1 Tom Hanks is looking old.

2 1

3 It's no giant robots punching trans-dimensional alien monsters.


brb putting Pacific Rim trailer on infinite loop

4
Tom Hanks is looking old.

And looking more and more like a woman, too.

5 Needs Detective Doodles.

6 This is my kind of flick

7 I was to believe there was going to be a giant snake.

8 the left hates the book author, Orson Scott Card, I'll be seeing it for that reason alone

9 Harrison Ford is kind of annoying there. His only mode of "Serious Acting" is to be crabby and angry. Bob Falfa was crabby and angry.

10 I have addicted all four of my kids to these books.  They cannot wait for this movie, heck I got all cap texts from them when I let them know about this trailer

What do you mean about the ending, Ace?  My youngest was concerned the trailer gave away the ending.  I enjoyed their reaction to the ending--thought it was a great plot twist.

11 Needs Detective Doodles. Posted by: wooga at May 07, 2013 06:46 PM (MtSvV)


I would totally watch Detective Doodles. 

12 Oh, I thought it was a game. Sorry, can't sit still and watch some made up story for 2 hours.

13

Some great books, do not translate well to the movies....

 

Not sure if this one will.... because I remember a lot of 'thought process' type dialouge in the book... which explained a LOT of stuff...but short of a narrator or internal monologue I'm not sure how you do that with cinema...

14 Man, I can't believe they're sticking with Harrison Ford as Han Solo for the sequels. So it's taking place like 30 years after Episode VI or something? Looks cool.


Wait, what?

15 I only read the short story version of Enders Game.Not crazy about it.Can no longer stand the sight of Harrison Ford.

16 Not funny!

17 Ender-san, wax on, wax off! Paint the fence!

18

Am I the only one who thinks the book Ender's Game is a bit overrated?  It was cool, when I read it, I was expecting something mindblowing. 

The only way I can think of to describe what I didn't really like about it is this video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAR-GxoFwBI

I mean, I liked the book fine, just was a little disappointed.  People REALLY like this book, so I had high expectations.

19 yes, detective DoodleS, with an S, thanks for that note. I should have realized that. >>>What do you mean about the ending, Ace? My youngest was concerned the trailer gave away the ending. I enjoyed their reaction to the ending--thought it was a great plot twist. well the end is a trick ending where you don't even know it's the end until they tell you "Hey that was the end of the book." So that's going to present some problems if they do it like that. How do we know to root for the Last Play of the Game if it's hidden from us this is the last play of the game. I imagine they won't, now that I think about it. Another problem is that-- I imagine they'll un-do this too -- is that Ender is actually physically far from the battles, and is no real danger. Because he's guiding things remotely. I imagine they'll put his command ship right into the middle of things, though. Yeah so I think they'll rewrite the ending. they have to. And there will be some annoyance about it.

20 >>>Am I the only one who thinks the book Ender's Game is a bit overrated? It was cool, when I read it, I was expecting something mindblowing. NOPE!

21 18 Started out as a short story.

22

Posted by: dan-O at May 07, 2013 06:50 PM (G+bgR)

 

I really liked Enders Game.... the rest of the series was kind of 'meh' for me...

23 Harrison plays the part in an ugly way. My impression from the book was that it was done by necessity but with vast and guilty regret, Ford makes it seem harsh.

24
eggmcmuffin is slithering about.

it must be searching for the volcano in Ender's

25

"I wonder what they're going to do about the whole ending. I guess they're married to it."

Yeah, tell that to Heinlein and that POS original Starship Troopers.

26

Man, I can't believe they're sticking with Harrison Ford as Han Solo for the sequels. So it's taking place like 30 years after Episode VI or something? Looks cool.

---------------------------------

 

They made    Gods and Generals   12 years after Gettysburg, same people, but it was supposed to be 3 years earlier.

