Best of Ender's Game: Ender News Highlights from 2013!

January 17, 2013: The first piece of Ender's Game merchandise was unveiled, a 2014 wall calendar! Filled with loads of stills from the film and production tidbits. What could be a better way to start off the new year than grabbing one for yourself?

February 19, 2013: The Ender fansites unveiled four of the Ender's Game battle school logos, with Ender News debuting the insignia for Dragon Army.

© Summit Entertainment LLC

February 20, 2013: The next day, we unveiled a still of Ender and Petra in the Battle School messhall along with a preview of their upcoming set visit pieces. Remember how the release date for the set visit reports kept getting pushed later and later? We sure do! Read ours here.

March 1, 2013: Ender News turned 1 year old!

March 19, 2013: A sneak peak of the first Ender's Game trailer was (accidentally?) shown at the GAMA trade show in Los Vegas, to rave reviews -- and all of us not in attedence lost our minds.

March 20, 2013: Summit Entertainment launched the official Ender's Game movie twitter and and teased the website, IF-Sentinel.com.

March 25, 2013: The first teaser poster was unveiled, with a  teaser on the official production blog the day before by director Gavin Hood. He also participated in a phone interview with Yahoo! Movies and spoke extensively about the creation of the Battle Room.

April 1, 2013: The fansites and fellow members of the cast wished Asa Butterfield a very happy 16th birthday -- in pictures!

April 18, 2013: The first Ender's Game trailer debuted at CinemaCon with many of the cast members in attendance for panels, including Harrison Ford! (Videos: Harrison Ford | Asa Butterfield)

May 7, 2013: The trailer finally arrived after being teased a few days earlier via a 10-second preview -- which included an intro by Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford.

To launch the trailer, fan site admins and fans participated in a "Meet the Fleet" hangout with Asa Butterfield, director Gavin Hood, and producer Bob Orci!

May 9, 2013: It was confirmed with Summit that Steve Jablonsky would be composing the Ender's Game score, squashing all rumors that Avatar composer James Horner was attached to the film.

June 10, 2013: Aidan published the first in her series of posts following the creation of her Battle School flight suits.

June 22, 2013: We met the winner of the Ender's Game premiere tickets, Kelson Record -- whom I had the pleasure of meeting in Los Angeles later in the year!

June 25, 2013: The IF-Sentinel relaunched with 3 very cool propaganda posters, one of which you can see to the left. And did we ever figure out who the soldier is in the Next Generation poster? Crystal from EnderWiggin.net pointed out that there is a very familiar photo of Fly Molo in Ender's Game: Inside the World of an Epic Adventure...

July 10, 2013: Colonel Graff and Ender Wiggin were on the cover of Endertainment Weekly.

July 17, 2013: The character banners which hung in the Ender's Game experience at Comic-Con were unveiled to the public. (Video: Watch Asa and Hailee walk though the experience here.)

July 24, 2013: Gavin Hood and Bob Orci reenact a tender scene from Ender's Game during our interview with them after the Comic-Con panel in San Diego.

July 29, 2013: Crystal and I via EnderCast published our podcast interviews with the guys from Ender's Game: our first interview was with Conor Carroll (Bernard) and Caleb Thaggard (Stilson), the second was a huge group interview with with Aramis Knight (Bean), Jimmy Jax Pinchak (Peter), Suraj Partha (Alai), Khylin Rhambo (Dink Meeker), Cameron Gaskins (Pol Slattery), Conor Carroll (Bean), Caleb Thaggard (Stilson), and Brandon Soo Hoo (Fly Molo)

August 8, 2013: The final trailer debuted. Shoot straight, stay calm.

August 28, 2013: The Ender's Game fansites unveiled the first of their set visit reports!

Part One: The Production Art Tour
Part Two: Interview with Gavin Hood
Part Two B:: 20 Exciting Ender's Game Props
Part Three: Interview with Christine Bieselin Clark 
Part Four: The Cast Talks Stunts, Buggers, and Pop Tarts
Part Five: Interview with Stunt Coordinator Garrett Warren

September 12, 2013: Two brand new IF propaganda posters were unveiled by Summit Entertainment.

September 21, 2013: The Ender's Game soundtrack cover and details were released. Order it now on Amazon!

October 2, 2013: The IMAX poster and absolutely kickass fan collage were unveiled by Fandango!

October 5, 2013: Your Ender's Game fansites exclusively unveiled the first clip from the film entitled "Ender's Army." More clips:

Command School Ice Battle
Graff Recruiting Ender
You Will Be the Last
Ready Enough
Nothing Left at All
Welcome to Battle School

October 17, 2013: The beautiful Ender's Game posters by Mondo were unveiled and later made available on October 24th.

October 19, 2013: Ender Wiggin actor Asa Butterfield stopped by EnderCast along with producers Bob Orci and Gigi Pritzker!

