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  • JasonJason Posts: 76,557
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    On my way back from seeing this. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Good pacing, low on the schmaltz and a truly gripping last quarter.
  • dee123dee123 Posts: 46,195
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    I quite liked the book when i read it years ago, but no way am i giving a cent of my money to Orson Scott Card. If anyone deserves their film to be watched by "other means" then it's that homophobic, bigoted bastard.
  • JasonJason Posts: 76,557
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    dee123 wrote: »
    I quite liked the book when i read it years ago, but no way am i giving a cent of my money to Orson Scott Card. If anyone deserves their film to be watched by "other means" then it's that homophobic, bigoted bastard.

    I wasn't actually aware of Orson Scott Card is, but reading up on him now he does seem rather horrible. It'll be a shame if the film doesn't do well because of that though because it's really very good.
  • StansfieldStansfield Posts: 6,097
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    I wasn't actually aware of Orson Scott Card is, but reading up on him now he does seem rather horrible. It'll be a shame if the film doesn't do well because of that though because it's really very good.
    Never heard of the Man until now - Saw the film Friday....thought it was good, but very depressing by the end.

    Never got the Dome Game they played but the CGI was very good.

    And Harrison sleepwalked through it all.:(
  • JasonJason Posts: 76,557
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    Stansfield wrote: »
    Never heard of the Man until now - Saw the film Friday....thought it was good, but very depressing by the end.

    Never got the Dome Game they played but the CGI was very good.

    And Harrison sleepwalked through it all.:(

    I must admit I quite liked the ending - thought it fitted the tone of the film quite well.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 117
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    I read the book last year and really enjoyed it (despite quite clearly being a decade above the intended age range).

    I was only going to see this film if the reviews had been positive and so far the critics have been rather harsh. I'm pleasantly surprised by what is being said on here though, I might end up having to watch it after all!

    For anyone who has read the book and seen the film, how loyal is the adaptation?
  • Virgil TracyVirgil Tracy Posts: 26,805
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    just saw this ... hmm , well it was different to what I expected .

    I mean it starts out very familiar - young lad who has some special skills is sent off to some boarding school where he has to negotiate thru the jealousy of the other kids 'cos it seems he's special somehow .

    and I was thinking - how long is this training going on for ... but then ... well I won't say .

    its rather grim , I imagine they could've made a more upbeat film , after all its essentially about a kid whos good at video games , I haven't read the book so I'm assuming that they've gone with the tone of the book , which is quite serious (for good reasons ) .

    Asa Butterfield is amazing , the amount of shots where the camera just fixes on his eyes , well he's obviously very comfortable with the camera .

    all around I liked it , actually more than the Hunger Games , doesn't look like it'll do much business tho

    .
  • nessyfencernessyfencer Posts: 9,195
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    Is this part of a bigger thing (other movies, games, comics, etc) or is it a film in its own right?
  • Virgil TracyVirgil Tracy Posts: 26,805
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    Is this part of a bigger thing (other movies, games, comics, etc) or is it a film in its own right?

    there are more novels , but its not a series like Harry Potter , here's a link :

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender%27s_Game_%28series%29
  • Matt DMatt D Posts: 13,153
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    I watched it last weekend.

    Not being familiar with the source material, it felt to me kind of like Harry Potter & the Chamber of Starship Troopers.

    I really enjoyed it, though, and liked the ending.
  • nessyfencernessyfencer Posts: 9,195
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    Went to see this last night and quite enjoyed it actually. I felt the acting a little cardboard, but visually great and the storyline was fab.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 46
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    I really enjoyed it. It is fairly loyal to the book but does rush through some parts a bit too quickly (battle school) Also could have done with more of an explanation to what it means with Ender being a third child - I remember it being a bigger deal in the book
  • nessyfencernessyfencer Posts: 9,195
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    Queen Jo wrote: »
    I really enjoyed it. It is fairly loyal to the book but does rush through some parts a bit too quickly (battle school) Also could have done with more of an explanation to what it means with Ender being a third child - I remember it being a bigger deal in the book
    Without knowing any of the back story from books, etc. this is what I got from the film; overpopulation means that families are limited to two children. With permission and a large fee, they can have a third child and this is Ender's place. I also got that there was a bit of resentment from his brother for being a third child.