27 Does everyone die at the end? Does Tom Hanks get raped by a well-hung clown? No? Whatevs. I hate Hollywood.

28
any updates on Sanford's race?

29 >>>Yeah, tell that to Heinlein and that POS original Starship Troopers. right, but since LotR and the Marvel films, the expectation has shifted from "They will just loot this for names and situations and otherwise make up their own movie" to "they will faithfully adapt it." I think. I'm just speculating. But I do sense that where once upon a time Hollywood felt it had carte blanche to change everything, now there is a vocal Nerd Chorus that demands a certain level of fidelity. If Starship Troopers were made today I imagine it would be a lot closer to the book. At least there'd be Powered Armor, for crying out loud!

30 First impression - it looks horrible.

I must say, Ben Kingsley is the first Israeli I've ever seen with Maori tattoos. Maybe I just don't get out enough.

31 any updates on Sanford's race?
Posted by: soothsayer at May 07, 2013 06:54 PM (+oin+)


Just checked, still white.

32 >>>First impression - it looks horrible. I thought the purely visual look was pretty decent.

33 I look forward to the Puberty Wars of 2117.

34 29 Just from the trailer I'd say it looks fairly faithful.Anyway,not a huge fan,I found the whole kid military genius angle to be bullshit.

35 CAC has a results post in draft, he's ready to go when results start comin' in!

36 How does anybody take Ben Kingsley seriously after the Gandhi gig?

37

@8 the left hates the book author, Orson Scott Card, I'll be seeing it for that reason alone

-----------------------------

Ironically, they hate him because he's a Democrat who disagrees with some of the liberal CW.

38 >>>Just from the trailer I'd say it looks fairly faithful.Anyway,not a huge fan,I found the whole kid military genius angle to be bullshit. This is the most gifted military tactician I've ever seen in a six year old.

39 If Sanford wins it will be DrewM, hardest hit.

40 >>At least there'd be Powered Armor, for crying out loud! << 1d6 for mockery save.

41

If Starship Troopers were made today I imagine it would be a lot closer to the book. At least there'd be Powered Armor, for crying out loud!

 

Powdered Armor?  That wouldn't work.

42 for every frkn Benghazi thread, i arrive too late.

bah

43 One thing I don't like in my military leaders?

Experience.

44 I think it's to soon to release a low-budget kids' parody of that new Tom Cruise movie, but the basic LOL SPACE IS IPADS premise is funny.

Do Ford and Kingsley owe massive divorce settlements or something?

45 Interesting in the look of the battle room, the most worried aspect of translating the book to film for me.

46 Anyway,not a huge fan,I found the whole kid military genius angle to be bullshit.

Posted by: steevy

That's every Japanese cartoon ever.

47

>>>One thing I don't like in my military leaders?

 

Pubes.

48 One thing to keep in mind is that Card has had a lot of input into the story. He has said before that they've had to change some things but it wouldn't be like taking out the ravaging of the Shire like in LotR.

49 Needs more puppies, and less Harrison Ford.

50 the battle room is easy... it's a competition. competition has inherent drama. The problem is the end.

51 I only got a 1/4 way thru the book.  A little after arriving at the space station, dealing with the bullies.  OK, maybe less than a 1/4...didn't appeal to me.

52 >>>I found the whole kid military genius angle to be bullshit.

Yeah, I had a hard time caring about the main character for this reason.

53 So Ender's Game have the same spacesuit and helmet designs as Prometheus and Star Trek semi-boot.  Went to the Michael Bey school of explosions.  A dog fight that belongs in Independence Day but is told as a flash back.  Striking back at the enemy after they attack, Haldemann's The Forever War while training the soldiers in almost a way that should have been in Starship Troopers.

So why should I go see this?  Pacific Rim here I come to the theatre.

54 46 I mentioned on the blog yesterday hat weir anime(redundant?) Evangelion.However the hell you spell it.

