Excellent Adaptation of the Novel

Rating: 10/10 (30 October 2016)

This science-fiction film tells the story of the formative years of a boy named Ender Wiggin. When an alien species threatens to extinguish the human race, the brightest children are recruited for military training. Ender is trained to lead the battle against the alien threat.
It is necessary to mention the fact that this is a very dark movie. Even though most of the characters in this film are children, people should not go into this film with the expectation that this movie is going to be light-hearted. There are disturbing aspects to Ender Wiggin's home life; and, the children at the military school are often psychologically manipulated as a part of their conditioning. The movie also includes depictions of violence.
This movie was an excellent adaptation of Orson Scott Card's novel of the same name. When I first read the novel many years ago, I thought that the story would make a great movie. I had to wait two decades for that to eventually happen; but, this film was well worth the wait. The movie was well cast. Even before the characters names were mentioned, I could easily identify who they were on screen. Much of what was depicted in the film was exactly as I had imagined it after having read the novel.
The movie depicts acts of desperation under very difficult circumstances. The military school sacrifices the innocence of children in an effort to turn those children into the best hope for the survival of the human race. Members of the audience cannot help but to feel empathy for the child characters in this film.
The movie was based on the first book in series of science-fiction novels about the character, Ender Wiggin. Fans of Orson Scott Card's novels will enjoy this film. The movie is highly recommended.