 December 1, 2013 - 12:20am | My wife and I watched the Ender's Game movie, and enjoyed it very much. We are now reading the books, and I am almost finished with the original quartet, and will soon start the Ender's Shadow series. I was wondering if anyone else had seen the movie, or read the books. There has been discussion of a movie sequel (based on Ender in Exile, which happen right after the movie/first book, not Speaker for the Dead, which takes place when Ender is an adult), and possibly a TV series. Opinions? |
 December 1, 2013 - 5:39am | Haven't the seen movie or read the book. Which would you recommend doing first? Wait, did I actually ask that question? That's pretty dumn, I'll see if I can get to the Brattle Book Shop this week. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 December 1, 2013 - 3:11pm | I read the novella years and years ago, just read the first novel last week. One of my son's former teachers recommended it for him (but since the recommendation came from lame ol' Dad, nothing doing). Maybe if I can drag him to the movie first? |
December 1, 2013 - 4:33pm | Cool to see Harrison Ford return to sci fi, looking forward to seeing him in it. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 December 1, 2013 - 10:44pm | I liked the movie but I liked the book more. Movies must always take a limited view of the book unless the story is limited in detail. Typically sci fi and fantacy are rich in detail. This is not a movie that I think betrays or strays from the book because the author had such a large hand in determining what went into the movie and where to simplfy the movie to get the main points across. -iggy |
 December 4, 2013 - 8:38pm | I liked the movie a lot. Never read the book, but I am going to pick up a copy after seeing the movie. I thought the end was very predictable, which might have been long buried memories of friends discussing the book when it originally came out or some review I read a long time ago. |
 December 4, 2013 - 8:41pm | Just remember to get an original book and not one of the ones wrote from the movie. Hate it when I do that. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
 December 7, 2013 - 9:33pm | I enjoyed the film. It is not a serries I have read though my experience with books to movies is usually the book is better. Though I have read and seen a few exceptions. "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
December 8, 2013 - 6:53am | I enjoyed the film. It is not a serries I have read though my experience with books to movies is usually the book is better. Though I have read and seen a few exceptions. It is rare that a movie is better than a book and that is part of the process- story starts formated as a book and the challenge is how to condense it down to fit the movie format. When you have something like the Star Trek Into Darkness movie which did not start formatted as a book but instead the producers, writers and director approached the challenge as "What's the best story we can tell in the movie format?" they no longer struggle with shifting a format. [I'm of the opinion that the latest star trek is one of the best ever- I know some people dont like all the changes in the reboot with Vulcan being destroyed and such but this movie did a lot to honor the past with tmany tips of the hat to the original TV series and movies, it introduce a new look for the klingons which was cool and forshadowed things to come with them and it was a kick butt story that didn't stop and yet felt very Trek.] Back to the thread: looking forward to both reading and viewing Enders game. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 8, 2013 - 9:35am | We all watched that movie last night at the Klingon Club's Holiday Party. Yep alot of folks don't like the new movies. But I think they did some things well others maybe not my cup of tea but not the end of the universe. I think the actors and their general lines are consistent to Old Trek, Spock is being played less subtle though on showing his emotions. But for fun sci-fi I enjoyed both films and people who have never seen ST seem to like them. I just tell myself the time line went wrong even before the movies... Enterprise's Time War. I am okay with Vulcan being destroyed as a plot twist. Saw a great idea at a sci-fi con they had a pole with Earth on the top and a "You are here sign" with the arrow signs all up and down the pole with names of sci-fi planets and light years (if known) and Vulcan had it's name redlined out and a black ribbon tied on it.  "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
December 15, 2013 - 1:59am | Just a warning to those who plan to read the Ender books - Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide & Children of the Mind are one story, and it has almost nothing to do with the first book. Card had intended that this trilogy was to be the main story, and Ender's Game was meant to be little more than backstory. Some people don't like the other books because they are such a departure from the first one. If you like the movie, read Ender in Exile next, or the Ender's Shadow series. |
December 15, 2013 - 4:09am | currently reading the book, Not sure I buy such a mature child at the age he's suppose to be. It must have been the thing to write mature personnas in the bodies of children as I can remember some Hienlen characters that are very much of the same thing. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 15, 2013 - 8:25am | Yeah, I remember that, too. I think Heinlein & Card have a better handle on how kids actually think than most authors. Most kids are more mature than we give them credit for. Plus, Ender is supposed to be from a genius family. |
December 15, 2013 - 1:31pm | Actually, I think you are giving Heinlein too much credit. I've found many if not most of his characters flat. Card is not delivering a flat character in Ender's Game just one advanced beyond its chronological years as well as displaying ability to think in ways that science has suggested a child cannot do till latter in development. That said it was written awhile ago and I get that he's attempting to protray a mature brillian child. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 17, 2013 - 9:58pm | :) The interpretation of Heinlein & kids is not mine. It was the opinion of reviewers when Heinlein's stuff was new. In his biographies, that is one of the things people seem to make note of - his portayal of kids. I agree about the flat characters. I made a point of reading all of his short stories and sometimes found it hard to tell the characters apart, because there was nothing to distinguish them. With Card, his other books have portayals of realistic kids. For example, there is a dysfunctional family in Speaker for the Dead, and although the kids are smart, they are not genuises and none of them are unrealistically smart or mature. In Ender's Game, the kids at the school are supposed to be the smartest kids on Earth. However, I agree with you - when the book begins he is only about 5 or 6 years old, and I remember thinking how he seemed pretty advanced for that age. |
December 18, 2013 - 6:37am | I'm about 75% thru the book and I dont think I would crucify Card for his portrayl of Ender and his siblings. I certainly dont buy it but its a pretty good story so I'm going to finish it despite the fact that its more than a little bit unrealistic in its portrayl of children. The other unrealistic thing is that children playing a game are going to develop the strategies & tactics that save the world. The realities is that militaries have and will continue to use mature warriors to test and prove strategies and tactics and their very maturity and experience is what is important not their innoncence. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 21, 2013 - 7:11pm | Well just checked out a year end list and based on cost to make and money made, Ender's Game was a bomb. Not saying the movie was good or bad just that financially it didn't do well. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
December 23, 2013 - 2:12am | Those protests & boycotts probably didn't help. |
December 23, 2013 - 4:56am | Alright, I've finished the book and it was pretty good. I felt like the story line involving the older brother could have been developed more in a second book since he was such a threatening sadistic bastard but that appears to not be the case. Not sure when I'll get to see the movie. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 24, 2013 - 12:03pm | The older brother and sister get more development in other books. |
December 24, 2013 - 7:02pm | Those protests & boycotts probably didn't help.
There were protests? Hmm, even in the liberal stronghold of Portland there were no official protests and most of the lib folks I know went to opening weekend of the movie because good sci-fi is more important to them than fringe politics. There was hardly any advertising in our market, which probably had more of an impact... |
 December 26, 2013 - 7:47am | I've not read any of the books... Meee No Read-ee much Anywho... I'm wondering if I should take my (just turned) 9 year old to the movie. ----------------------------------------------- |