55 Whatever bitches, I loved the book.

56 Posted by: ace at May 07, 2013 07:02 PM (LCRYB) Just doesn't exactly fit the look that Card built in the book. The real test is seeing the footage of the games in the battleroom though

57 off topic, sorry.  Is this really dennis rodman?
http://tinyurl.com/cfxz44a

58 I can still hear my father's voice speaking to me when I was four years old. "Crabby and angry is no way to go through life, Son."

59 50 That's why it worked better as a cool twist at the end of a short story.Congratulations Ender,you are 9 years old and you just won the war!

60 Were the aliens summoned a la Battleship or did they target us as in Independence Day? Either way it seems we're fucked.

61 Steevy, Neon Genesis Evangelion.  Studio Gainax.  The third Evangelion reboot movie has come out.

And if you must decorate your house in EVA instead of Hello Kitty -
http://www.evastore.jp/real/index.html

62 Posted by: steevy at May 07, 2013 07:05 PM (9XBK2) Woah dude ease up in case someone might want to read the book. And it worked fine in the book. Ace is saying it'll be hard to translate to film. Which it will be.

63 If Starship Troopers were made today I imagine it would be a lot closer to the book. At least there'd be Powered Armor, for crying out loud! Posted by: ace at May 07, 2013 06:55 PM (LCRYB) (Insert obligatory complaint that John Steakley's Armor was miles better and would make a way better movie here.)

64 So speaking of Pacific Rim which looks awesome, I really want a more Gundamy giant robot movie. It doesn't have to necessarily be Gundam, but something with giant robots and space colonies and shit. That would be sweet. Does that screenplay consultant guy have any openings?

65 61 Wouldn't say I was a fan.Watched it out of curiosity how the weirdness would resolve.The weird christian imagery and names etc.At least in the dubbed version I saw.

66

Fetuses in Power Armor?

 

I guess children *do* have their uses after all.

 

/ /

 

Sorry, I didn't read the book...so I have no idea what the rationale is in this story, for using children as soldiers.

 

Did all the grownup forces get killed off?

 

67 That's what Harrison Ford is, 9 Harrison Ford is kind of annoying there. His only mode of "Serious Acting" is to be crabby and angry. Bob Falfa was crabby and angry. Posted by: fluffy at May 07, 2013 06:47 PM (ASx5D)

68

@13 Some great books, do not translate well to the movies....

Not sure if this one will.... because I remember a lot of 'thought process' type dialouge in the book... which explained a LOT of stuff...but short of a narrator or internal monologue I'm not sure how you do that with cinema...

----------------------------

Card himself is involved with it, and I think had a direct hand in the script.  If anyone would know what to slip in, it would be him.  On the other hand, I don't think he's actually done any movie scripts before, and as you note writing for a movie isn't exactly like writing for a book.

 

69 "They seem to feature a lot of fighting in earth's atmosphere, which I don't remember in the book (except as an old flashback, maybe). I guess that's to add Immediate Menace."

Seem to remember Ender accessing the database/propaganda of the first two invasions to try to piece together how Mazar Rackham beat the one invasion.  The buggers made it to the planet during one of them and slaughtered millions in China and Russia.

Though this is Hollywood we're talking about.  The only similarities might be the character names.  See: Starship Troopers.

70 (Insert obligatory complaint that John Steakley's Armor was miles better and would make a way better movie here.)

 

 

Posted by: Merovign, Dark Lord of the Sith at May 07, 2013 07:07 PM (qyfb5)

 

 

Or.... maybe.... Fusion Powered Hover Tanks???

71 66 They send a fleet out that will take many years to get to the alien system,in the mean time they test the children to find a genius who will command/control the fleet from earth through some kind of ftl com gear.

72 The Judeo-Christian theme has always been in EVA.  Lilith, Adam, the Three Wise Men, Angels, Central Dogma, and the Human Instrumentality Project.

And mucking things up like a bearded Iago is Ikari Gendou.

