Ender's Game [2013]

Language - English
Director - Gavin Hood
Run Time - 1 hour, 54 minutes
Genre - Action/Sci-Fi

Ender's Game is a good movie.It stops at that. It is not good enough to be called a great movie. The acting as well as the action is good. What lacks in this movie is drama. This movie picks up the story line straight up from the book and that is where it fails. The film moves in a linear manner with no major rising or falling action, which are among the arcs of a dramatic structure.

In the already over worn-out theme of 'Battle against space invaders', yes the movie is away from the stereotypical movies, but it lacks the capability to make the audience captivated. Reiterating as mentioned earlier, the movie lacks drama and thus fails to keep the audience engrossed or captivated. The major problem with it is that it starts at a fast pace and the same pace keeps on being followed throughout the movie. Even the introduction to the scenario set in the movie is very hushed.

As far as acting goes, Ender Wiggin, played by the young Asa Butterfield does a marvelous job. I feel the rest of the characters were under utilised. Even acclaimed actors like Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley were not upto their high standards in the movie.

The movie is set in the future, where humanity is training to defend itself against yet another attack from an alien race called 'Formics' who has attacked on Earth 50 years back. Enter smart, sharp, talented and rebellious cadet Ender Wiggin who is among the top candidates at the academy. From there on, he gets promoted further and further, facing many hardships and scrutiny till he is ready to lead the battle the Formics. Therein, he discovers some long hidden truths and secrets which leads to a  good conclusion, also giving a chance for a further continuity.

Again, I would say, the film could be so much more had they not stuck to he exact story of the book. A good movie nonetheless. One could watch it if there's nothing else in store.

My Rating - 6.8/10