Ender's Game Review

First, I should remind folks that Ender's Game is one of my favorite novels of all time (and the series is one of my favorites in general).

For the spoiler-free part of the review, I simply want to say I give the movie an 8/10 as both a stand alone movie AND a book adaptation. The only faults for me were that they rushed through the ending parts and changed the ending slightly, for no apparent reason.

The action in the movie, while not grandiose, was a lot of fun to watch and done very, very well in regards to aesthetics. I'm happy with the acting and some of the light touches of character growth that wasn't overly drawn out (one of the characters, Graff, is clearly sporting a pot belly that wasn't obvious earlier in the film, something that reflects the novel well). The handling of the communique that opened every chapter of the novel was done acceptably via private teacher conversations, and the bulk of the story fell into place nicely. Much too quickly towards the end, but nicely.

If you want to know more about that, go see the damn movie and then read the spoiler section below!

---------------SPOILERS! YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT, EVERYTHING SPOILED PAST HERE-----------

I am very happy with the selected cast. I loved Harrison Ford as Graff and I didn't hate the kid that played Ender, though he did come off as a bit whiny in parts. That's mostly the physical manifestation of Ender's thoughts as they're internalized in the books, something they couldn't do very often with useful e-mails and narration without breaking the story. The only character I think they did poorly was Mazer Rackham. Hollywood must have needed more characterization than he got in the book. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't the same character from the novel (I pictured more of a Ben Kenobi look with a military haircut), and that's enough of a detraction for me there. The fact that he's only in the movie for such a brief time didn't help -- the Ender/Mazer relationship never took form, and that's an important relationship to cast aside via a conversation about Maori tattoos.

Mazer and Ender -- Close enough, I suppose.

The character of Bean wasn't touched upon much either, and that's something I personally hoped for. I know that he's got his own book, but I don't believe for a second he'll get his own movie, so it would have been nice to have a little more of his intelligence shown, or at least the prayer he says at the end of the book to show he knows the truth of everything. Oh well.

The worst thing about the movie, as is true with most book adaptations, was that it was too short. If they'd added an additional hour, I think they could have nailed the book. There could have been more time spent on Battle School and working in some of the relationships they missed (Ender's private training sessions from the novel were removed, which would have been a perfect way to show him growing as a leader. The movie does it in a relatively effective way, but only by splashing insecurity on Ender that seems a bit out of character). There also needed to be a lot more time spent with the Command School simulations, but most of the novel then deals with Ender's internalization again, which would have been immensely difficult to pull off. That, and a three hour movie would have bored any non-Ender's Game fans, truly. Some "training montages" might have been nice, though.

Almost a fuzzy feeling here. They ALMOST had it.

There was one active change from the novel that probably bugged me the most though, even more than the speeding through sections and not giving Bean more screen time. Graff actively tells Ender (and, therefore, the audience) that they are going to an advance base where they will lead the assault on the Bugger home world -- the novel NEVER tells Ender (or the reader) that humanity is attacking the home world until AFTER Ender already destroyed it. It was a HUGE revelation that could have been done very simply in the movie and been a HUGE moment of revelation for the audience and Ender. I feel this part was simply dumbed down so no viewer would have to think back to previous scenes in the film and have the impact that Ender sent living humans to their deaths AND killing off an entire species.. Because no one wants to watch Donnie Darko, right? I understand the shift for suspense, but it was enough of a change to put me off.

But... If Donnie goes back, does that mean Patrick Swayze...

The buggers, as they were shown, were done with a lot of detail and managed to still look beautiful. This is surprising to me as a fan of campy sci-fi -- I'm happy with puppets and the like, but the CG Formic Queen was wonderful.

The dragging out and changing of the books epilogue made sense, though it wasn't as refreshing as the novel's. And the ending scene with Valentine left me a little confused -- WHY THE HELL WOULD SOMEONE GIVE THEIR INFANT A MOBILE FEATURING THE MONSTERS THAT ALMOST DESTROYED THE WORLD!? What sick and twisted parent does that!? The closest relative image I could imagine for us would be to give a Jewish child a Nazi mobile today.

Well. I'm exaggerating and I'm sure it was another point in the favor of Ender "loving" his enemy, but still, a bit twisted.

Overall, understanding that it is a movie adaptation that has to please Hollywood, I am content with the movie. I'd have loved more time, or now even a separate movie to show us what the ancillary characters were doing (Bean, Valentine, and Peter, mainly) because they were immensely interesting in the books, but at least I can always go back to said books without feeling they've been sullied by a terrible movie version. Well, except maybe Mazer's face, but I suppose I'll get over it.

What did everyone else think? Anyone as big a fan of the series as I am and have a differing opinion? Did you hate the nods to the sequels, or think it was a nice touch? Do you think we'll get a Speaker for the Dead movie next (I don't, I'd imagine a Shadow movie more likely -- though still NOT likely)?

Maybe we'll get there... But probably not.