73 Posted by: junior at May 07, 2013 07:09 PM (UWFpX) He's done videogame and comic book script work before

74 61 Steevy, Neon Genesis Evangelion. Studio Gainax. The third Evangelion reboot movie has come out. 

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at May 07, 2013 07:06 PM (GvZxI)


Eh, wot?  3 versions?  What'd they add/remove in each iteration? 

75

@18 I mean, I liked the book fine, just was a little disappointed. People REALLY like this book, so I had high expectations.

-------------------------------

That might have been what killed it for you.  And there's the fact that too many people know about it now, particularly writers who are quite willing to steal parts of it for their own little things.  It's like watching "The Usual Suspects" for the first time two decades after it was released, and not seeing anything all that great about it because so much of it has been copied and reused elsewhere.

 

76 Conservative Monster, Gainax did a universe re-boot.  Took the whole original TV series and the movies and squished them into four movies.  They added some new details while cutting back on how many scenes Shinji gets to be a wuss in thus making it much better.  So far three of the four movies have been released.

77 John Steakley only ever write those 2 books Armor and Vampire$?Both excellent.Vampire$was made into a movie by John Carpenter but he ruined it for me .

78 Ahhhh.   Third movie of a reboot series, as opposed to a third reboot.  

Wakarimasu! 

79 If Starship Troopers were made today I imagine it would be a lot closer to the book. At least there'd be Powered Armor, for crying out loud!

That book is so short, it begs to done in it's entirety, exactly as written.  I always thought of Heston as the teacher/General, Sly as Zim, maybe Willes as the Captain.  But to make it work, gota start with a skinny cross-country runner of a kid.  Then bulk him up as it goes, then for the end.  As I read the ending and his dad doesn't recognize him, because of his bulk...it dawns on me that, yea that's what he looks like, but didn't realize it.  The Best.

80 I saw the first new Eva movie, late night on CN a few weeks ago, not bad. I should download the others. I think my favorite giant robot anime though has to be Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which probably has the giantest robot of all-time by the end.

81 72 Thanks, steevy.

82 #19 Yeah, it did kinda look like Ender was controlling the battle right there at the spot.  That would make the 'twist' ending moot.  Which would piss me off....  I wonder if they'll take him home after the war---kinda slow for Hollywood blockbuster.  I haven't read any of the sequels, but my oldest has the entire series and loves them.

I kinda miss stories that are self contained.  Seems every work of fiction, but especially science fiction, wants to drag stories over a bazillion sequels.

83 Yeah, the visuals were fine, and they may even have done the Battle Room up OK - visually.

They will probably keep the plot twist as written, too. But they clearly missed the point of the book - Ender was to be an exemplary military genius, on a par with Mazer Rackham (did I get that right?) - but not superhuman.

The extra special sauce that would make a MR-class strategic and tactical genius even better  I will not disclose, but even so, the point of the plot was to take an exemplary human and keep him unburdened so he could do his job even better. Not the whole Ubermench vibe I get off this.

84 They seem to feature a lot of fighting in earth's atmosphere, which I don't remember in the book (except as an old flashback, maybe). There was no dogfighting in the earth's atmosphere in the book. In fact, there's no mention of the first war's battles until Ender watches the spliced war newsreels himself figuring out how Mazer scored his victory. And yeah, the ending. Hollywood can't change that, can they? There'd be fucking riots in the comic stores and Cons and whatnot! Actually no, but there'd be some pretty pissed off nerds.

85 I enjoyed Ender's Game, which is unusual as I tend to prefer fantasy to science fiction. Card has some other really good books. The Alvin Maker Series is an interesting retelling of American history. Lots of influence from his Mormon background but a good amount of Native American philosophy. Tecumseh, Tippecanoe, and hexes.

86 And if we are going to delve into anime and space invasions.  Let me count the series.

Macross, Gunbuster - Aim for the Top!, Voices of a Distant Star, Space Battleship Yamato, and Martian Successor Nadesico to name a few.

