1. ENDER’S GAME: $27,017,351
2. BAD GRANDPA: $20,010,303
3. LAST VEGAS: $16,334,566

ENDER’S GAME came in first this weekend with $27 million. Director and screenwriter, Gavin Hood, stayed relatively close to Orson Scott Card’s book. The only change that was noticeable was the age of the main character, Ender. In the book, Ender is nine years old. In the film, he is a teen, however, it did not change the story. Ender Wiggins is played by Asa Butterfield, best known for HUGO (2011). Butterfield is one of the young actors that truly is one to watch. His portrayal of Ender was spot on. I have to say it was one of the best casting choices I’ve seen in a while.

The logic to the meaning of having a young kid as a leader to defeat humankind’s enemies are rather noteworthy. Video games stimulate a persons mind and teaches them to think critically, make faster decisions, and find solutions. This may be a disputable argument, however, this is the theory of the film. Frankly, I agree with the theory on video games. They help keep someone on their toes on actual situations. From personal experience, video games are  mind games for they exercise your mind and improves our ability.

The special effects were cinematically nicely done. The film’s budget was about $110 million, although, it was not as sharp and close to perfect as GRAVITY (2013). Gravity’s budget was roughly $100 million. My guess is that ENDER’S GAME spent a bit more money due to locations and actors. GRAVITY was basically filmed in one to two locations and they only had a handful of actors.

The film was great and very intriguing. I just wished that Ender would of reached planet Eros sooner in the film. The film spent just a bit too long on his process of getting there. Overall, if you read and liked the book, you would be rather happy with the film. And usually books turned into movies are pretty much a let down.

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• Movie Review: Ender’s Game (cwtampa.cbslocal.com)
• ‘Ender’s Game’: 6 Things We Can’t Wait to See in the Sci-Fi Epic (news.moviefone.com)
• Ender’s Game (mrcsays.wordpress.com)
• ‘Ender’s Game’ Leads Weekend Ticket Sales With $28 Million (bloomberg.com)