Origin of the Nerd (Part II: Comic Books)

No, I'm not talking about the origin of the word "nerd" or even the origin of nerds as we know them. I'm going to do a three part series about how I got into the things I talk about most on this blog: Video Games, Comic Books, and Movies/TV Shows. I don't often write about myself, so this will be an interesting exercise. And maybe I'll connect with some readers who have had similar experiences, would like to get into new things, or want to talk about how they themselves got into the given subject.

Some of the Nerd-Cave wall.

Last time I defined my favorite definition for "nerd." This week, I'd like to take a look at a related term, the word "geek":

"Geek is a cooler term for a fan. A devoted fan. An over-the-top, obsessive fan of some hobby or media. They are a part of some fandom or speciality, their jokes and allusions no one can get except other geeks, they spend money on their hobby instead of some Serious Business. They waste time debating their favourite media on message boards and writing articles about geeks in Wikipedia and TV Tropes. And if there were no conventions and no Internet, many of them would have never socialized."
-Television Tropes and Idioms

While I feel I have some attributes listed above, I have far too many branching and unrelated interests to be truly obsessive. I have things I consider myself well versed in (Star Wars, Spider-Man, etc...), but not to the degree I feel a true geek would.

Note: These definitions list these words as derogatory. I do not think this is the case -- these are titles to be proud of, at least in this Nerd's opinion.

For this second installment, I want to talk about how I got into Comic Books. Check it after the break.

Movies to See in 2013

I don't think I've been to the movie theaters since The Hobbit -- not much has caught my interest, and this is a sad day.

If anyone has been feeling the same, I'm here to ease your concerns that nothing interesting is coming out -- I've found at least one movie for every month of 2013. There are some really awesome things coming up soon and some that I didn't know existed and am really excited about!

April 5th (TODAY!):
Evil Dead: This is a re-imagining of the film series I just recently reviewed. Looks a bit like every other horror movie today, but I'm hoping to find time to see it regardless.
Jurassic Park 3D: For those who enjoy trips of nostalgia literally thrown in their face, this will be a good time. Personally, I imagine I'll be skipping this one, but I respect it enough to include it.

April 19th:
Oblivion: While it's not as exciting as a movie based on the Elder Scrolls game of the same name, I do love me some sci-fi, post apocalyptic settings. And I even tend to enjoy Tom Cruise. The only sad thing is that the setting is awful similar to a novel I am writing :/
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May 3rd:
Iron Man 3: This doesn't need an introduction, but I am hoping it's better than the second film.

May 10th:
The Great Gatsby: A plug for my more literary readers. Or for those who don't want to read the book but pretend they know what they're talking about.

May 17th:
Star Trek: Into Darkness: Basically, can May just be here already?
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June 7th:
After Earth: I'm not sure exactly how I feel about this film yet, but it is another sci-fi, post apocalyptic (kind of) setting. And it stars Will Smith. Another sad note, it's title is awful close to that book I mentioned I was writing before :/

June 12:
This is the End: This looks absolutely hilarious. Some awesome comedic actors, playing themselves, as the world is coming to an end. I'm not one for comedies, but this is a must see on my list.

June 14:
Man of Steel: As long as it's better than the last fiasco, I'm down.

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July 26th: 
The Wolverine: I'm... well, not exactly excited for this film. I do like that we'll be taken to Japan, but after the last Wolverine movie, X-Men 3, and the confusing introduction of First Class into the continuity, I'm not really sure WHAT'S going on with Wolverine. Oh well.
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August 2nd:
300: Rise of an Empire: I think this is a prequel to 300 and about the bad guy, but, hey, I liked 300, right?

August 16th:
Kick-Ass 2: I really enjoy the first one, so I hope the second one can keep it up!
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September 6th: 
Riddick: Yes! I know this series isn't exactly perfect, but I've always enjoyed it!
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October 11th:
 Oldboy: This is an american remake of a Korean film, and as such is on here as more of a movie you go to see and shake your head at.
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November 1st:
Ender's Game: Excuse me while I run around the room like Kermit the Frog because I'm so excited. Oh, and Harrison Ford is in it? Life. made.

I WANT ALL OF THIS!

November 8th: 
Thor: The Dark Worlds: The first was ok, and this stars the Ninth Doctor. Fantastic!
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December 13th:
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Yes, I'm still bitter about a tiny book being broken into three films, but I will be seeing this come December.



There. I've planned your movie going experience for the rest of the year. You can thank me now or later, I'm not picky.

What are you most excited about?

Extra! Extra! Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novel Edition.

Welcome to this weeks Extra! Extra!

Just a reminder, this is the re-branded "Suggested Reading" weekly Monday post.

For this week, I promised to stray from the comic book path and list five Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels you should read -- I could easily do five from either of those genres, but I'll stick to my absolute favorite five from both. To make this a touch more difficult, I'm going to avoid any series that requires you to read the whole set to get the full story. IE, I'm not including Game of Thrones or The Lord of the Rings, though I will include other titles that do have sequels and more.

