Ender's Game (2013)
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Critics Consensus: If it isn't quite as thought-provoking as the book, Ender's Game still manages to offer a commendable number of well-acted, solidly written sci-fi thrills.
Critics Consensus: If it isn't quite as thought-provoking as the book, Ender's Game still manages to offer a commendable number of well-acted, solidly written sci-fi thrills.
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Movie Info
In the near future, a hostile alien race (called the Formics) have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley), all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Hyrum Graff (Harrison Ford) and the International Military are training only the best young children to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a shy, but strategically brilliant boy is pulled out of his school to … More- Rating:
- PG-13 (for some violence, sci-fi action and thematic material)
- Genre:
- Action & Adventure , Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Directed By:
- Gavin Hood
- In Theaters:
- Nov 1, 2013 Wide
- On DVD:
- Feb 11, 2014
- US Box Office:
- $61.7M
Cast
-
Asa Butterfield
as Ender Wiggin -
Harrison Ford
as Colonel Hyrum Graff -
Hailee Steinfeld
as Petra Arkanian -
Abigail Breslin
as Valentine Wiggin -
Ben Kingsley
as Mazer Rackham -
Viola Davis
as Major Gwen Anderson
Related News & Features
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Parental Guidance: RoboCop, Endless Love and Winter's Tale, Plus Ender's Game and All Is Lost
– Rotten Tomatoes
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RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Ender's Game, All Is Lost, and More
– Rotten Tomatoes
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LoginCritic Reviews for Ender's Game
All Critics (196) | Top Critics (40) | Fresh (118) | Rotten (78) | DVD (1)
Enough people attended Ender's Game last weekend to place it at the top of the box office. But could any of them have known how profoundly unspectacular an experience they were in for?
While the picture loses some plot tension by assuring the viewer that Ender is basically an okay kid, it gains by showing the growth of the boy into his destiny as "the One."
Straightforward, a bit literal-minded, very faithful to the book and largely compelling.
If you dislike child actors, you might derive a perverse satisfaction from seeing dozens of them look so unhappy to be onscreen.
There are times when a certain grimness weighs on the movie that you wish for more humor. But overall it's an absorbing and thought-provoking spectacle.
Hard to comprehend and even harder to endure.
It is its book, put on the screen without any new thought whatsoever. A seventh grader could watch it and write a passable essay about it. I doubt they'd have much fun with it, though.
The battle scenes are spectacular but lifeless and hard to engage with. We're watching a cascade of computer-game imagery.
It was a bit like standing in a room where someone is playing a video game on a screen and you're not actually taking part in it but you have to watch interminably this game being played and it's just really a bit boring.
I thought this was a pretty witless affair.
An engaging and exciting sci-fi flick to bring out the 12-year-old in all of us.
Although it's far from perfect and it's in need of a few tune-ups, Ender's Game does lay the groundwork for what could be a satisfying saga.
Newcomers will likely be left wondering what all the fuss was about in the first place.
From its grave, Full-of-Portent-and-Moment start 'til its grave, Full-of-Portent-and-Moment end, this flick's got a severe case of the Messiah Complex. Lots of human-phobia here--it's 100-percent gravitas and humourless inhumanity.
A commendable sc-fi drama, this serious film offers up some great themes and some grand visuals.
Visualmente desinteressante, moralmente confuso, povoado por personagens aborrecidos e entediante na maior parte do tempo.
The film's own dilemma might be best expressed by Ender, who challenges Graff, "What are you going to do? Waste millions on a loser?" It's a dilemma Ender's Game can't resolve.
A lot of Ender's Game plays like Starship Troopers: The Early Years.
Asa Butterfield stars opposite a grumblebum Harrison Ford in an expensive, elaborately mounted, tedious film with one huge problem - it has no second act. You literally get to the end of the film and think: "Hang on. That's it?"
Full of mixed messages and strange symbolism, its weirdness is also its (limited) charm ... Trippy, confusing, strangely slow and contained, it certainly exists in its own bonkers world, and, as such, is, at least, an odd original.
This efficient adaptation proves extremely watchable, and still packs an emotional punch.
