Enders Game

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I was looking for a thread on one of my all time favorite SciFi books and didn't see one so I started one. Has anyone else seen Enders Game? I had a chance to watch it Friday Night. THis is one Movie I had circled on my Calandar. Orson Scott Cards Enders Series is a fantastic must read. The movie, as all movies taken from great books was lacking. Enders character is not given the necessary time to develop. THe most exciting parts of the book are the battleroom scenes, and only two battle room scenes are shown in the movie.
Harrison Ford plays a great Graff, and the actor playing Ender does a good Job. I'm planning on seeing it again, maybe I will change my mind....3 stars out of five.

[Aricosaur]

I loved the movie. Never read the book so didn't have preconceived notions. It's a 'real' science fiction movie like from the 70s and 80s. Not a genre mashup with horror or comedy or a franchise vehicle *cough*intodarkness*cough* or some such. It has realistic spacecraft instead of the spiky things that are popular now.

I thought Ender's character developed pretty well. He had an arc and there were logical turning points in his thought processes. It's hard to develop a character as fully in a movie as in a book.

I found Ender's fights with the bully characters exciting and the final space battles were awesome. And the scene after the space battle, though not action-y, had be "on the edge of my seat." Maybe these scenes were more exciting for me because I didn't already know how they would end?

I talked to my cousin on the phone after seeing the movie (he is also a die-hard sci-fi fan who has not read the book) and I enthusiastically recommended the film to him. I told him to see it in a theater with a good screen and nice surround sound because it's worth the experience.

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Wow this thread really isn't getting a whole lot of attention. Is that because no one went to see it? Well I see everything and as I said in the previous thread, I downright hated the book. I was incredulous when it appeared on the curriculum for Freshman English and I had to teach it. It's just not good writing IMO. The movie lost me right where the book did too. The 3rd training school. Seriously? I's Starship Troopers with none of the action, character depth, or story. Bugs in space, you never get to see. Space fighting that really doesn't tell the audience what's going on. Kids screaming out tactical battle maneuvers that don't mean a darn thing to the viewer. Why are only the kids doing the fighting? Zero character development. Ender IS THE ONE!!!! It's a rehash of just about everything I've ever seen. Then the final battle where the heroes are removed from the action was more absurd on screen than in print and none of them are ever in any real danger. As for what, the final message that it's not that you win but how you win? It sure was a blue and orange movie too.

[Aricosaur]

...Zero character development. Ender IS THE ONE!!!! It's a rehash of just about everything I've ever seen...

You've got a point. It's the old prophesy trope I hate except without it being spelled out explicitly.

Alternatively, "they" (the people in charge of Earth) have been searching for years for the "gifted youngster" who can lead them with his open mind, or why-ever kids were better tacticians than adults. We just come into the story right when "they" have discovered the kid they were looking for (knowing you're an English teacher is making me second guess my typing ). Maybe that's enough to escape the prophesy trap.

The main characters being removed from the action at the end was worth it to set up the twist ending. At least it was a twist for me. Am I just too dense to not have seen it coming? The final battle, even when I thought it was the final test, was exciting and interesting to me.

...As for what, the final message that it's not that you win but how you win? ...

That's something we, especially we Americans, have pondered in the modern era. Is it OK to win a war by killing lots of civilians? Is it OK to be successful in business by hurting others? That's something people who think of themselves as good and moral should wrestle with.

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Its good to hear someones opinion on the movie who didn't read the book. As to the Book being bad........whaaaaat? This is an awesome book which I have reccommended to hundreds of friends and family, all who reportedly loved it. I guess none of us know good literature. If you didn't like Enders Game, you should read Enders Shadow....it explains more of the back story from Beans point of view and things make a little more sense. I think the idea that kids and their video game reflexes being more qualified than adults makes perfect sense in a society where kids are stuck in front of TV's instead of outside riding bikes, playing ball, or creating forts out of boxes and spare wood. Also the process of having the kids away from the battle is practical. They are still kids, how are they gonna handle the pressure if they know its not a game. Also they will never make the sacrafices neccessary to "win the game" if they are worrting about body count. THis is the exact reason Adults are unable to do what these kids are trained to do.
Don't Poopoo Scott Card he is the Schizzznit!!
As for those who saw the movie who did not read the book and loved the movie....read the book. Its a short read with several companion peices if you want to follow Enders story further.
I cant believe so few people have seen this movie or read this book. THis is Classsic Sci FI.

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I's Starship Troopers with none of the action, character depth, or story. Bugs in space, you never get to see. .

Seriously? StarshipTroopers? That movie is a commedy. The only comparrision is the Bugs. THey showed the Formics, maybe you didn't stay for the whole movie. They even show the Queens Egg sack which Ender resues to repopulate a different planet.
Dont get me wrong, I loved Starship Troopers, but its not even the same kindo of SCI FI.

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I wouldn't call Troopers a comedy. it's satire for sure but more in the style of A Modest Proposal.
Have you read this:

http://www.cracked.com/article_19259_6-mind-blowing-ways-starship-troopers-predicted-future.html

The article is dead on. And the bugs were exactly the same in both stories. Remote and distant and we never really get to understand them. The characters in the story have a grasp on the enemy but the audience is always left in the dark somewhat as to their intentions. At least Troopers had three friends all go separate ways to fight the same cause, all take separate paths, and end up different at the end. It's a case of "not the destination but the journey that counts." The book BTW was a pretty good read.

As for poopooing Card....http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/4...ddamn-lunatic/

I didn't leave early for the movie but I started to doze a few time. I thought the whole "Ill take the enemy moth on a tour of the galaxy to make amends for killing it's entire planet" ending was just stupid. Ender leading the fleet from a far not realizing what he was doing never put him in any real danger and only after did he del with the psychological fallout of his actions. Which always made me wonder, if Ender was "THE ONE!!!", and he thought he was training the entire time (which he was for 90% of the story anyway) why bother telling him what he did after it was over when only emotional fallout would come. They could have given him an attaboy and told him that now he's ready for when the real things happens and let him believe he just executed the Ender's Game equivalent of the Kobayashi Maru and called it a day. That's why the whole "It's how you win" message is so heavy handed. This isn't Little League, it's an "us or them" situation and all is fair in love and war and all. I mean if that were a problem, then don't use kids, at all. Just tell Ender and company they're training while they're fighting the real battle from millions of miles away, win the war and call it a day. Telling him only causes years of therapy. Believe me, I tried to like the book, wanted to like the movie, and just couldn't. One of the stupidest things I coulnd't get past is that Ender is 6 years old in the novel. Six years old. Come on. That's just...silly. We don't let kids work a microwave by themselves at that age let alone pilot a starship equipped with planet destroying weaponry and command an entire fleet. Thank god they cast young Ewan McGregor for the movie because having a preschooler lead a fleet would have been lunacy. Why couldn't they just get Tattoo Face (you can't tell me that wasn't ridiculous) to pilot the battle from millions of miles away?

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We have one and two year olds running IPADs right now....what will the future children be doing at 6? Mazor Rackum is allready a mess, he cant lead the fleet. I wish you would stop calling him "the one." He isn't Neo, besides Bean is much more qualified to lead the fleet and he KNEW what was going on.....and he is Younger than Ender. The whole point is a normal human being cant handle that kind of pressure. Its essential that he is kept in the dark about his training. His brother Peter is a psycopath, and psychopaths make different decissions, his sister is just the opposite. THey needed someone like Ender. If you haven't yet you should really read the rest of the series....Xenocide is a little too much for me....but the rest are great and really help flesh out the rest of Enders story. We are not that far appart in our oppinion.