21. It's also easy to kill when your targets are just images on a screen similar to those you've killed in countless video games your entire life. With that level of conditioning and disconnection from the consequences of your actions, drone operators would likely be willing to fire on anyone they were ordered.
This is already happening with the mass shooters because they are mentally unbalanced and the games have them desensitized. You bring up a good point, we should be careful how we approach remote warfare.
Robert E Lee said it best: "It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it."
Just finished rereading the book a week ago, then bought and watched the Blu-Ray this week. I enjoyed the movie immensely, especially the CGI (probably nearly all of the movie, but so seamless it was visually stunning). Agreed, the book was an awful lot to cram into a movie, but I think the alterations in the movie's plot left the key points intact without leaving the reader going Wha...?
I give it full marks.
Greg
I give it full marks.
Greg
Not with that budget. It would likely end up a franchise if it had done well, but if your first movie in the series hits the box office with a dud, that means no more in that series until maybe a reboot a decade or so down the road.
Awful. This movie was absolutely horrendous. Let me say, Ender's Game is my absolute favorite book. I immediately fell in love with it when we were required to read it in 9th grade. Since then I have amassed over 20 copies. I have the book memorized. I have read the entire series. I love Ender's Game. This movie did it no justice whatsoever, and was truly not like the book at all. There were so many things wrong and so many things that they left out that were vital to the book. I understand it is a ton to cram into an hour and half or so, but seriously. They destroyed the book. Very disappointed.
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