87

Loved the book. 20 years ago. I got all excited when I heard Spielberg had bought the rights and the movie was gonna come out no later than '08. Then '10. Then..... I presume Ford is playing the General in charge of the Academy. Which would mean Kingsly would play Mazor Racam. But what's with the Darth Maul facial Tats? THAT wasn't even in the book. So.....Spielberg can't keep his franchises straight these days????

88 81 I saw the first new Eva movie, late night on CN a few weeks ago, not bad. I should download the others. I think my favorite giant robot anime though has to be Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which probably has the giantest robot of all-time by the end. 

Posted by: mugiwara at May 07, 2013 07:17 PM (hpYnL)


I find I really love the Alternate Universe stories of that series, as well as the music.  FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT DA POWA. 

Not a fan of the Super Innocent And Pure Princess character, but they fix that with the bittersweet ending.  

89 How is Thor and the rest of the Avengers supposed to get in this?

90

but especially science fiction, wants to drag stories over a bazillion sequels.

 

 

Posted by: Dish of Red at May 07, 2013 07:18 PM (Dmq63)

 

 

I pray for one last landing

On the globe that gave me birth

Let me feast my eyes on the fleecy skies,

and the Cool Green Hills of Earth...

 

 

Short stories.... For Teh Win!

91 Harrison just seems...old. Worn out, nothing left in him. I saw him in interviews with this and it almost made me want to cry. Don't know why they have Kingsley all done up in Maori tattoos. Wasn't his character supposed to be Israeli?

92

@84 Ender was to be an exemplary military genius, on a par with Mazer Rackham (did I get that right?)

-----------------------

Yeah, that's his name.  But Ender's supposed to be better than Mazer.  Otherwise they wouldn't have needed Ender.

 

On another note, I once heard Card discuss the movie at a book signing several years ago.  He mentioned that the intent had been to film this and Ender's Shadow (i.e. the first Bean book) at the same time.  It would cut costs as the majority of both books focuses on the same period of time at Battle School, and keep people acquainted with the same set of actors/characters.  Dunno if Card actually managed to follow through on that or not.

 

93 Perhaps they will reveal to Ender that his whole life has actually been spent aboard a ship headed to the war zone.He just thinks he's been training in the academy on earth.Thus he can physically be at the final battle yet it preserves some of the twist.

94 I'm so afraid this is going to disappoint me cause I've been waiting for it soooo long.

95

@88 But what's with the Darth Maul facial Tats? THAT wasn't even in the book.

----------------------------

Mazer Rackham's a Maori.  The facial tattoos are a cultural thing.  Doomsday, from the first two Wing Commander games, has them as well for the same reason.

 

96 Starship troopers was written before connecting it to heinleins. They acquired the rights after the movie was ready to go so they stuck in connections wherever they could to the screenplay. It was never an adaptation that lost the source material along the way

97 #91 Romeo13 - Yep.  I especially like the Nebula and Hugo short story winner compilations.  But my all time favorite was a Heinlein compilation called "The Past Through Tomorrow".  It literally fell apart from my re-reading it.  But for the life of me, I can't remember if "The Green Hills of Earth" was included.  May have to find my replacement copy...

98 Geeking out Card did a little piece on how they filmed the battle school zero grav games that was interesting a while ago. It's at hatrackriver under the uncle Orson reviews everything index. You can probably scroll down and find it. Agree that people disappointed in book are suffering from a sci if version of the Seinfeld is not funny effect.

99 87
Macross is one of my favorite series ever. Too bad Harmony Gold's such a bunch of pricks about allowing people to bring the newer stuff over.

Space Battleship Yamato has a reboot running right now called Yamato 2199.  If you track it down, I highly recommend the 1080p version.  There's enough detail in the models and stuff to make it worth it.  Some of the music reminds me of the music from Das Boot.  They're up to like episode 14, with 26 planned (like the original first season).

