Ender’s Game is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card and its film version will soon see a theatrical release. The first trailer of the film adaptation of this landmark book is out for you.
Those who have read the novel must be certainly curious to watch it on screen. However, the complexities in terms of numerous action sequences as well as the need to focus on the very finer points of the book hold key to the success of the film version.
The book, released in 1985, tells the story of a boy “Ender Wiggin” who with his classmates is trained to save the earth from an alien attack. To be precise, set in earth’s future, the book presents threatened humankind that has nearly survived two attacks from “Buggers,” an insectoid alien species and a third attack is imminent.
In order to save the world from any future alien invasion, the world’s most talented children, including the protagonist, Ender, are taken at a very young age to a training center known as the Battle School. They are trained in the arts of war through increasingly difficult games including ones undertaken in zero gravity, where Ender’s tactical genius is revealed.
Looking at the trailer, it seems that director Gavin Hood has taken a slightly different approach than the book. Here in the movie version, the ages of the characters are not that young. Probably, it was necessary to make it more realistic. Moreover, this further makes the movie for all kinds of audiences and not just for kids.
Even though the book was released much earlier, it took so long to make a film version because of many reasons, one being the author’s protectiveness of the film rights and artistic control. Many times when the author felt to give away the film rights to anyone, it came to a halt because of creative differences.
It was only in September 2010 that Gavin Hood was attached to the project as screenwriter and director. Director Hood whose “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” bombed at the box office but also directed the Oscar-nominated foreign film “Tsotsi”. Evenly so, here with “Ender’s Game,” we can expect something better to come out.
The Ender’s Game trailer looks really impressive with its starry cast, mostly Oscar-caliber, which includes Asa Butterfield (of Hugo fame), Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld, Sir Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, and Abigail Breslin.
We just hope that it stands up to the expectation and don’t bomb at the box offices like those of Tron: Legacy or Oblivion. Nevertheless, the trailer for another science fiction film, “After Earth,” again set in space, has already created a buzz.
As Ender’s Game opens on November 1st, it is also expected that the movie might also be on news because of the author of the book, Orson, who on many occasions had expressed critical views on homosexuals or minorities.
Where to watch Ender's Game (2013)
