I loved reading Ender’s Game and when I first saw its film clips at Comic Con 2013, I was intrigued as to whether or not the film would live up to my hopes. The novel came out in 1985 and obviously my first thought after I finished reading it was, this would be awesome to see on the big screen.
Sadly the film wasn’t the box office smash hit that many hoped it would be. I myself wasn’t able to watch it in theaters so this DVD was my first time and lets just say my expectations were lowered.
To my surprise the film continues to get better as it goes on. It’s actually really cool to see Ender climb in the ranks even if you know the story. You’ll watch the Battle Room and space battle sequences in awe as you try and figure out the strategy that Ender uses to defeat his enemies. That alone separates this film from so many Hollywood blockbusters where they allow things to just blow up for no reason.
Ender’s Game isn’t a perfect film. Some of the sub-plot with Peter and Valentine feels a little funky, but the vast majority of the film doesn’t deal with them so it’s all good.
The DVD features audio commentary, deleted/extended scenes, and a Digital UltraViolet version. If you want a making of feature you’ll have to buy the Bluray edition instead. Clearly I recommend buying the Bluray as you’ll also get a better looking image and you’ll want that as this is such a visual film.