Voices of a Distant Star is amazing for several reasons.  First: it was all done by one guy.  Second: the concept.  Entire story is told through text messages sent from a girl to a guy as the girl is on an outbound swing with the Earth Fleet to fight alien invaders, and every time they jump, it takes exponentially longer and longer for the message to reach him, despite her sending them sometimes just days apart from her point of view.

100 94 Perhaps they will reveal to Ender that his whole life has actually been spent aboard a ship headed to the war zone.He just thinks he's been training in the academy on earth.Thus he can physically be at the final battle yet it preserves some of the twist.
Posted by: steevy

==========

My guess is going to be that's just going to be the visual representation of that hyperspace command interface thing they used, instead of just icons moving around a blank screen.  Make it a lot more visually interesting.

101 I found an interesting part of the book was the way a hyper-intelligent kid would relate to everyone around him....to the extent that the losses in the early battles wore on him personally. I have some experience with very intelligent kids and stratospheric IQ's rarely integrate socially very well. I think it will be hard to convey within the context of a movie the relationships Ender had to build to rise to the top in his competition.

102 Left-wing nerds are going crazy about this movie because Card is a "H8er" and are trying to push a boycott. Expect to see a lot of bad reviews for this movie.

103

Another problem is that-- I imagine they'll un-do this too -- is that Ender is actually physically far from the battles, and is no real danger. Because he's guiding things remotely.

I imagine they'll put his command ship right into the middle of things, though.

Yeah so I think they'll rewrite the ending. they have to. And there will be some annoyance about it.

 

-----------------------------------

 

********SPOILER WARNING***********

 

How did you get that from watching the trailer? 

 

Besides, it wasn't whether he was physically present or remote that was the twist.  It was that he was duped into thinking he  was running ever-more difficult simulations for no purpose than to see how far they could push him, so he decides to quit.  And when they get him to come back for the final battle, he fires the Little Doctor against the planetary surface of the Bugger homeworld.  It's that he had been sending real men to their deaths all  along.

 

The trailer shows him in Battle School with a Dragon Army patch, in the Battle Room zipping around on the cables that were his innovation, and organizing his ships into the wedge for the  suicide run at the planet surface.

 

How much  more faithful to the book can you get?  Seems to me you didn't like the book.  You should probably skip the movie.

104 101 Yeah,could be .Who wants to see Ender play a video game after all?

105 Based on that trailer why did you think the first look was "horrible?"

106

Sorry, I didn't read the book...so I have no idea what the rationale is in this story, for using children as soldiers.

Did all the grownup forces get killed off? 

 

Children weren't being used as soldiers, they were being used for a very specific purpose which was more problem solving.  In the book Ender is kept in the dark about the fact that he's commanding the human fleets; he thinks the whole thing is a training simulation.  The military believes that an adult commander would be unable to handle the stress, since they would know exactly what was going on.  The military needed someone who had enough empathy to understand an alien mind like the buggers and grasp how they fight, to show leadership and build relationships with fellow commanders and inspire loyalty, but at the same time would be willing to sacrifice everything.  The whole story is about how the military keeps pushing Ender to keep him at the breaking point, but without going over, so that his peak brilliance coincides with the penultimate battle against the buggers.  It's made very clear that they don't care about what happens to him after that.

107

@104 and organizing his ships into the wedge for the suicide run

----------------------------

Actually, I think the scene in the trailer is the first use of the Little Doctor.

 

108 The entire cast is terrible; I don't know the kid. Great. Good book; lousy movie.

109 The doctor device was a huge deus ex machina. It just conveniently wipes out everything in a certain radius. All the humans had to do was to get close to bugger home world and fire it.