It's been a strong year for science fiction... And now Ender's Game comes along to make that resurgence look like the real thing.
Ender's Game certainly looks and feels serviceable, but lacks the sting to emerge as a serious contender in a crowded market.
A biting morality tale with themes of power, manipulation, child soldiers and genocide. Hood's superb screenplay quickly sets up the premise and immediately involves us ... is a powerful, disturbing and thrilling experience. Unforgettable
The conclusion does pack a shock-and-awe punch that elevates and validates all that builds up before it--almost.
Audience Reviews for Ender's Game
This is not a game.
Good Movie! Despite all the odds, Ender's Game winds up as a very good movie that just barely misses on being a great one. Perhaps the films biggest strength is its production design, the technical team did an outstanding job of bringing the environments of the battle school to life, the zero gravity combat scenes being some of the films biggest highlights. It's not all perfect however, there is a little problem with some of the heavy exposition dumps in the film. Plus a couple of the actors (most notably Viola Davis) seem lost and don't know what kind of movie they're supposed to be doing. The biggest problem with Ender's Game is the incredibly fast pace, which isn't an immediate issue, but a lot of story and character development suffers. Overall though, this film was worth the long gestation period. It delivers more than we had a right to expect. Orson Scott Card may be homophobic but the powerful message at the heart of this film says much more than the average Hollywood film is capable of delivering.
The Earth was ravaged by the Formics, an alien race seemingly determined to destroy humanity. Seventy years later, the people of Earth remain banded together to prevent their own annihilation from this technologically superior alien species. Ender Wiggin, a quiet but brilliant boy, may become the savior of the human race. He is separated from his beloved sister and his terrifying brother and brought to battle school in orbit around earth. He will be tested and honed into an empathetic killer who begins to despise what he does as he learns to fight in hopes of saving Earth and his family.
Super Reviewer
Meaningless with little thought to bigger issues. Really not acted or executed well. I'd prefer watching a rerun of Star Wars. Also, the fact that the story was written by the anti-equality NOM man Card makes the film unworthy of the time of fair-minded audiences.
MoreSuper Reviewer
A great story with great cast but such a waste since the execution didn't turn out to be a perfect one.. Given a wonderful cast such as Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Harrison Ford, Viola Davis, and Sir Ben Kingsley and all you can make is a decent movie?? Well there's definitely something wrong here.. For the story itself, I think they could write a better script since the ending quite disappointing for me.. Overall, it's still a nice movie to be watched with family and it's quite entertaining, but too bad it could have been a great one..
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Super Reviewer
Gavin Hood's Ender's Game is science fiction simplicity.The film feels shorter than its 110 minute run time; not that it's edge of the seat exciting, but more due to the hastened pace of the story. The storytelling isn't choppy; however, there is definitely more to be explored when it comes to the plot details. The ending is also anticlimactic, leaving a feeling of unfulfillment.The sci-f concept and the high use of effects deliver a visual delight, thus partially making up for the film's shortcomings.Like the hasty pace, the characters lack depth in detail, although the actor's performances are acceptable. Asa Butterfield has a voice that lacks range, while Abigail Breslin is highly underused. Hailee Steinfeld and Ben Kingsley are pleasant surprises.Ender's Game isn't perfect, yet it is more than an average sci-fi picture. If there is time to spare, then feel free to play the game.
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Super Reviewer
Ender's Game Quotes
- Colonel Hyrum Graff:
- We won. That's all that matters.
- Ender Wiggin:
- No. The way we win matters.
- Ender Wiggin:
- Bernard is living proof that chimps still fly in space.
- Ender Wiggin:
- In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him.
- Sergeant Dap:
- You think you're the smartest kid in the school.
- Ender Wiggin:
- No sir.
- Sergeant Dap:
- You will never be a commander! I will never salute you!
- Ender Wiggin:
- Yes you will sergeant.
- Mazer Rackham:
- He's abandoning his entire fleet.
- Colonel Hyrum Graff:
- He's in command. There's no stopping him now.
- Petra Arkanian:
- Ender. What do we do?
- Bean:
- Ender. The enemy's gate is down.
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