Far too short

Rating: 7/10 (14 March 2014)

As a fan of the entire series of in the Enderverse, I was always going to find flaws in this movie. I expected it to miss a lot of the key plot points in the way that the Harry Potter movies did. I felt that the major flaw in this adaptation was that it was far too rushed. Why not split the book into separate parts and spread the thing over two or three movies. If they could manage it with the Hobbit which is a much more slight novel then it is infinitely possible with this.
The book spends a lot of time in Battle School and the various battles Ender faces. We get ONE battle here. The whole book is condensed into one year (according to the Director, Gavin Hood)the result is that too much happens in too short a time-frame.
My final gripe is about the casting with two main points. I don't think Asa Butterfield carries off Ender at all. He doesn't seem to add any emotion to the role.
Finally, Bonzo Madrid. He's TINY! He's not described as being particularly large in the novel but he is not imposing at all and yet the other characters act as though they are scared of him.
If you've not read the book, you'll probably enjoy it. If you love the book, you may still enjoy it but will regret having waited for years for the movie to be made, only for it to not quite bring the novel to life.