110 Ehh... didn't look impressive and I loved the books. I've read all of the Ender's Game/Shadow books.

111

Children weren't being used as soldiers, they were being used for a very specific purpose which was more problem solving. In the book Ender is kept in the dark about the fact that he's commanding the human fleets; he thinks the whole thing is a training simulation. The military believes that an adult commander would be unable to handle the stress, since they would know exactly what was going on. The military needed someone who had enough empathy to understand an alien mind like the buggers and grasp how they fight, to show leadership and build relationships with fellow commanders and inspire loyalty, but at the same time would be willing to sacrifice everything.

 

------------------------------------

 

And it wasn't as simple as "child military genius saves the day."    He's not an ordinary child - none of the children at  the Battle School are.  He was specifically bred for  this program.  His oldest sibling, Peter, is as intelligent, but turned out to be a complete sociopath.  His older sister, Valentine, is also as brilliant as Ender but was TOO empathetic and would never be able to kill. 

Ender was supposed to be the perfect blend of brilliance and toughness but without cracking up or becoming a monster.

 

112 I went to college at UNC-Greensboro and had a friend who house-sat for Card once when the Cards were out of town. My friend threw a party, claiming that Orson Scott Card had given him a prior okay. Unfortunately I got too drunk to remember much about the house, but 1) it was a funky old Victorian not far off W. Market St. and 2) they had parakeets. Years later I read the Ender series and couldn't believe I hadn't had the sense to at least steal some bird poop.

113 So does Kenny get a golden statue of Keanu Reeves when he wins the war?

114 34 29 Just from the trailer I'd say it looks fairly faithful.Anyway,not a huge fan,I found the whole kid military genius angle to be bullshit. Posted by: steevy at May 07, 2013 06:57 PM (9XBK2) Tell that to Alexander the Great.

115 I'm halfway through Les Miserables and what's with all the singing? I knew there were songs in the movie but this is ridiculous. And Russell Crowe can't sing, it's like he has a brain tumor and can't tell how awful his voice is.

116 I also remember something about religion and how many children couples were allowed to have. Something about Ender's father renouncing his religion or hiding it. And Ender was the youngest of three children, a Third. Having three children was borderline illegal in the book, though I don't know why. If humans were losing to the buggers, then wouldn't you want as many people having as many kids as possible?

117

No, you're all right.  I totally can't suspend my disbelief for this movie.

 

Let's go see the one about the giant robots that are controlled by  two fags dancing on a Dance Dance Revolution gamepad  to fight Godzilla.  That looks  fucking awesome  and   I hear it has a conservative message. When does that one start?

118 83 #19 Yeah, it did kinda look like Ender was controlling the battle right there at the spot. That would make the 'twist' ending moot. Which would piss me off.... I wonder if they'll take him home after the war---kinda slow for Hollywood blockbuster. I haven't read any of the sequels, but my oldest has the entire series and loves them. I kinda miss stories that are self contained. Seems every work of fiction, but especially science fiction, wants to drag stories over a bazillion sequels. Posted by: Dish of Red at May 07, 2013 07:18 PM (Dmq63) ------------------ It'll be faithful to the movie. It'll be like the Kobayashi Maru sequence in Star Trek.

119

@117 I also remember something about religion and how many children couples were allowed to have. Something about Ender's father renouncing his religion or hiding it. And Ender was the youngest of three children, a Third. Having three children was borderline illegal in the book, though I don't know why. If humans were losing to the buggers, then wouldn't you want as many people having as many kids as possible?

-----------------------

One of his parents is LDS, and the other is Catholic.  I can't remember which is which, but there's a note in there at one point that both are from religions that tend to have big families.

As for the child thing...  keep in mind that the war that they're fighting doesn't involve infantry.  It's all done with ships, and the bottleneck is getting enough resources to finish the ships, not finding people to crew them.

120 94 Perhaps they will reveal to Ender that his whole life has actually been spent aboard a ship headed to the war zone.He just thinks he's been training in the academy on earth.Thus he can physically be at the final battle yet it preserves some of the twist. Posted by: steevy at May 07, 2013 07:23 PM (9XBK2) ---------------- Can't do that. 2 words: Valentine Wiggin

121 dang now i want to read the book again. And, agreed Harrison Ford as grumpy old man is getting verrrrry tiring.

