So... Ender's Game *OT* (Off-Topic)

by Quirel, Monday, November 04, 2013, 23:55 (4043 days ago)

Almost entirely spoiler free.

Went and saw it with my brother tonight.

It was better than I feared, not as good as I had hoped. A lot of parts seem to have suffered because they had to cut so much out. Maybe better pacing could have helped, but there didn't seem to be enough meat behind Ender's growth through Battle School, or his struggle and breakdown from having the deck stacked against him.

And Peter, well, his impact on Ender just wasn't justified by his forty-five seconds of screentime. By necessity and common sense, the "Peter and Valentine take over the world" subplot was omitted, but what's left is just another jock.

That said, the Formics and the discovery of the Queen made up for the worst parts of the movie, and the Battle Room was awesome... if under-utilized. My brother was blown away by the 'simulation' reveal toward the end, since he hadn't read the book. My own wow-moment came when I finally made the connection between some crumbled spires and... well, you'll know if you see the movie.

Ender's Game is an alright science fiction film, but it's not a good adaptation of a science fiction classic. And... I guess that's it, except for one thing.

One. Little. Thing.

*Twitch*

By God, Heinlein, and Freeman Dyson, can we please get one realistic depiction of space combat? How may visual effects directors am I going to have to kill until you limp sacks of Kzinti dung quit treating space. Like. A. Fracking. Ocean?! Mass Effect was bad enough, but Ender's Game? The story about a kid who excels at space combat. Because. He. Understands. Three. Dimensional. Space?! What the HELL is the matter with you? A crew of Vogon bureaucrats could have done a more competent job! And the atmospheric entry. Star Trek Into Darkness Occasionally Lit By Lens Flare has the sad excuse of being Star Trek, but do you Hollywood idiots truly have no clue how high up lunar orbit is? Or how comparatively thin the gorram atmosphere of a planet is? Screw you and the horse y'all rode in on!