October 25, 2013: We launched the Ender News Review-o-Meter where tracked all English-language Ender reviews and rated them a la Rotten Tomatoes.

October 28, 2013: Kelly and Aidan from Ender News, the ladies from other Ender fansites, and CharityBuzz auction winner Kelson all attended the Ender's Game premiere in Los Angeles. Read Kelson's report here.

© Ender's Ansible

November 1, 2013: Ender's Game hit US theaters! Read my review here -- needless to say, I loved it.

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Happy New Year, Launchies! What was your favorite fan moment in 2013?

Here's to more Ender in 2014!

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And the Happiest of New Years!

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"Ender's Game" DVD, Blu-Ray Available February 11, 2014

Heads up, Launchies! Earlier today Crave Online unveiled an exclusive preview of the box art and special features of the Ender's Game Blu-ray and DVD which will be available on February 11, 2014. According to the announcement, the film "will also be available on Digital HD January 28, two weeks prior to the Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD release[.]"

Check out the announcement video below featuring chats with Gavin Hood, Harrison Ford, and Viola Davis, and producers Gigi Pritzker, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. as well as loads of footage (and spoilers!) from the film and production process:


February 11th will also see the film's debut on Pay-Per-View and Video on Demand.

From the release:

The Blu-ray Combo Pack bonus materials include an exclusive 45-minute "making of" featurette called "Ender's World: The Making of Ender's Game." Both the Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD special features include deleted and extended scenes with optional audio commentary with director Gavin Hood as well as a feature-length audio commentary with producers. The Ender's Game Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $39.99 and $29.95, respectively.

BLU-RAY/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES*

-- "Ender's World: The Making of Ender's Game" 8-part featurette (Blu-ray exclusive)
-- Deleted/Extended Scenes with Audio Commentary with Director Gavin Hood
-- Audio Commentary with Producers Gigi Pritzker and Bob Orci

57 days to go. :)

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"Ender's Game" Trading Cards -- Signers Announced!

While the board game is out, we haven't heard much about the Ender's Game trading card set being released soon by Cryptozoic. But yesterday the company released a list of those Ender actors who have definitely signed for an autograph card -- and it looks like most want to join in on the fun!

Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin
Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff
Brandon Soo Hoo as Fly Molo
Aramis Knight as Bean
Khylin Rhambo as Dink Meeker
Conor Carroll as Bernard
Suraj Partha as Alai
Nonso Anozie as Sergeant Dap
Jimmy 'Jax' Pinchak as Peter Wiggin
Andrea Powell as Theresa Wiggin
Caleb J. Thaggard as Stilson
Han Soto as Colonel Graff's aide


This doesn't appear to be a comprehensive list as they stated these are the names they've released "so far." We'll keep you updated with any developments!

The trading card set will also include wardrobe/costume cards which show off the film's great costume patches; Cryptozoic gave us a sneak peak at the included Oversized Patch Cards which you'll find below:

Make sure to check out Cryptozoic on Facebook to stay up-to-date on trading card developments!

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Ender's Game Red Carpet Interview: Aramis Knight & Khylin Rhambo

It's always a good time talking to Bean actor Aramis Knight and were pleased when we had a chance to speak with him this past Monday on the red carpet. We had scared him a bit with the threat of a live pop quiz after his hilarious appearance on EnderCast but we're not that mean.



Here is the ICEE reference for those who missed Asa's appearance on our podcast as well.

Khylin Rhambo (Dink Meeker) also stopped by for a quick chat and told us about his favorite scene -- which, if you watch all the videos, you'll find seems to be everyone's favorite scene.



You'll know it when you see it. ;)

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$28 Million Opening Weekend for Ender's Game

Ender's Game won the U.S. box office this weekend with an estimated $28 million in ticket sales from 3,407 theaters. While this is a solid start for the movie - and better than feared - the numbers pale in comparison with similar big-budget sci-fi starts in 2013. Ender's opening weekend was way off from Pacific Rim and Oblivion (both over $37 million), and was about on par with After Earth ($27.5 million).

The $110 million budget film will have to hold strong for a few weeks and play well in Europe to find financial success, which would support additional sequels. Unfortuately it doesn't look that way at the moment. Ender's Game opened very weak in the two biggest markets in Europe, with just $1.87 million in the United Kingdom (opened 5th place last weekend) and $800,000 in Germany where it opened 6th place.

To put these numbers in perspective: Thor: The Dark World, which opens in the U.S. on Friday and will be tough direct competition for Ender's Game, turned in about $110 million internationally last week, opened in the U.K. with $13.4 million and brought in $7.9 million from Germany - on the opening weekend. It is hard to imagine Thor not crushing Ender's numbers and marginalizing its audience this coming weekend in the US. And with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opening later this month it will be really tough for Ender's Game to show a strong hold with the general audience.

It looks like a decision on possible Ender's Game sequels won't be made before early next year when the movie opens in the world's second and third biggest markets, China and Japan.

