Disappointing at best

Rating: 4/10 (18 February 2014)

So much is wrong with the movie. Ender's more than just too old. He's too mature. He's a genius but he's still a child. Where is Locke? Where is Demosthenes? This extremely important subplot is never even mentioned. Where is Ender's jeesh? Why are years of training squished into a month. Months on a lake are shoved into a 2 minute visit on a raft. The respect he earns, the solitude of command, the unfairness of the games, the beating down and building up of his soul, all of it gone. Ender's mind, his motivation, his true genius are never explored just forced down you're throat like a too hard to swallow pill. The beauty of the book is we sometimes hate Ender as much he hates himself but we always respect him, we always want him to succeed. We see within him the struggle many go through. I never FELT during the movie. I never felt the self implosion, the true love he has for Valentine, the realization he was a monster. Gah! So sick of books I love being raped for a quick buck. The Hobbit was exaggerated into two very long, disappointing movies. Ender's Game is condensed into one short, disappointing movie. I gave it 3 stars because my husband said it was OK since he'd never read the book.