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Ender's Game (2013 Film)

There have been plenty of jerks who still wrote great novels.

As for Card: He lost, and he admitted it. So what's the big deal? The actors in the film don't have a problem with Card's history on this subject, so why should the viewers?
 
CaptJimboJones said:
Reverend said:
propita said:
Damn Card and his attitude. I'm really torn about seeing this in the theater--but I don't want to dismiss the work of all these others because the conception was by a jerk.
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Look at it this way: Would you knowingly go to see a shite film just because the guy who wrote it is a really nice person? I know I wouldn't. ;)
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It's not just OSC being a "jerk" versus a "nice person." He's a person with a large following and platform due to his writing who has used that public platform to espouse utterly hateful and despicable views on a particular minority group, implying that they are genetically inferior and should be denied basic civil rights.
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Well, yeah. I just detail my definition of "jerk."

Tarantino's a jerk, but that doesn't keep me from seeing his films, though, tbh, I've only watched "Inglorious Basterds."

These two uses of the word "jerk" are NOT equivalent. OSC is far worse than just a jerk.
 
I'm not defending the bloke's politics (I happen to vehemently disagree) but as distasteful as it feels, I don't feel it's OK to deny his right to express his opinions...so long as that's all he's doing.
 
Reverend said:
I'm not defending the bloke's politics (I happen to vehemently disagree) but as distasteful as it feels, I don't feel it's OK to deny his right to express his opinions...so long as that's all he's doing.
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But has anyone actually restricted Orson Scott Card's right to express his opinions? Sure, there are those who call on a boycott of his movie. But all it does is that it makes Orson Scott Card less rich... it doesn't restrict his free speech. I fail to feel sorry for someone who merely loses a million bucks or something. :p

Anyway, I probably won't go see this movie myself. Not because of Orson Scott Card's political views, but because the reviews indicate so far that it is a mediocre film. Personally, I think that OSC is a reactionary. That didn't stop myself from reading a couple of his books... including Ender's Game.
 
This critic is an idiot:

Celebrates weaponizing children to wipe out subhuman enemy from outer space. Hello, brave new world, kiddies. James Verniere
Boston Herald

Forgot to watch the movie apparently.
 
Glad to hear about Card not making any money from the movie. Now I can see it with a clear conscience.
 
RAMA said:
This critic is an idiot:

Celebrates weaponizing children to wipe out subhuman enemy from outer space. Hello, brave new world, kiddies. James Verniere
Boston Herald

Forgot to watch the movie apparently.
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I had the same reaction when I saw that quote on RottenTomatoes. I haven't seen the movie yet, but the message of the book is the exact opposite of what he is saying, and I doubt the movie changed the message to that extent.
 
I am solo tired of reading reviews by people unfamiliar with the book. Yes, I know the movie should stand on its own, but many points raised by some reviewers are idiotic.

"Razer’s tattoo as an homage to Mike Tyson.” Wtf?

“There’s little emotional relationship between Ender and Graff.” No shit! That’s the point. Ender wasn’t supposed to have an adult to turn to.

“Kids are recruited for their video gaming skills.” Uh, no. Just no. They’re mixing this up with “The Last Starfighter,” which, incidentally was highly enjoyable.


Anyone else see ridiculous points raised by reviewers?
 
propita said:
I am solo tired of reading reviews by people unfamiliar with the book. Yes, I know the movie should stand on its own, but many points raised by some reviewers are idiotic.

"Razer’s tattoo as an homage to Mike Tyson.” Wtf?

“There’s little emotional relationship between Ender and Graff.” No shit! That’s the point. Ender wasn’t supposed to have an adult to turn to.

“Kids are recruited for their video gaming skills.” Uh, no. Just no. They’re mixing this up with “The Last Starfighter,” which, incidentally was highly enjoyable.


Anyone else see ridiculous points raised by reviewers?
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Well, I haven't actually seen the movie yet, so I don't know how accurate these reviews are. I've read the book, so I know how that story plays out, but how well does the movie capture these points?
 
propita said:
“Kids are recruited for their video gaming skills.” Uh, no. Just no. They’re mixing this up with “The Last Starfighter,” which, incidentally was highly enjoyable.
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And this movie I swear I read about once, where a video game called "Saviour One" was distributed on Earth and anyone who scored above a certain level on it, was automatically recruited for some kind of interstellar war.

I have no idea what the movie was called, but I distinctly remember "Saviour One" was the name of the actual game in it.
 
RoJoHen said:
Well, I haven't actually seen the movie yet, so I don't know how accurate these reviews are. I've read the book, so I know how that story plays out, but how well does the movie capture these points?
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Just got back from watching. The film touches on these points, but due to the nature of films I think it fails to drive them home.

