Too fast in pace but nonetheless entertaining.

Rating: 7/10 (28 January 2014)

Ender Wiggin is a boy who – at the start of the movie – is already in a program to prepare for a training to fight against an alien race that almost invaded earth once before. Apparently we are now living in a future world where it is normal to make soldiers out of children. The colonel (Harrison Ford) is convinced Ender might be 'the one'.
The pace of the movie is fast, maybe too fast. Before we know it Ender is actually at the school somewhere in space, and right after his first training already he is promoted and there is talk of him being a leader almost immediately. Maybe it is just a bad adaptation of the book, I don't know, I didn't read it, but you have the feeling the movie takes place in a few weeks, while there are actually long space travels (years of cryosleep) involved. The kids do not age at all, although Asa Butterfield (Ender) tries his best to do the coming off age development just.
This said, I have to say it did not bother me too much and I really enjoyed the movie after some eyebrow lifting (especially halfway through the movie). The overall production design is really good. The zero gravity combat scenes, the mind game and the 'exams' are done pretty mind-blowing and are truly exciting to watch.
Asa Butterfield is a promising actor, he is believable in his acting choices and switches emotions at the turn of a dime. I am looking forward to seeing him act in other movies. Harrison Ford gives Colonel Graff the body and motivation he needs. One of the smaller roles that really stood out was Viola Davis as Major Gwen Anderson. She was a great contra weight to the typical male Colonel Graff as she brought the depth and emotions of a woman who might be a mother herself and is questioning the military she works for, using children as soldiers. I would have liked to see a little bit more of her.
Overall: the movie was too fast in pace but nonetheless entertaining.