The most positive takeaway from the opening weekend is that the audience generally likes the film. The audience score at Rotten Tomatoes climbed from 76% on Saturday (47,869 users) to 78% this morning (53,478 users). Similar at IMDb where the audience rates the film a 7.2 (9,064 votes) now, up from 7.0 (3,438 votes) on Saturday. The Ender News Review-O-Meter is tracking 187 English-language reviews for an average critics score of 68%, which is also pretty decent for the sci-fi genre.

So why is the movie not getting better, bigger numbers at the box office? As I wrote about two weeks ago on this blog, it was my concern that "the most avid group of moviegoers in the U.S., teenagers and young adults age 12 to 24, could have been addressed much better by promoting the young cast beyond what has been done so far," and if we look a bit deeper into the reported numbers, it looks like my concerns were warranted.

According to distributor Lionsgate/Summit, the movie's audience was 58 percent male and 54 percent over the age of 25. Ender's Game did not create much of a buzz with a young audience beyond those familiar with the original story. When we challenged the studio to "make a wide-release Ender's Game trailer with no adults. It's a story about kids, after all," it was for a good reason.

Box Office Mojo summed it up nicely today:

Marketing emphasized Harrison Ford's gruff military commander while failing to show what it is about Ender that makes him worth rooting for. This kept the movie from really connecting with those who aren't familiar with the source material, which is the key to success in the adaptation game.

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Win Limited Edition Art and Props from the Film!

MovieTickets.com is running a super exciting sweepstakes where one lucky Launchie can win framed Battle School production artwork, signed by the artist, as well as framed Battle School army badges.

Click here to enter - and here to check out all the rules.

You have to have an account with MovieTickets.com to enter, as well as be a resident of the continental US, unfortunately excluding Alaska, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Guam, Puerto Rico, and all other U.S. territories and possessions -- why Rhode Island, I have no idea.

Contest ends November 11th and the winner will be notified on or around that date.

Good luck, Launchies!

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Ender's Game Review: A Beautiful, Moving Adaptation

Gavin Hood is a true fan. He filmed an unfilmable story and he did it very, very well.

As you all probably know, I've been following this movie since principal production began in New Orleans. I visited the set in May of 2012 and left completely convinced that I had no reason to worry; Ender's story was in the hands of a group of fans and I believed there was no way I'd be disappointed come November. The closer we got to release, though, the more I began to contemplate what I would write on Ender News if I disliked it. Would I need to remain positive? Fudge the truth or be completely honest?

Fortunately I don't have to make that decision.

Crystal from EnderWiggin.net, Asa Butterfield (Ender), and Kelly (me!) from Ender News

I loved this film. I found it to be a beautiful, moving adaptation with the heart of the story and most of the key plot points preserved. It was entertaining, emotional, and the twist was done so well that even I -- who knew what was coming -- inhaled sharply when all was revealed.

First off, Asa Butterfield makes a moving, authentic Ender. I never doubted that he would be a convincing child genius but, as a smaller-framed actor, I was slightly afraid that he wouldn't be able to pull off that Peter-esque aggressive streak. However, he manages -- and very convincingly. And since the movie was filmed mostly in chronological order, you can definitely see him age and grow as time in the film passes which adds to his performance. He was vulnerable, he was intense, he was Ender. Butterfield absolutely killed it.

And then, the visuals: altogether it is a stunning visual experience. Garrett Warren's take on weightlessness is not only believable, but beautiful as well. While there are more Battle Room scenes than I actually thought we would get, you can't help but sigh when Ender heads back to Earth, knowing our time in null-g is over. The Command School training scenes are also impressive; everyone needs to see this film in IMAX just to experience Ender's first go at the simulator. When he raises his arms to pull his fleet forward, your heart will skip a beat.

Eros display at the premiere after-party

One thing that surprised me the most is that a great deal of the first half of the movie is surprisingly funny. Aramis Knight (Bean) quips a particular one-liner that had the entire audience roaring and he displays a sort of sure-footed cockiness in the film that suited his character very well. Moises Arias, too, garnered lots of laughs: while I never pictured Bonzo as AMUSING, the character is handled well. He's believable, albeit a little bit ridiculous, and a mere look from Fly Molo (Brandon Soo Hoo) or Petra (Hailee Steinfeld) tell us they feel so as well. Before Monday, I agreed with those who believed he was miscast but I was wrong; he ended up being one of my favorite parts of the film.

It's true that the story rockets along at an almost neck-breaking pace, and that this is what might make many plot points lost on members of the audience who haven't read the book. It also prevents any real character development apart from Ender and thus it's never really clear that those Battle School kids who make it all the way to Command School are the ones Ender trusts most -- except perhaps Petra.

