jerseydevil
I'llPutPenniesOnYourEyes
Rachel McAdams confirms sci-fi romance Passengers with Keanu Reeves
Looks like Keanu is back after a long time off...
Looks like Keanu is back after a long time off...
All Things:Science Fiction/Fantasy
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jerseydevil
I'llPutPenniesOnYourEyes
This reviewer clearly doesn't know the book, where Mazer Rackham is described as being part Maori.
jerseydevil
I'llPutPenniesOnYourEyes
ENDER’S GAME Review. ENDER’S GAME Stars Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford | Collider
ABOUT TIME Review. ABOUT TIME Stars Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, and Bill Nighy | Collider
Consensus seems to point to About Time. If I get to a movie this weekend that'll get my vote(I'm a sucker for that weepy movie wrapped in sci-fi kinda thing.)
ABOUT TIME Review. ABOUT TIME Stars Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, and Bill Nighy | Collider
Consensus seems to point to About Time. If I get to a movie this weekend that'll get my vote(I'm a sucker for that weepy movie wrapped in sci-fi kinda thing.)
Okay. Overly-critical (but always objective) Ender's Game review, by FBJ. May be some spoilers.
I'm going to call this a GREAT effort to make a great book into a great film!
Story-wise, it hits most of the important parts of the tale, but development of the story is a little lacking...probably due to time-constraints. They never mentioned how Ender (in self defense) kills Stilson while on Earth and Bonso Madrid while in Battle School. Instead, they just sort of let these occurrences pass into memory (and in the case of Bonso, show Ender looking on as Bonso is attended to, medically). Some of the story-elements I had a feeling would be left out were, in fact, left out (Valentine and Peter's rise as Demosthenes and Locke and Peter's eventual elevation to Hegemon, for example), but they did leave in the Mind Game that Ender played on his "desk" during Battle School. Thinking back, how could they leave that out? It was THE way the Buggers attempted to communicate with Ender. Ender's relationship with his sister isn't developed nearly enough, and comes off a little weird at times. Ender's relationships with his fellow Cadets in Battle School isn't developed nearly enough (and they took some liberties with where and when Ender met certain characters). Some cadets that weigh heavily in the book do not weigh heavily in movie, and there is NOT NEARLY ENOUGH Battle School or Battle Room action. This is where the movie's story is lacking the most, as in the Battle Room is where Ender earns the respect of his fellow cadets as a brilliant tactician. Even a five-minute montage of battles between the cadet armies would have done the movie a world of good. As far as the ending goes, it is NOT from the book, though it is similar.
Visual effects were top-notch, in my opinion. LOVED the mechanical design of the launch ships and the battle school as well as those of the IF carriers and fighters (though you don't get a really detailed view of them, rather more of a wide-angle view of the swarm most often). Set-design of Battle School and the Battle Room was right out of my imagination from reading the book, which is a testimony to OSC's ability to describe environments in his work, I think.
Acting? Well...Asa Butterfield is a bit of a mumbler, and I found it especially difficult to understand his lines in the beginning. Other than that, the person who stole the show for me was Viola Davis as Major Anderson. Harrison Ford played a passable Hyrum Graff. Ben Kingsley's role is very minor, but he played it well enough. Hailee Steinfeld overdid the kindness factor of Petra Arkanian a bit (though it was probably directing that caused this).
The one MAJOR disappointment in this for me? Steve Jablonski's soundtrack was transparent and absolutely un-memorable (just as most other soundtracks by him have been for me). Maybe I'll be able to enjoy it more on the second viewing, but they really should have gone with some major player in the soundtrack biz, I think.
So, as I said, a GREAT effort to make a great book into a good film. They hit their mark with it, for certain. And while that mark is necessarily much lower than lovers of the book would have set for the movie (because, hey, when we think of how WE would do it, our imaginations don't have things like time-constraints, budgets, etc), it really shouldn't be called anything but a success. I saw it solo, yesterday, but plan on taking my wife and daughter to see it next Friday night.
