OK movie but not Ender's game

Rating: 6/10 (28 May 2014)

A lot has been said already. The story of the movie is far from the book. The movie is quite alright if you look at it as a separate story. But if you love the book it isn't up to par.
First of all I missed the evolution in time. If you see the movie you think it is a time span of a few weeks, maybe some months. In the book Ender grows up from a child to a teen. In that way the cruelty of the academy is even worse. By the time Ender is a teen, his childhood is long gone. In the book the mind-game is a true companion. He learns from it, he confronts himself trough it and it takes him further in the mind of the Buggers. The fact that he remains compassionate is short of a miracle.
Second, what I miss in the movie is the build-up of the training sessions, first as a launcher, then under the Salamander army and later his own Dragon army. The way he and Alai started to experiment, the fact that he froze his legs to save the day and the way he gave Bean room to experiment on his own with a small squadron. Others joined him because he was good and had fresh ideas. Not because he made a message appear.
Third, I missed the build-up of the battles he endures as a captain. They become more and more unfair. When he realizes they are giving him hell after hell he refuses to play. In the movie it seems as if he is giving up after one battle. This gives the impression he is weak.
Fourth, fifth and sixth, I hated the way they handled everything after his meet and greet with Valentine. Because it deviates to much from the book. When he meets Mazor for the first time it takes longer to get the communication up to speed. Then Ender is put in isolation to lead his troops. First they do play simulations and it is only after a while that Mazor claims to create the simulation. Petra suffers a burn-out and doesn't like to take risks afterward. In the end he is forbidden to return to earth and he discovers the playground from his game and finds the egg. At no time does he meet a Bugger in the flesh.
And last but not least I miss the storyline between Peter and Valentine. Demosthenes and Locke are instrumental to keep peace on earth.
In conclusion I think they should have made a miniseries of the book not a simple movie. The book is multi-layered, complex and captivating. The movie is food for the masses, nice but hollow.