Ender's Game

Ibby • Apr 17, 2012 7:07 pm
Wikipedia wrote:
Ender's Game is an upcoming American science fiction film based on the novel of the same name by Orson Scott Card. Directed and written by Gavin Hood, the film will star Asa Butterfield as Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, an unusually gifted child who is sent to an advanced military school in space to prepare for a future alien invasion. Other stars will include Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Aramis Knight, Hailee Steinfeld, Jimmy Pinchak, and Abigail Breslin. The film's storyline will be a fusion between Ender's Game and its parallel novel Ender's Shadow, focusing on the important elements of both.[1]
The film will be released on November 1, 2013, by Summit Entertainment through Lionsgate.



SHITTING SEVEN KINDS OF SHIT WITH EXCITEMENT. This better not fucking disappoint.
BigV • Apr 17, 2012 7:11 pm
:turd:

That's one.
glatt • Apr 17, 2012 9:18 pm
Ibram;806959 wrote:
SHITTING SEVEN KINDS OF SHIT WITH EXCITEMENT. This better not fucking disappoint.


Imma keep my expectations very low.

Think of that little kid who played Annakin Skywalker.
Ibby • Apr 17, 2012 10:16 pm
Yeah, but think of the little kid who plays Arry or Bran Stark.
SteveDallas • Apr 18, 2012 6:04 pm
My prediction of what Hollywood would do to the book.
monster • Apr 18, 2012 6:26 pm
it's gonna be crap.

there's two....
jimhelm • Apr 18, 2012 6:46 pm
I've been looking forward to this for a long long time.

Im with the It Better Not Suck contingent, or the IBNSes
wolf • Apr 19, 2012 2:07 am
I have no doubt that Hollywood will screw this up in major, major ways.

Spy Kids in Space.

I would love to be proved wrong.

EDIT TO ADD: Interestingly, I made a very similar comment in the other thread about the movie version, but scathingly used a different movie with babies as an example. My opinion stands.
Pico and ME • Apr 19, 2012 7:26 pm
glatt;806983 wrote:
Imma keep my expectations very low.

Think of that little kid who played Annakin Skywalker.



yeah...right?
Ibby • Apr 22, 2012 7:14 pm
re-reading the old thread, I guess i've gotten a little more optimistic. Still...
Gravdigr • Apr 23, 2012 4:30 pm
I've read it.

I don't think they can fuck it up.

I don't know anyone who read "Ender's Game" and didn't like it. I'm just contrary, I guess.
wolf • Apr 23, 2012 5:13 pm
Gravdigr;808116 wrote:
I don't think they can fuck it up.


You never saw Dune, did you?
Griff • Apr 23, 2012 5:46 pm
Ouch.
Pico and ME • Apr 23, 2012 6:35 pm
Based on the comments in this thread, I went ahead and bought the first book in the series for my Nook. I hope it doesn't ruin the movie for me tho.
wolf • Apr 23, 2012 8:36 pm
Griff;808162 wrote:
Ouch.


Or I, Robot.

Or The Seeker: The Dark is Rising.

Or War of the Worlds.

Or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Or Starship Troopers.

Or Freejack.

Or Screamers.

Or The Puppet Masters.

Or ... no, both the book and movie of Battlefield: Earth sucked, so it's not a good example.

Or nearly every movie based on a Stephen King novel.

(there are several of these movies that I actually like very, very much, but I still know they are shitty adaptations)
Griff • Apr 23, 2012 8:58 pm
Even to bring up Dune is so hurtful. Can't we just pretend we're waiting for the first film adaptation? Ah that's better...

I finally watched the first episode of Game of Thrones, holy shit did they hit the mark.
classicman • Apr 23, 2012 11:57 pm
Griff ... The whole thing is amazing.
Try to pay attention to who is who and where they're from.
I didn't really put all that together until the third time.
Pico and ME • Apr 24, 2012 12:39 am
Jaws was good. Or even better than the book. It certainly did it justice.
SteveDallas • Apr 24, 2012 1:37 am
Griff;808195 wrote:
Even to bring up Dune is so hurtful. Can't we just pretend we're waiting for the first film adaptation? Ah that's better...


The film must flow.

[YOUTUBEWIDE]PFTS5-cIHgQ[/YOUTUBEWIDE]

The Lynch version of Dune, for me, had the right feel. Oh, it was flawed, way bad fucking flawed. But there was a fundamental understanding of the book that resonated.

The 2000 Sci-Fi Channel miniseries? Totally bloodless. Any points it scored by being "more accurate" were totally demolished by its complete fucking boringness.

I fear we'll never have anybody truly do it justice.

More might-have-been.
SteveDallas • Apr 24, 2012 1:55 am
Griff;808195 wrote:
I finally watched the first episode of Game of Thrones, holy shit did they hit the mark.

Double reply, yeah, yeah, shoot me.

For some reason when I was running errands this evening I thought about Galaxy Quest, and I thought I should watch it again sometime, and maybe my son would like it. And I thought about how everybody Learns An Important Lesson[SIZE="1"](tm)[/SIZE] in the end. And I thought to myself, you know that's just fucked. In real life nobody ever learns anything, much less Important Lessons. Hey, I ought to write a story or something where NOBODY EVER FUCKING LEARNS ANYTHING.

And then I immediately thought... ha. It'd be just like Game of Thrones.

Aficionados of The Tudors will recognize Natalie Dormer aka Anne Boleyn when you get to the 3rd episode of season 2.
Griff • Apr 24, 2012 6:35 am
classicman;808224 wrote:
Griff ... The whole thing is amazing.
Try to pay attention to who is who and where they're from.
I didn't really put all that together until the third time.