I would highly recommend this film as a piece of very very good science fiction filmmaking.
I'm going to call this a GREAT effort to make a great book into a great film!
Story-wise, it hits most of the important parts of the tale, but development of the story is a little lacking...probably due to time-constraints. They never mentioned how Ender (in self defense) kills Stilson while on Earth and Bonso Madrid while in Battle School. Instead, they just sort of let these occurrences pass into memory (and in the case of Bonso, show Ender looking on as Bonso is attended to, medically). Some of the story-elements I had a feeling would be left out were, in fact, left out (Valentine and Peter's rise as Demosthenes and Locke and Peter's eventual elevation to Hegemon, for example), but they did leave in the Mind Game that Ender played on his "desk" during Battle School. Thinking back, how could they leave that out? It was THE way the Buggers attempted to communicate with Ender. Ender's relationship with his sister isn't developed nearly enough, and comes off a little weird at times. Ender's relationships with his fellow Cadets in Battle School isn't developed nearly enough (and they took some liberties with where and when Ender met certain characters). Some cadets that weigh heavily in the book do not weigh heavily in movie, and there is NOT NEARLY ENOUGH Battle School or Battle Room action. This is where the movie's story is lacking the most, as in the Battle Room is where Ender earns the respect of his fellow cadets as a brilliant tactician. Even a five-minute montage of battles between the cadet armies would have done the movie a world of good. As far as the ending goes, it is NOT from the book, though it is similar.
Visual effects were top-notch, in my opinion. LOVED the mechanical design of the launch ships and the battle school as well as those of the IF carriers and fighters (though you don't get a really detailed view of them, rather more of a wide-angle view of the swarm most often). Set-design of Battle School and the Battle Room was right out of my imagination from reading the book, which is a testimony to OSC's ability to describe environments in his work, I think.
Acting? Well...Asa Butterfield is a bit of a mumbler, and I found it especially difficult to understand his lines in the beginning. Other than that, the person who stole the show for me was Viola Davis as Major Anderson. Harrison Ford played a passable Hyrum Graff. Ben Kingsley's role is very minor, but he played it well enough. Hailee Steinfeld overdid the kindness factor of Petra Arkanian a bit (though it was probably directing that caused this).
The one MAJOR disappointment in this for me? Steve Jablonski's soundtrack was transparent and absolutely un-memorable (just as most other soundtracks by him have been for me). Maybe I'll be able to enjoy it more on the second viewing, but they really should have gone with some major player in the soundtrack biz, I think.
So, as I said, a GREAT effort to make a great book into a good film. They hit their mark with it, for certain. And while that mark is necessarily much lower than lovers of the book would have set for the movie (because, hey, when we think of how WE would do it, our imaginations don't have things like time-constraints, budgets, etc), it really shouldn't be called anything but a success. I saw it solo, yesterday, but plan on taking my wife and daughter to see it next Friday night.
I would highly recommend this film as a piece of very very good science fiction filmmaking.
R
roenick
Lurker
Saw Enders tonight with my wife and oldest daughter who didn't read the book like I did. Totally agree with FBJ as I loved the film. This was a difficult book to adapt. Ford played Graff perfectly. Battle school looked exactly like I thought. I didn't like the ending. Oh well - enjoyed it a lot no matter what.
ucsdguy1
Super Star
Ender's Game - I just think there was way too much in the book to fit into a 2 hour movie.
I would have also liked to see more of the battle room battles, montage or not. It would have given more of a sense of how the other kids grew to respect Ender. I thought Bean and Petra were way too simplistic. One joke on the ship and Bean immediately became Ender's friend. Bean seemed almost a hokey comic relief kind of character. Also, Ender introduces himself as assigned to Bonzo's group, and Petra is just drawn to him immediately. No sense of a built relationship there.
Ender went through battle school and command so fast. To me it lost the impact of (a) how hard it was on him both physically and emotionally, and (b) how it affected his relationships with others. But again I guess a 2 hour movie limits how much you can dive into.
