Review: Ender's Game

When seeing the trailer for this, I was instantly intrigued by it. Mainly due to the fact that it had Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford and Hailee Steinfeld. Also, it looked very nice and it was sci-fi.

Despite that, I wasn't overcome with joy, I was just thinking "I'll probably thinks it's decent, but nothing more."

What I got, was an ideas driven sci-fi that really struck me. Director Gavin Hood, who is for the great South African drama Tsotsi, has managed to break-through into the genre. The impact reminded me when I saw Moon, but obviously not as good.

My main attractions managed to never fail. Asa Butterfield holds his own brilliantly as Ender. He didn't manage to completely do it for me compared with The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas and Hugo, but it is still a memorable performance. Harrison Ford was a big aid for Butterfield and did a solid performance. But I do feel he is slowly going to leave our screens as he is definitely the presence he once was, which is a shame.
Hailee Steinfeld was a great lead actress. I have not managed to see her performance in True Grit, which is apparently is as good as  Kim Darby's in the original. So after her in Ender's Game, this might entice me even more to watch True Grit even more.
The visual effects were top-notch and I will not be surprised if it might sneak into the Oscar nominations. But what won me over was the ideas around this troubled future. Some of the set-pieces were very interesting and made me respect the director even more, because it did not feel simplified to spoon-feed the audience. Hood seems to respect his audience's intelligence and I hope he remains with this franchise, if there is confirmation of a sequel.
My final positive is the overall performance by the kids. Their screen presence manages to hold the film well. It wasn't perfect, but it was paid off gamble for Hood and it seemed they were having a good time making this.

One big negative was Ben Kingsley. His appearance is not a long one, and it doesn't seem well acted in relation to the character he is playing. It is a shame, because he has done some great performances in the past. But this is definitely not one them.

In the end, I was fascinated throughout by the ideas of the movie. It made me want to know more about the books. But I doubt I will read any as it might ruin any possible sequels, which there is likely to be one.
It was a lot more interesting then I expected. There were still flaws, but I still thoroughly enjoyed and I will definitely be waiting for the trailer for any possible sequel.

Rating: 7/10