Here goes:

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold I will generally like any book if I find myself liking the characters. This story follows probably my favorite character I have ever read: Cazaril. He is a beaten and down trodden war veteran/released POW. He is finally coming back to the only place he ever knew as home, even though he has no reason to expect it to still welcome him after all this time. From there, he gets embroiled in a family's issues and their horrible curse and determines to do whatever it takes to save them, even if it would cost his life. From the very first chapter, I loved the character of Cazaril. He is NOT what you expect as a typical fantasy hero, but he is done perfectly. The supporting cast are all so different and, generally, so un-cliche that they become integral parts of Cazaril. I have read this book many times and enjoy it immensely, I can't recommend it enough for anyone who likes fantasy novels of any kind. I don't want to say more because I would hate to spoil this fantastic story in any way, shape, or form. There is a direct sequel, "Paladin of Souls", and a few novels that take place in the same universe, but none of them star Cazaril and suffer for it. Paladin isn't aweful, but I'd only suggest picking it up if you really loved Bujold's writing.
Ender's Game OR Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card This is an unusual pair. Many people have told me they've read "Ender's Game" in school, and that's awesome. It is a fantastic Sci-Fi that follows a brilliant child, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, as he is sent to the Battle School Space Station and beyond for training to defend/defeat an alien race of intelligent ant-things, known as the Formics or "Buggers". It is an amazing book and easily on of Card's best works -- and I like almost everything I've read by him. "Ender's Shadow" is set in/around the same time and deals with most of the same characters -- the different is that it is from another child at the school's eyes, named Bean. Ender is being groomed as the final hope for humanity, attempting to being turned into the typical hero. Bean is put to the side, but is secretly the back up -- he is the smartest kid on the school but is cold and logical. His background story easily trumps Ender's and makes the character really enduring. I actually read this before I read "Ender's Game", and I was no worse for the wear. I suggest you get them both. Both novels have a series of sequels after them that follow Ender and Bean on their separate paths. You can end with the novels I listed here and be happy with a complete story, but if you find yourself liking either, I suggest you hunt down the rest. I prefer Bean's (stays in the same vein as Shadow) series to Ender's (becomes much more sci-fi), but they are both done well.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman This title is something I struggled with putting here (I was going to go with another Gaiman title, "American Gods", instead). I generally like Gaiman's writing, and I really love the story of Stardust, but this is one of the few stories that I liked better as a movie. That being said, it is a story about a boy who travels to the other side of The Wall, the barrier dividing our real from the magical realm of Stormhold, to find a fallen star and win the affection of his true love. Yes, that sounds like a terrible synopsis. Trust me when I say it is all uphill from there. The major twist that I don't mind telling you here is that the fallen star is a young woman, which is par the course in Stormhold. Oh, and our protagonist, Tristran (Tristan in the movie), isn't the only one looking for her: he's unknowingly racing a trio of evil witches and the fratricidal, homicidal sons of the dead king (and their ghostly brothers). The book is still good, I just love the movie so much more. I think I'll do a post about films that I've liked better than their books soon... it should be short enough, I think.
Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein Let me preface this with stating that I am woefully under-read when it comes to Heinlein, but I'm working from it. He has a unique writing style, and I don't always appreciate it at first glance. Time Enough, however, caught me because I was so interested in the main protagonist, Lazarus Long, who just happens to be the oldest living human (which, at this point, puts him over two thousand years old). This novel is actually a series of short stories that Lazarus is telling his companions. He has decided he doesn't want to live anymore and he is only alive at this moment because he wants to tell these stories. They are all interesting stories and the characters and situations are just plain strange. And, honestly, they're better for it. Check this out even if you aren't a huge Heinlein fan, you want be disappointed if you stick through it to the end.
The Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny Ok, so I'm kind of cheating here. Chronicles is actually a collection of ten different novels that make up the two main series (five novels apiece) in the world of Amber. That being said, the individual novels are fairly short, probably better called novellas. This story is a perfect end for this list because it is a mix of sci-fi and fantasy. They are all told in first person and the very beginning has us following the protagonist (of the first five, at least), Corwin, as he wakes up in a strange hospital, having apparently lost his memory in a car accident. He immediately notices something is amiss and flees. We learn along with him many things, but the most important is that he is one of the Princes of Amber, beings able to shape and create new worlds around them. It sounds far fetched buy Zelazny is in rare form and really nails this story and the characters. From the very first moment, the pace is set fast and hard and he manages to keep it up at almost all times. Every revelation is fantastic and this becomes an amazing novel of revenge, one of my favorite themes. I've read at least the first five novels many times and they are well worth it. The second cycle follows a new character, one I won't name to avoid spoilers, but I didn't enjoy it as much, it follows more in line with other works I've read and not enjoyed from Zelazny. They're still worth reading for the continuation of the Amber story, but at least the first five novels are phenomenal. You can get all ten collected in "The Great Big Book of Amber" for easy reading -- I'd suggest you pick it up ASAP!

That was MUCH harder than I expected -- most of the books I wanted to put on their were part of bigger stories. As I'm unpacking (back in to my now-renovated apartment), I'll have to check through my books to see what I missed -- I'm sure there are plenty, but I'm happy with the list here.

Eventually I'll do a Monday post for sci-fi and fantasy series (and I'll even split up the genres), but that will come later.

Next Week: We're going back to comic books, but I'll suggest five Trade Paper Backs I think everyone should have. You could get them as single issues, but these will be titles that I think work best collected.