Special effects were pretty cool, and I had no problem with Graff or Rackham. Anderson was well done too. Valentine was more an afterthought and didn't add much to the story. But I expected that as they didn't really touch the Valentine/Peter dynamic.
The ending scene was awkward albeit a weird tie in to the mind video game. Also with the game....Anderson said she wanted to see how he dealt with frustration. I felt they could've had him fail the game with the giant a few more times before he attacked it. Show him growing his frustration, and then advancing. He seemed to beat it too easily.
Not a bad movie, but felt if you hadn't read the books it may have been rushed and/or confusing.
I would have also liked to see more of the battle room battles, montage or not. It would have given more of a sense of how the other kids grew to respect Ender. I thought Bean and Petra were way too simplistic. One joke on the ship and Bean immediately became Ender's friend. Bean seemed almost a hokey comic relief kind of character. Also, Ender introduces himself as assigned to Bonzo's group, and Petra is just drawn to him immediately. No sense of a built relationship there.
Ender went through battle school and command so fast. To me it lost the impact of (a) how hard it was on him both physically and emotionally, and (b) how it affected his relationships with others. But again I guess a 2 hour movie limits how much you can dive into.
Special effects were pretty cool, and I had no problem with Graff or Rackham. Anderson was well done too. Valentine was more an afterthought and didn't add much to the story. But I expected that as they didn't really touch the Valentine/Peter dynamic.
The ending scene was awkward albeit a weird tie in to the mind video game. Also with the game....Anderson said she wanted to see how he dealt with frustration. I felt they could've had him fail the game with the giant a few more times before he attacked it. Show him growing his frustration, and then advancing. He seemed to beat it too easily.
Not a bad movie, but felt if you hadn't read the books it may have been rushed and/or confusing.
R
roenick
Lurker
Agree with a lot of what you said but my wife and daughter - who hadn't read the book - both loved it and my wife said she totally could follow it. This first movie is all a set-up for the next one's from what I hear. I was very disappointed when my wife told me they were looking to franchise this ala Hunger Games and Harry Potter.
ucsdguy1
Super Star
I didn't even know there was a plan for further movies yet. Interesting
R
roenick
Lurker
Makes the ending of Enders all that more interesting. My wife read that in the paper. They want to stretch it to five or six movies ...
Well, Ender did wind up with the Hive Queen egg. And he did set out to find a new planet for her. It just didn't happen the way it did in the book.
I can't see the remainder of the series of books making for riveting movies, though. Pequeninos or not...
I can't see the remainder of the series of books making for riveting movies, though. Pequeninos or not...
jerseydevil
I'llPutPenniesOnYourEyes
Bong Joon-ho Says His Uncut Version of SNOWPIERCER Tested Higher than Cut Version | Collider
Oh boy...and Adgy is going all 'slowly I turned' right now.
But really, with this becoming more antagonistic, will the Weinsteins put this in limbo as far as releasing it?
Oh boy...and Adgy is going all 'slowly I turned' right now.
But really, with this becoming more antagonistic, will the Weinsteins put this in limbo as far as releasing it?
R
roenick
Lurker
I once read (in author's notes of Enders?) that Card never wanted to tell the Ender's Game story, that it was actually basically an afterthought to get into the real story he wanted to tell, Speaker For The Dead. He was shocked of the popularity of Enders actually.
I have started and put down Speaker a few times and for the life of me can't see how it will make a good movie ...
Yeah i believe Enders was a short story he wrote for a magazine.
See, I loved the philosophy in the entire Ender series, as well as his Shadows series that tracks Beans life and the goings -on of Earth while Ender is in exile. There's also some very thoughtful hard science fiction in there as well. The ansible, for one. What an interesting thought!!
Ender's sentient accounting program ("Jane") is a big part of the fun, too. Read the short story about how Ender meets her! Great stuff.
Ender's sentient accounting program ("Jane") is a big part of the fun, too. Read the short story about how Ender meets her! Great stuff.