I enjoyed it, but I can see where the reviewers who didn't read the book are going to miss out on the message. They don't explain why they needed children, nor that these kids are the smartest in the world. Just that they get good grades and are good at wargames. They don't drive home the point that Ender isn't just a good Commander, he's the best there ever was. The fight with Bonzo comes across as an accident instead of as a pure tactical calculated total destruction of his enemy. Casting a shorter actor (I think he's even shorter than Bean) takes away some of the menace, too. Instead of a big kid trying to beat up a little kid and losing badly, its a jerk getting what's coming.

The passage of time (5 years in the book) is ignored, and the film seems to take place in less than a year.

The ansible isn't explained, just namedropped. The fleet isn't explained as having traveled for 50 years, so you lose the weight of human capital for the war effort.
 
I thought it was good. Very good cast, terrific FX, and some legitimately fun sequences.

Having Ender's story take place in less than a year definitely took something away from the story. I think you lost some of "the grind" that Ender went through. Before the final battle, he could barely get himself out of bed. I just never got the impression that Ender was put through the ringer like he was in the book. I also wish some of the training sequences were longer and that they fully put over how unstoppable Ender was. Ender never failed a mission, never.

Good point about the Bonzo battle. Probably because of today's sensibilities but Ender doesn't end up killing the first bully and what happens with Bonzo comes across as an accident. You could have Ender killing those two in the books but not in movies/television nowadays. The actor who played Bonzo was comically shorter than Asa Butterfield though I have to admit I found him hilarious and I think the audience I was with did as well.

Harrison Ford was very good (he's given better performances lately) although he looked silly in a beret. I found the character of Anderson in the book to be generic as hell so anything Viola Davis did with the character was an improvement.

Thankfully the reveal at the end was still a very powerful scene. The epilogue though was a rushed, poorly though-out mess. They handled it badly.
 
thumbtack said:
The Wormhole said:
If they do go for a sequel
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Won't even reach 30 million for the weekend.

No sequels.


.
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Right about not (quite) reaching 30mil...but if you know ANYTHING about the books - the direct (original) sequels are Ender as an adult, and are very, VERY different books - a whole new storyline.

And because they left so much out from "Ender's Shadow" (the parallel story - same events from different single and unseen events surrounding "Bean" - which was good - at least the 1st novel) and they left out Ender's Game storyline involving Ender's sisters and brother's political actions back on Earth's (well, internet - predicted by OSC in '85) a sequel series based on the "Shadow" parallel series - or even future Ender's series would be hard.

Maybe this "Ender in Exile" would work...but it can only be filler and never resolve the original story(s).

OR the just ignore the rest of the books and write a new storyline.

I wish a little more from "Ender's Shadow" had been fit in somehow. (It had a "twist" too.)

Nor do I remember an explanation of how/why Mazer Rakam who - his big insight and disobeying his commanders, that lead the the whole programer to look for someone who thinks outside of the box? (And how did he survive the impact? Eject beforehand?)

No did I remember them explaining why he hadn't aged. (But I stayed up late to see the film and closed my eyes for a few secs and may have missed some stuff.)

Less real explanation on why the Queen had so much interest in Ender - and *knew* he'd be their...ender...

I dislike OSC's bigoted hateful politics...but I did want to see the film so I basically used a...well, it was complicated.

I but I personally buy an older - 12 - Ender myself more than a 6 year old. (Buy isn't his name *really* "Andrew* - why did EVERYONE call him "Ender"?)

Overall I did like it. And will see it again with my (gay-bi oldest) daughter (my sons and other daughter are in Illinois and will see it separately)...but she's only going...very reluctantly...and my buy a ticket for another film by the same studio, and accidentally" see this one instead".
 
The Great Cthulhu said:
Right about not (quite) reaching 30mil...but if you know ANYTHING about the books - the direct (original) sequels are Ender as an adult, and are very, VERY different books - a whole new storyline.
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Card has said several times he'll never let Speaker be made into a film. Xeno and CotM are shit.

And because they left so much out from "Ender's Shadow" (the parallel story - same events from different single and unseen events surrounding "Bean" - which was good - at least the 1st novel) and they left out Ender's Game storyline involving Ender's sisters and brother's political actions back on Earth's (well, internet - predicted by OSC in '85) a sequel series based on the "Shadow" parallel series - or even future Ender's series would be hard.
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The Bean series is also shit. All of it.

Also, the internet existed in 1985, and "nets," as Card described them, have been around 1969.

Maybe this "Ender in Exile" would work...but it can only be filler and never resolve the original story(s).
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More shit.

OR the just ignore the rest of the books and write a new storyline.
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And they might have considered it had it done more than 30m.
 
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