However, I think my one real complaint is that while Jimmy Jax Pinchak was convincing in the very brief time we spend with him, his character in the film is a beautiful bully and nothing more: we are given no evidence that Peter is anything besides jealous and a bit unhinged. When we spoke to Gavin Hood at the set visit, he assured us Peter's better qualities would be displayed at some point in the film and his motivations would become clear; however, we see none of the "tough love" the director spoke of. While it seems likely this was a decision made in the editing room, it was a decision that cut Peter and perhaps any possible sequel off at the knees.

But book-to-movie adaptations are hard and these decisions have to be made. I've been an avid reader since well before kindergarten when I figured out those squiggly lines were letters which turned into stories which could one day hit the big screen. I knew there was always a chance that something could be lost in translation. But this one of the best adaptations I've seen in a while and I am immensely grateful to Gavin Hood, the producers, and the cast for coming together to create something that stayed true to the spirit of Ender's Game.

It's been a wild ride these past two years but the end result was utterly worth it.

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Ender's Game Red Carpet Interview: Sir Ben Kingsley (Video)

One of the highlights of the evening! Sir Ben Kingsley stopped to chat with us about the film, his tattoos, and possible sequels. ;)

Sorry about the wobbly vid -- the camera became understandably a little overwhelmed.

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Ender's Game Red Carpet Interview: Gavin Hood (Video)

It is just always such a pleasure to talk to this man. His excitement for this project knows no bounds and I am honored to have met him.

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Countdown: 1 Day to Go | Or TONIGHT

You've watched through our eyes, you've listened through our ears, and we tell you: THIS IS THE ONE!

Happy Halloween, guys. We hope you love it as much as we did! :)

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Ender's Game: A Journey of Passion From Book to Big Screen

We have said over and over that Ender's Game is a project which was borne out of a love of Ender's story and yesterday Grantland's Matt Patches published a riveting piece on how very true that is. In his article, he follows the adaptations long journey to Hollywood, a journey he calls a "rare Hollywood miracle."

And he's right: Ender's Game has been considered a completely unfilmable film since the book's publication in 1985, even by Orson Scott Card himself. But that doesn't mean many studios and producers haven't tried: the article gives a detailed explanation of the various attempts to to get Ender on the big screen and it is an exhausting list. It's no wonder Card was frustrated!

Thankfully, long-time fans of the book like Lynn Hendee were determined:

"I've always thought it was going to take years to get this movie made because it's going to take the fans of the book who read it in their wonder years to grow old enough and be in positions of decision-making," said Lynn Hendee, a producer of Ender's Game who came onboard the project in the mid-'90s. Hendee was right.

And so was Gigi Pritzker!

To the rescue came Gigi Pritzker, founder of OddLot Entertainment and a die-hard fan of the novel. Like Hendee, Pritzker's gut told her Ender's Game was a perfect movie waiting to happen. [...]  Pritzker and OddLot set out to find a team that understood the treasured tome. The key was finding a writer-director who could build the movie from the ground up and carry it to the end, their very own Ender. Pritzker found him in Hood, a South African filmmaker who brought his memories of apartheid and life in the military to the project. After a turbulent experience on the ill-fated X-Men Origins: Wolverine, where multiple writers tinkered with the script on a daily basis in the middle of shooting, Hood craved the immersion required for Ender's Game. He had a vision: a script that would allow a preteen actor to engage with challenging, emotionally raw material. That was all Pritzker needed to hear.

Hendee then found writer-turned-producer Bob Orci, another long-term fan of the book, who played an important role in the adaptation process:

Orci became the movie's Card proxy — a devout fan without a preservationist instinct. When the team felt it couldn't make changes to aspects of the book, Orci would say, "Sure we can — I'm the guy who blew up Vulcan! I know what we can do and can't do."

The rest of the article details the early-stages of development -- where did the money come from? -- as well as casting and the production choices. It really is quite a read; afterward I had a whole new appreciation for the incredible film I saw Monday night in LA.

And soon you will all have seen it too as Ender's Game hits US theaters today. It is also Halloween, so I shall don my Dragon Army flight suit this evening and pass out candy to all the future Launchies. I could even throw in some Comic-Con army badges to mix things up - maybe even catch a midnight showing! I'm not sure many people could have imagined such a scenario a few years ago, but I am immensely grateful that there were some who did.

"You have to be insanely optimistic all the time when you're passionate about something," Hendee said of her lengthy journey through the darkest depths of Hollywood's creative development process. "You have to believe it's going to happen. The character's story of Ender's Game moved me so much. I believe that such a wonderful story about character … there had to be a way to get that onscreen."

And she was right: Ender's Game hits US theaters tonight!

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Kelson at the Ender's Game Premiere

A Guest Contribution by Kelson Record

The music was pounding and the lights were flashing like crazy. My date and I had been wandering around the room aimlessly after eating, soaking up the atmosphere. We finally found our friends getting drinks at the bar when someone brushed my shoulder. I turned and made eye contact with Mr. Ford as he nodded to say excuse me. It was then that I finally thought to myself: "Holy Crap!"

