Film Review: Ender's Game [2013]

SPOILERS AHEAD

Earth takes the smartest children to the Battle School and prepares them against the alien invaders the Formics. Andrew “Ender” Wiggins the rare third child of a strict two-child policy has been picked to join the Battle School. The majority of the movie shows Ender in training and quitting after nearly killing someone at the Battle School before rejoining again with the support of his sister Valentine. Now Ender is taken to his final training where he will face and lead invasion fleet against the Formics’ home planet during the final 30 minutes of the film.

Ender meets former war hero Mazer Rackham who he thought was dead. Mazer reveals to Ender that the Formics ship has a Queen ship that controls the other ships. Destroying that ship and the rest of the Formics fleet falls. Ender is quickly promoted to Command School where he prepares for battle. On graduation day he prepares for the final simulation and destroys the Formics’ planet. However it was not a simulation – it was the real destruction of the Formics’ homeworld. The previous simulation was all real.

At the end Ender discovers the Formic Queen has been communicating with him to help save her egg and restart the Formic race on another planet. The film is straight forward with very little surprises however the ending was something I never saw coming.
                                  

RECOMMENDED – 4 OUT OF 5