I'm on the most recent book in the series so I'm good with the crazy number of characters. The HBO series will probably clear up some sloppy connections though.

Nobody learns a damn thing, its kind of refreshing.
Sundae • Apr 24, 2012 8:23 am
Griff;808267 wrote:
Nobody learns a damn thing, its kind of refreshing.

I like that too - good call Sleeve.

In my story, powerful people will be caught out in lies and shrug and go "Meh" and nothing will change. Don't know if that's Game of Thrones, but it is real life.
classicman • Apr 24, 2012 12:28 pm
SteveDallas;808257 wrote:

Aficionados of The Tudors will recognize Natalie Dormer aka Anne Boleyn when you get to the 3rd episode of season 2.


I've watched much of the Tudors. (Date night with Daughter)
I really didn't think much of it. She loved it.

Yeh, funny the actress seems to be playing a similar role too.
Gravdigr • Apr 24, 2012 6:52 pm
wolf;808146 wrote:
You never saw Dune, did you?


Yep. Never read it though.

wolf;808190 wrote:
Or I, Robot. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Seen it, didn't read it.[/COLOR]

Or The Seeker: The Dark is Rising. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Never seen it or read it. ETA: Wait, made from the "Sword of Truth" books? Read a few of them. Pretty good. TV series eats donkey ass.[/COLOR]

Or War of the Worlds. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Seen it, didn't read it.[/COLOR]

Or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Never seen it or read it.[/COLOR]

Or Starship Troopers. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Seen it, didn't read it.[/COLOR]

Or Freejack. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Seen it, didn't read it.[/COLOR]

Or Screamers. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Never seen it or read it.[/COLOR]

Or The Puppet Masters. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Never seen it or read it.[/COLOR]

Or ... no, both the book and movie of Battlefield: Earth sucked, so it's not a good example. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Seen it, didn't read it. The movie was so-so.[/COLOR]

Or nearly every movie based on a Stephen King novel.

(there are several of these movies that I actually like very, very much, but I still know they are shitty adaptations)


I liked 'Shawshank' ten times better than the story. King has become a caricature, I think.
it • Apr 27, 2012 4:31 pm
out of all of orson's books, i don't even began to imagine how can this one be turned into a good movie.

don't get me wrong, i loved the book, but think about it:

*spoiler warning*

most sci fi flicks indulge in the combination of sci-fi and action, or sci-fi and horror, and sometimes sci-fi and drama.

here, in order to recreate the surprise in the end, which i think is the most meaningful aspect of the book's plot, they basically aren't allowed to show any real action on the screen, at all. at no point are we actually getting to see the characters fighting in the war, except maybe as a flashbacks of realization after the events. all we get to see is Ender playing a space RTS game. there's no action sequences to speak of, or they can show the fighting, and loose the main theme of taking the journey of discovery with ender himself, knowingly seen him become the innocent/ignorant killer before he does.

the closest cross-section you can make of it is with a teenage sports drama, where Ender becomes the tactician for the zero gravity games. even that isn't much to work with.

and if memory serves me right, isn't it the case that there weren't any girls through most of the book? a teenage military drama with only boys?

its a book that is running on the lack of visual, and movies feed on the visual. i don't see how the movie can serve both the book and the needs of a good movie.

personally i think it would have being better to do speakers of the dead, and combine ender's game as background material.
glatt • Apr 27, 2012 4:36 pm
If they build a really cool set, and spend the whole movie lovingly filming the set, it might work. They have the space station set, and the bugger caves set. The bugger caves could be eerie. And the space station is loaded with gadgets we haven't seen before.
Sundae • Apr 27, 2012 4:53 pm
Gravdigr;808371 wrote:

Or The Seeker: The Dark is Rising. [COLOR="Blue"]Never seen it or read it. ETA: Wait, made from the "Sword of Truth" books? Read a few of them. Pretty good. TV series eats donkey ass.[/COLOR]

If I'm right, Wolf is referring to the film The Dark is Rising, based on the exceptional book by Susun Cooper.
I daren't watch the film as the book is complex, disturbing and wide-ranging. Or at least it was when I read it (nearly two years younger than the main protagonist, Will) and I've not shaken the thrill of it since.

I still know the second prophecy by heart. Well, when I'm sober. I usually only try to share it with other people when I'm drunk and get stuck halfway through.
Gravdigr • Apr 29, 2012 6:32 pm
Sundae;809056 wrote:
If I'm right, Wolf is referring to the film The Dark is Rising, based on the exceptional book by Susun Cooper.
I daren't watch the film as the book is complex, disturbing and wide-ranging. Or at least it was when I read it (nearly two years younger than the main protagonist, Will) and I've not shaken the thrill of it since.

I still know the second prophecy by heart. Well, when I'm sober. I usually only try to share it with other people when I'm drunk and get stuck halfway through.


Ah. I was thinking of the Terry Goodkind novels...
wolf • Apr 29, 2012 6:42 pm
Grav, you have much homework.

And yes, I did mean the Susan Cooper series ... Even Ian MacShane and Christopher Eccleston didn't provide sufficient distraction for me. And they made the kid American?

Oh, and for the record .... I like Dune as a Lynch Film, even though he Alan Smithee'd it.
Stormieweather • Apr 30, 2012 2:27 pm
I just started this book. Pretty good, so far. Glad I got to the book before a movie is made of it.