Having grown up in a small town in Alabama, I never once thought that I would ever attend a premiere and the subsequent after-party to celebrate the opening of a big movie, especially one that I've been waiting for since I was a teenager. It was like a dream come true!

To start off the day, I had the opportunity to pick up Kelly and Aidan (Ender News) from the airport, get to know them a little, and talk with them about the book and movie. If you ever get the opportunity to meet these wonderful ladies, do it. They are two of the sweetest and most generous people you'll ever meet.

Entering the premiere was a little nerve racking but those nerves settled as we stood in line for will call with many others. We were able to enter the courtyard at the TCL Chinese theater and watch all the stars arrive one by one, (something I had only ever done watching the Oscars on TV) until they started ushering us inside. We took our seats in the lower section around others we thought were just like us, just lucky to get tickets.

It wasn't until the curtains opened and credits started that we realized that most of those around us were in some way associated with the film. A group to our right was cheering for Oddlot Entertainment; a group to our left was cheering for Summit Entertainment. And of course we all cheered and applauded when Gavin Hood's name appeared.

And then it hit...the movie I have been waiting for for years was about to play on the giant silver screen in front of me. The book I have loved for almost 20 years was about to be shown to me through the eyes and mind of Mr. Hood and the hundreds of others who helped to shape the movie.

Except for being a lifelong fan, I don't think I'm too qualified to critique what he did, but all things considered, I think he did an amazing job. The story itself is not an easy one to fit into 2 hours. It was fast...maybe a little too fast at times. But everything I wanted to see as a fan of the book was there and I was amazed at how they tied certain things together. I don't think it detracts from the book; in fact, I feel it has given me a better appreciation for it and new insights into depths of its many messages.

If I had thought being at the famous Chinese theater was an experience, being at the after party was at least an experience and a half. As we left the theater, we passed Mr Butterfield who seemed pretty excited as he bounded up the steps 4 at a time to make it to the annex on the 5th foor of the heritage center. My date and I looked at each other in amusement and she commented that "he's definitely still a teenager."

The annex was filled with set pieces from the film, all the staff dressed as IF personnel, and posters and banners were all around the room. There was music and dancing and (best of all) food. My favorite dish: the packets of freeze dried astronaut ice cream on the desert table (my dad used to buy that for us when I was a kid and it was a great nostalgic treat). We, of course, didn't know anyone there personally so after eating and a little wandering to see the sights, we finally met up with Kelly and Aidan from Ender News and Crystal and Liz from Enderwiggin.net (the latter also being two amazing people) They were all so gracious in showing us around and, best of all, introducing us to the cast and crew.

Everyone we met was so courteous and most were willing to talk to us and the kids (as well as Bob Orci) loved just goofing around. Of course we congratulated them on a job well done and they accepted our thanks and praise so humbly. Ms. Steinfeld was especially sweet as I was able to tell her that that I thought her portrayal one of my favorite characters in the book was amazing.

We had the unique opportunity to talk extensively with Frank Rimili and Bjorn Wehrli, the head dudes for Audi exterior design (we actually sat fairly close to them in the theater). Mr. Rimili seemed like an excited kid at Christmas as he talked to us about their work on the film. You could definitely tell that they love and are so passionate about the work they do. Being a car lover, it was definitely one of the high points of the night.

What I loved most about the evening, though, was hearing Mr. Hood personally tell us why he had decided to make this movie and where his vision came from. A friend gave him a copy of his favorite book and said "Gavin, don't screw this up!" He explained why he did certain scenes the way he did and how he had decided to make the connection between battle school's battle room and command school's simulator. In the end, he gave all the ladies a kiss on the cheek and me a heartfelt handshake to accept our praise and thanks. He truly is, as many have said before, an amazing person.

Of course it couldn't last forever. The evening came to a close and we said our goodbyes to our new friends Kelly, Aidan, Crystal, and Liz. Thank you so much ladies! It wouldn't have been the same without ya and it's an experience I'll never forget!

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Another "Ender's Game" TV Spot: Another Way

Spoiler warning! :)

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Ender's Game 3D-Printing with Sandboxr

3D-Printing software company Sandboxr is cooperating with Summit Entertainment for its brand-new Ender's Game-themed 3D print creation app, where "fans will be able to create and bring home exclusive replica battleships from the film."

This is the first 3D experience of this type to coincide with a major cinematic movie release, and Summit is excited to work with Sandboxr to offer this amazing experience and great new technology to our Ender's Game fans.

According to Sandboxr's press release "fans will be able to enjoy an interactive product experience that extends their engagement with the film and that they can access from their computer. Fans can choose from a selection of CG images from the movie studio file archives and bring home their own Ender's Game 3D printed spacecraft and accessories.

"3D experiences are typically exclusive to tech savvy makers and designers. However, we've worked hard to make a 3D printing experience that is accessible in a meaningful way to everyone." (Sandboxr CEO Berkley Frei)

Check it out at Sandboxr.com and let us know what you think.

