Disappointing.

Rating: 6/10 (24 November 2013)

Political b.s. aside, I went and saw the flick. Having read the book in middle school, there was no way I wasn't going to see it just because Card has his own ideas about how things should work. In a karmic twist of fate, the movie ended up sucking, quite a bit. The film assumes the audience has read the book, so be prepared for that.
First of all, the movie felt way too short, almost like a super extended preview for a much longer movie. In an effort to get as much of the story on screen as possible, the bulk of what made the book entertaining was left out, or at the very least, not fully realized. Relationships, character beats, even entire plot threads suffered or were omitted entirely. When a moment that was touching and heartfelt in the novel comes off as completely forced, rushed, and unbelievable in the film to the point that it takes you out of the novel--namely, the "salaam" moment between Ender and Alai--you know something is really wrong.
Also the acting at times was...not the best. The opening scene with Ender, Val, and Peter was PAINFUL. Not to mention it was Peter's only scene. Also because the filmmakers were nebulous about age, it's difficult to get a sense of who Ender is, emotionally, at any given time. The whole Humans VS Buggers thing with Peter plays very awkwardly, seeing as it seems like Peter (and Ender, and even Val) are too old for this kind of malarkey. This nebulousness carries into Ender's love life(!) as he and Petra are apparently in the midst of a budding romance.
Possibly the most shocking turn was Bonzo Madrid's casting. This is less a knock on the actor and more a knock on the casting director. In the novel, Bonzo's an older boy, taller, stronger, and a real threat to Ender's life. In the movie, he's a short, hawk-nosed pit bull of a kid. He's a full foot shorter than Ender, which really takes the menace out of their exchanges. Definitely a disappointing choice.
The battle room scenes were actually pretty cool, but again, too short, and too few in number. Also the depictions of the battles at Command School are serviceable. The famed Fantasy Game appears as well, if in slightly altered form, story wise. Very cool inclusion though.
All told, I'd say the movie should have been at least thirty to forty minutes longer, and there should have been an attempt to age Ender a little bit. Maybe have Asa show up in the second half, with a slightly younger boy in Ender's shoes in the beginning. This film basically is the broad strokes of the book, thrown together hastily, and ultimately not as entertaining or exciting as the novel proper. Disappointment all around.