    Is there more to it than that?
  • laurence1870laurence1870 Posts: 213
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    Saw this on Wednesday having not read the books. Story was slightly cliched but overall enjoyed it and some great CGI.

    Was very surprised to find out the boy who played Ender Wiggin is British, he did a great accent.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 117
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    Without knowing any of the back story from books, etc. this is what I got from the film; overpopulation means that families are limited to two children. With permission and a large fee, they can have a third child and this is Ender's place. I also got that there was a bit of resentment from his brother for being a third child.

    Is there more to it than that?

    From what I remember of the book (mind it has been a LONG time since I've read it so I may be mistaken) the reason Ender's family were allowed to have a 3rd child was because the first two kids (his brother and sister) had the talent to be the 'chosen one' to fight the buggers, but his sister didn't have enough fighting spirit, and his brother was inherently evil. They essentially allowed Ender's parents to have another child hoping s/he would be a happy medium between the two previous siblings (which he was).

    As for his brother hating him - that was because his brother felt that he should have been the chosen one and was resentful when he was told he was not suitable. And also, due to being inherently evil he would naturally be horrible to Ender and their sister.
  • MobolocoMoboloco Posts: 889
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    I quite liked it, I initially thought there may be a problem with the casting as the lad that played ender could of easily come across as smug and spoilt the movie..... which IMO didn't happen.

    I have read the first book and found the movie left a few important characters out which I didn't like but understood why they did it.
    I intend to read the other books as there won't be any movie sequels if the rumours are true.

    For those that want to read the books you should read the parallel book enders shadow next then decide which storyline you want to follow as they split as they follow different characters.
    The sequel to enders game follows ender but he's much older, where as the sequel to the parallel or side by side book to enders game (enders shadow) actually follows straight on so its important to decide which character you want to follow.

    Its confusing as theres loads of books, two more added just recently. I hope others want to see how he story ends like me.

    One thing I must say is the movie didn't explain much about why the humans were attacked in the first place, I think it just said about over population and lack of resources? For those that don't want to read the books its worth looking up about that as its quite interesting and may make you see the final battle differently.... perhaps not.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,679
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    Went to see this last night, wow, what an entertaining film and visually stunning! Highly recommend this one.

    I have not read the books, but I'm going out today to get my hands on the first one :)

    For me one of the most enjoyable movie experiences of the year.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 12,190
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    went to see this the other night, having read an enjoyed the book I was slightly trepidatous BUT it was a great movie.

    Very sympathetic to the book although it would always struggle with some of the themes explored by the book.

    Time constraints meant that some of the book was skipped over and without knowing I think people would struggle with some of the storyline.

    The final twist couldn't have the same impact as the book because it couldn't be hidden the way it was in the book.
    It was lovely to look at but the SFX didn't overshadow the overal story.

    Great movie, 9/10
  • davisadavisa Posts: 698
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    Wanted to see this over the weekend, but already taken off all screens round here - choice of Cineworld, Empire and Odeon - not on at any of them. Pathetic. :mad:

    Will have to watch via "other means"...
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 117
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    Finally got around to seeing this - great film, really enjoyed it! Was a treat to see a story I enjoyed reading so much actually come to life on the screen! It's inspired me to read the book once more :)

    I think a large part of the negative reviews this film has received is less to do with the film itself and more to do with critics dislike of the author (who from what I understand has made some rather offensive homophobic comments). I think its a shame critics can't behave more professionally however and review the film in it's own right.
  • brangdonbrangdon Posts: 14,089
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    Marly Z wrote: »
    critics dislike of the author (who from what I understand has made some rather offensive homophobic comments).
    Not so much his comments, as his using his money to suppress gay rights, campaign against gay marriage and get laws passed that generally make gay people miserable. Hence some people don't want any of their money to go his way because they don't want to fund such stuff. It's not so much critics as the sort of well-informed SF fans that ought to be the film's core audience.
  • nessyfencernessyfencer Posts: 9,195
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    I wonder why it was so poorly promoted in Cineworld, yet they are going mad promoting Walter Mitty.
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