UPDATED: Here are some pictures of spacecrafts you can 3D-Print with Sandboxr:

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The Ender's Game Universe

via Summit Entertainment

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Ender's Game: While I Liked It, I Didn't Love It

An "Ender's Game" Review by Ender News community member Len Maessen

First things first: Gavin Hood wasn't lying when he said he wanted to be faithful to the book. There is a lot of dialogue in this movie that's taken directly from the book and the storyline is left mostly intact, albeit with some cuts for time. I spent an awful lot of time going 'oooh!' whenever something familiar turned up, which is always fun.

That being said, while I liked it okay, I didn't love it. Most importantly, I walked out understanding exactly where the more negative reviews got their complaints from. The movie does have trouble making you sympathize with the characters, and there's a simple reason for that.

Book adaptations are tricky. You have to make a lot of choices about what to include and what to exclude. The problem with the Ender's Game movie is that it doesn't always seem to make these choices with a real vision in mind. Characters get introduced, then immediately forgotten, which makes those parts feel incohesive and pointless. Sometimes there are scenes from the book in there that honestly don't really add anything to the movie besides being scenes from the book - that's time they lost they could have spent putting in scenes that would humanize Ender.

Don't get me wrong. Asa Butterfield is amazing as Ender. He acts his ass off and manages it with great subtlety. The problem is largely with the material he's given. Outside of the ending (which is awesome), when Ender is really upset or worn down about something, we don't see it. Graff tells us it happens, or Petra steps in for an 'Are you okay?!', but we don't actually see Ender hurt, breaking down, having a moment to himself. At best, he gets angry, which isn't the same thing. Petra also shadows him for most of the movie, which turns 'we're isolating him!' into something else we never actually see. (As my friend said, "Wow, Ender is weirdly social butterfly-y in this movie.")

It's not a bad adaptation. It faithfully follows Ender's storyline. The battle room sequences look fantastic, though again, it doesn't feel like Hood always uses them to the best effect with respect to letting us learn something about the characters. The set design is also gorgeous and the space battles near the end sucked me right in-- they sometimes take a slightly different turn than in the book, but I don't feel it detracts from the movie in any way. I might have also cheered a little bit when we got the ending that we did, rather than some Hollywood version of it. The essential morality of the story is still intact, if a little less nuanced by necessity.

But by and large I'm kind of disappointed. The movie succeeds on a big sweeping level in telling Ender's story, but completely fails to capture the emotional and psychological subtleties of the book. And I just don't get the feeling that's because of a clever directorial decision to adhere to some idea of what the story should be; rather, the problem is that Hood doesn't seem to know exactly what B-plots outside of the overarching, action-fueled storyline he wants to tell too, so he just tosses pieces of all of them at us, ensuring we don't wind up engaged by any of them. Picking and choosing these plots better - and giving Ender a chance to actually be alone every now and again so we can slow down, reflect, and actually buy the isolation angle - might have gone a long way towards pushing this movie from 'okay' to 'great'.

On the bright side? It could have been a lot worse.

You can contact Len by email or leave a comment below.

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Welcome to Fairyland

Thanks to the lovely people at Summit Entertainment, I am off tomorrow to attend the premiere of Ender's Game in LA. I will be covering red carpet shenanigans, attending the screening, and shall afterwards spend the rest of the night reminding myself that it would probably be considered inappropriate to take off my shoes.

When I started Ender News in February of 2012, I never dreamt this journey would one day lead here, watching the film together with those who made it possible for Ender's Game to hit the big screen -- along with Aidan Vitti, one of my closest friends for more than 10 years, and Crystal, my EnderCast co-host and fellow Ender-nerd. I am thrilled, excited, and just a little bit nervous. Something sweet is ending, and I'm not sure I'm ready to let that go.

But this is it! We are down to the last week of our countdown; many have already seen the film and tomorrow Ender's Game is premiering to the world. This adaptation is years in the making, borne out of a love for Ender's journey, the fans, and good storytelling. Whatever reviews come, this is our film.

Tomorrow, the enemy's gate is down.

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Countdown: 7 Days to Go | True

"Fans of the book? I think, I mean the story has stayed almost entirely true to the book apart from obviously they had to age the characters up for obvious reasons. I think it all depends on what they got out of the book. If they loved the Battle Room scenes then obviously that's going to appeal to them. But if they read the book for the stories and the... not the stories, the morals behind it and the themes, then... that's all still intact in the screenplay I think. It's a really deep story."

Source: Showbiz Junkies

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Introducing the Ender News Review-O-Meter

At the time of writing, Ender's Game is sitting at 74% Fresh at the well-known movies site Rotten Tomatoes, based on 19 reviews the site has added so far. At Ender News we decided to start our own scoring page where we use the same system as Rotten Tomatoes to determine what we consider a "positive" or "negative" review.

