It is worth starting with the fact that I am not delighted with the original source - the book is very straightforward and declarative, the plot is more designed for teenagers, and, knowing the denouement, reading is completely boring: in fact, 90-80% of the meaning of the book in the Sudden turn of the plot at the end. I was unlucky - I accidentally found out the ending before reading and sometimes bored. However, the book is not large in volume.
The more strange that even a not too voluminous novel, the filmmakers greatly cut. The storylines of Valentina and Peter are almost thrown out, and the characters themselves are not disclosed. Peter, the most ambiguous and colorful character of the novel, is given literally a few seconds of screen time. But he is very important for the formation of the character of Ender! Unfortunately, the absence of the Wiggins' brother-sister line is understandable - the film is positioned as a colorful sci-fi blockbuster for teenagers, and if this storyline was deepened, it would turn into a sluggish political drama with elements of a thriller. And it is difficult to convey on the screen the activities of bloggers and the development of political intrigues on the Internet.
So all we have left is little Ender’s dizzying and jaw-dropping military career (didn’t it seem to me that the origin of his nickname was forgotten in the film?) Even futuristic space war breaks people, especially if these people are teenagers, almost children. Criticizing the very idea of using prodigies in the war is inappropriate - this will already be a claim to the source.
And the film adaptation, however, is quite worthy. Special effects are good (although space battles are too colorful, to my taste, fighter maneuvers turned out too "ballet" - this is not an air show, but a fight, after all), the actors were picked up well (Ender himself, however, some inconspicuous, but this is already such a Hollywood "tradition" - secondary characters are more colorful), the ending is the same percussion as in the book (in the film, perhaps, even more spectacular due to the "silent scene"). Well, the meaning of the book did not suffer - the good idea there is simple (but correct).
Of the actors, I want to mention, of course, Harrison Ford - he is still one, and Colonel Graf turned out great. And Ben Kingsley played Maiser Rackham - a "space wolf" with a very exotic appearance.
Bottom line: quite normal science fiction film for teenagers, raising the problems of war and tolerance. As the film adaptation is average: the meaning is transferred, the main “chip” has passed, but the plot is severely reduced. In itself - quite worthy of viewing, but the adult viewer, or who read the book, will not impress.
7 out of 10
Original