The most thought-provoking film I've seen for a long time.

Rating: 9/10 (25 October 2013)

I really liked the film, because it's different. At first you think it's going to be another wimpy-kid-coming-of-age story, though set in space. But it isn't. Then you think it's a smart-kid-can't-unlock-the-key-secret-until-he-understands-himself, but it isn't that. Maybe it'll be another Hunger Games, teenager-uses-skills-to-survive-and-then-to-beat-the-system? No, not that either.
In the end, it's a film about the rights and wrongs of war, and of training for war. And I do mean rights and wrongs, plural: this is one of the best films for a long time for making you think about more than one side of a complex issue. It also takes a hefty (though mitigated) swipe at video-game culture; but if you think that's a modern politically correct message, remember that the book was written in 1985. Its message is best summed up in one (sligh mis-)quote from the film: "It's not what you do; it's why you do it." It's one of the most thought-provoking films I've seen for a long time. If you come out of the film wanting to know more about the issues that the book raises, I recommend the excellent (if slightly academic) book "On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society" by Lieutenant-Colonel Dave Grossman. It doesn't tackle exactly the same issues that the film raises (which is good, because that means the book doesn't act as a spoiler for the film!) but it does address the wider issues.