Ender News REVIEW-O-METER

We have added 43 reviews at this point, and we will continue to add all English-language reviews that we learn about for the next several weeks. Why only English reviews? Because dubbed versions of the movie are not entirely comparable, and I don't speak Thai or Russian so it would be unfair anyway to just include markets where our editors can actually read and understand the text.

We use the standard 5-stars system; all the scores that are based on a different system will be translated into x-out-of-5-stars for the purpose of including them to the Review-O-Meter. Reviews that do not use a scoring system at all will be judged by our editors and only be added if they are clearly positive or negative. Same thing as on Rotten Tomatoes, just we do add a score based on our judgement. For the Review-O-Meter it only matters if a review is "positive" or "negative."

We hope to achieve a verifiable reviews-score for Ender's Game with our system, as we will end up adding absolutely all the reviews we can find with a quote and links to the full online review. Currently our Review-O-Meter Score sits at 72%, based on 43 reviews. So it is very similar to RT's 74%. If you find a review within an established newspaper, entertainment site, or entertainment blog (as in reviews by people who have done that before / do it regularly for a variety of films), just leave a comment here, on Facebook, or drop us an email.

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Countdown: 8 Days to Go | Shower Scene

"The Shower Scene... everyone that has read the book knows that there's a fight in there. And I can tell you that it is a GREAT FIGHT! I'm very impressed with it. It's not some Hollywood gratuitous action sequence, so don't get me wrong: we're not gonna have people smashed into walls.

But oh my goodness, it is one of the most disturbing moments that you guys will see. Out of the grand scheme of what "Ender's Game" is, this is SUCH a bite of reality." - Stunt Coordinator Garrett Warren

Source: EnderCast

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Listen to the ENTIRE "Ender's Game" Soundtrack

It's Ender's Game week on MovieFone and all this week you can catch exclusive and exciting Ender features -- starting with their debut of the film's beautiful concept art, and today you can listen to the soundtrack in its entirety!

A recent quote from composer Steve Jablonsky:

"Ender's Game is big but also very personal, which is an interesting combination for any composer. For some scenes, I'm using an 80 piece orchestra and 32 member choir, while in other scenes I am using a simple solo instrument. Ender is a very isolated character for much of the film so I felt that a solo cello would play that isolation nicely and it became an important element in the score."

It's only going to be up for 24 hours so listen fast -- and let us know what you think!

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Countdown: 9 Days to Go | Dink

"Dink, I liked playing him because he was an honorable character to play and when I say that, I mean he was willing to talk to Ender because he knew that there was something special about him. He’s willing to take one for the team if it means that they win. He’s willing to team up with people that he might not necessarily like." - Khylin Rhambo (Dink Meeker)

Source: Nerd Reactor

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Listen to Ender's Game-Inspired "If They Move, Shoot 'Em"

We've been covering the upcoming Peace Sword album by The Flaming Lips for a while now, and today NPR made "If They Move, Shoot 'Em" available for a listen on their site.

From the article:

"The Flaming Lips have always had a fondness for science fiction and fantasy, with a vast catalog of songs about robots, spontaneous human combustion, telepathy, wizards, and UFOs. The band's latest source of inspiration is the sci-fi novel (and new movie) Ender's Game, which tells the story of Earth's futuristic battle with insect-like aliens called "Buggers." A new EP from The Flaming Lips, The Peace Sword includes six songs inspired by the story, including this dark, strange, synth-heavy jam 'If They Move, Shoot 'Em.'"

NPR is reporting that the song written for Ender's Game "appears on the soundtrack" and none of the other songs made it into the film. Perhaps the closing credits?

Peace Sword will be released digitally on October 29th with a CD / Vinyl version available November 29th.

Edit: You can also check out Peace Sword (Open Your Heart) via The Daily Beast!

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Countdown: 10 Days to Go | Light

There are 2,000 individual LEDs inside those stars. Because the battle room scenes were often in low light, the filmmakers used the glow emanating from the stars to illuminate the actors.

Source: New York Times

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Attend an "Ender's Game" IMAX Screening on Oct. 30th in Boston!

Attention Boston-based Launchies (or those interested in making a drive) -- come see Ender's Game with me! I have 100 free early screening passes to see an IMAX showing of the film at the AMC Loew Boston Common on October 30th at 7 p.m., and I'll be attending as well!

All you have to do to download passes is go to www.gofobo.com/RSVP and enter the code ENDNEWFZF2.You'll be taken to a page where you can print off your ticket and bring it with you to the event.

Reminder: this is a first-come, first-served screening so you need to get there early and in my limited screening experience that means at least an hour in advance. Show up as early as possible, get an Ender's Game ICEE and make yourself comfortable.

I also have a set of 2 reserved seating tickets to give away (you and a plus one!) to this same screening. That means if you win the giveaway you will be guaranteed a seat -- probably somewhere near me, but I'm very good at sharing popcorn.

