Abbreviated from the book but faithful to the vision

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2020)

I read Ender's Game in high school and fell in love with it. The novel addressed complex social and moral issues through the lens of sci-fi, much like Star Trek began to do in the 60's.
I enjoyed the movie version quite a bit. Visually, the effects were pleasing and I enjoyed the designs. Asa Butterfield and Hailee Steinfeld both captured the essence of their characters from the books, I enjoyed their performances throughout.
As is the case with many books made into movies, details from the novel were cut for time and spacing. As a result, some of the finer points get lost in translation such as Mazor Tam's full background and interactions with Ender. The relationship between Ender and his siblings, as well as the background events to Ender's story in the novel, are largely glossed over.
In the end, the story remains true in concept to the novel and I think gives the audience something to contemplate by the end of it. If you haven't read the book, please avoid spoilers as the ending will have more impact if it comes as a surprise.
All in all, it's a well done movie and I would highly recommend it.