I fully expected to be disappointed by Ender’s Game. Still, I did something I have rarely ever done: went to see it on opening day. In IMAX.
It is true to the book. It is visually stunning. The performances are excellent. The soundtrack is impressive. This film could have ruined itself in a hundred different ways — for example, by diluting the intensity and darkness of the story by trying to make it suitable for children. But, as Ken said, it’s one of the most adult films he has seen lately.
Any criticisms I can muster would be nitpicking.
In a blog post a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned my previous association with Orson Scott Card, so I won’t go into that again. But I’m not cutting the film any slack because of that. If anything, the opposite would be true, because Card’s politics baffle me. But Card’s politics have nothing to do with this story or the film.
For most films, I wait for the DVD (or Blu-ray). But Ender’s Game is worth seeing in the theater, in IMAX if possible. You’ll also get trailers for some other good science fiction and fantasy films coming out this fall and winter, including the second part of The Hobbit and the second installment of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire.
I think I’m in love with the cinema again. And the Academy Awards should be worth watching next year.
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