If you are in the Boston area and interested in the reserved seat giveaway, leave a comment below and I will choose a winner at random on Friday, October 25th at 12:00 pm EST. But make sure you print out a free screening ticket anyway in case you don't win! :)

Here's the tl;dr version:

What: Ender's Game IMAX Screening
Where: AMC Loews Boston Common
When: Wednesday, October 30th at 7 p.m.
How: Go to www.gofobo.com/RSVP and enter the code ENDNEWFZF2 or leave a comment below to win 2 reserved seats!

Good luck, Launchies

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Variety: Ender’s Game Tracking for $27 Million Opening

Leading entertainment news publication Variety is out with a story on Ender's Game's box office prospects today. The magazine predicts that the film "is currently tracking for a so-so $27 million debut in the U.S. and likely won't hit $100 million in ticket sales."

This number is in line with BoxOffice.com's $25 - $30 million range for the opening weekend, a number that would probably seen as a disappointment by the studio. Variety quotes 'one distribution executive' saying that he "doubts its franchise capability."

However, there are also positive signs that these estimates might be too low. Variety attested Lionsgate/Summit a "respectable marketing campaign thus far in the U.S." and points out the following:

Word of mouth on the Gavin Hood-directed film has been decent ("It's surprisingly solid," one source says), while an overseas boost for the sci-fi movie could keep the Ender's Game franchise alive for further installments. There are 12 novels in the Ender's Game series as well as short stories and comics.

In just two weeks we will know the real numbers!

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Brand New "Ender's Game" TV Spot: Truth

This one is, in my opinion, fairly spoilery. Watch at your own risk! :)

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Card: Movie is the Adventure Version of Ender’s Game

Ender's Game author Orson Scott Card gave an extensive interview (of epic length) to The New Zealand Listener, where he talks about various aspects of his work, his screenwriting attempts and of course the upcoming feature film.

If you want to read the entire interview -- he is also talking politics, his controversial essays, the Mormon church, Xenocide and Children Of The Mind -- head over to the New Zealand Listener, as I will focus here on the movie part. Just one interesting tidbit. Card says: "I have an arrangement with Tor [U.S. publisher] that they will accept Aaron Johnston [Card's co-writer on the Ender's Game prequel trilogy] as the writer of any of my books. [...] I trust Aaron to know how to flesh them out."

I'll leave the following passages uncommented, which means what you want to read between the lines is entirely up to you (if anything):

Card on Mazer Rackham and the casting of Sir Ben Kingsley

It was 30 years ago. I do know I was making a conscious effort to get rid of the old "Americans in space" attitude in sci-fi, and to make the IF and Battle School look like the world population as a whole. Since I was already locked in with the name Mazer Rackham from the short story, I sought a way to make the character non-white. New Zealand was a place where intermarriage could put an English name on a mixed-race character. Add to that a lifelong sympathy with Polynesians (although not Maoris in particular) because we had Samoan friends when I was young, and it seems a natural progression.

Ben Kingsley is a superb actor, but in looks and build he is obviously not remotely Maori in appearance. Clearly that was not a consideration in casting, but since I was not involved in that process I can't speak for the thinking that went into that decision. I can say he gives a very good performance, and I hope Maori will forgive the ignorance or unconcern that led to this slight to the very good Maori actors who were available.

Card on Book Elements That Have Been Cut for the Movie

Readers who are disappointed at elements of the book that are not in the movie should keep in mind: my own scripts also cut sharply, because filming the entire novel would have taken about six hours. Huge swaths of material had to be omitted, and the movie actually includes elements from the book that I removed!

Card on Ender's Game, the Film

Certainly, there is no trace of any of my scripts in the Gavin Hood script that was filmed. Hood gave the executives what they were looking for: a script that used elements of the original story within a format that followed the film-school rules that, although they don't actually work, give executives in Hollywood a warm sense of recognition.

Within those paradigms, the film Ender's Game has been shaped into a tight, fast, hard-hitting film that rockets along at a breakneck pace — the adventure version of Ender's Game. It is an excellent film of that type; it is, in fact, about as good a job of filming Ender's Game as anyone could have expected Hollywood to achieve.

Leave your thoughts in the comments if you like.

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Ender's Game Concept Art

Moviefone debuted a series of 10 beautiful concept art illustrations from Ender's World today. Enjoy!

Space between the Formic drone ships and the International Fleet

Battle School is an advanced military installation that orbits Earth

The near future landscape of Ender's world on Earth

International Fleet shuttle and port

The simulator room at Command School

A view of battle formations from Ender's perspective in the Command School simulator

The home of the Wiggin family on Earth

Ender Wiggin's quarters at Battle School

Battle Room Action

A ship in the International Fleet

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Bonzo Madrid and More New Hi-Res Stills

Finally we get our first good look at Bonzo Madrid, played by Moises Arias. Enjoy the new high-resolution stills below, courtesy of Cosmic Book News.

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