122

I also remember something about religion and how many children couples were allowed to have. Something about Ender's father renouncing his religion or hiding it. And Ender was the youngest of three children, a Third. Having three children was borderline illegal in the book, though I don't know why. If humans were losing to the buggers, then wouldn't you want as many people having as many kids as possible?

 

Earth was basically under a dictatorship by that point.  I don't know if overpopulation was a real problem or not, but I got the impression that the population control laws were put in place to ensure that mankind wasn't fighting each other for resources while the bugger threat remained.

123

One of his parents is LDS, and the other is Catholic. I can't remember which is which, but there's a note in there at one point that both are from religions that tend to have big families.

 

The mother was LDS, the father was Polish, a country which refused to implement population control laws.

124

And it wasn't as simple as "child military genius saves the day." He's not an ordinary child - none of the children at the Battle School are. He was specifically bred for this program. His oldest sibling, Peter, is as intelligent, but turned out to be a complete sociopath. His older sister, Valentine, is also as brilliant as Ender but was TOO empathetic and would never be able to kill.
Ender was supposed to be the perfect blend of brilliance and toughness but without cracking up or becoming a monster.

 

Yup.  They needed his brilliance to peak at just the right moment, but the books make clear that they didn't much care what happened afterwards.

125    Ender's Game, Ender's Schame.  If Spielberg wants to really tackle a project, he needs to buy the rights to the "Hyperion Cantos" and make that fucker.  Of course, it would take, what, 3 or 4 feature length movies just to cover the first book?  Maybe we had better draft Peter Jackson for something like that...

    And if you think the Left hates Card, they really despise Dan Simmons, he never passes up a chance to bash the shit out of the JEF.

126 Was it Card that was supposed to do a run in the Superman comic but the left went all nuts because he is anti gay marriage?

127 #126 Pave Low John   Ahhh, Hyperion.  Just finished the second book (sigh, another multi-part series...).  Waiting for the next trip to start the next book.  That would be a difficult movie to make.

Didn't know that about Dan Simmons.  Makes sense though.  Seems too smart to fall for the JEF's BS

128 @115

     Not sure about Alexander qualifying as a "child military genius," his major battles were pretty much frontal assaults that all look identical, not much genius that I can see.  Tenacity, ruthlessness, cunning, charisma....sure, Alexander had all of that in spades, but genius?  Meh.  He inherited a kick-ass military force from his dad and he almost got himself killed on several occasions trying to be Achilles, so I'm not that convinced ol' Alex was all that.

    Check out Belisarius or Hannibal Barca if you want to see some truly genius-level military commanders

129 I really hope they stay true to Orson Scott Card's original.  They can muck up skip the later Ender books, two through four.

A good Pt II would be Ender's Shadow with Bean (book 5).

Remember, this was a children's book.  And a great one at that.

Old Man's War by John Scalzi is another great book in the vein of Starship Troopers.  Thought not really G-rated.

130

@127 Was it Card that was supposed to do a run in the Superman comic but the left went all nuts because he is anti gay marriage?

---------------------------------

I don't know if it was Superman, but that did happen with a comic book series that he was supposed to write.

131   Hey, here's a great idea...
  
   Let's ask for another remake of Dune!  (ducks behind cover)

132   Old Man's War by John Scalzi is another great book in the vein of Starship Troopers. Thought not really G-rated. 

Posted by: Great Reagan's Ghost at May 07, 2013 08:19 PM (LsJAk)


Bought the book due to Instapundit's promotion.  Thought the book was okay, then became extremely pissed off when I found Scalzi was a libtard.   

Still regret buying it.    Libraries and non-fiction for me.   

133 127 Was it Card that was supposed to do a run in the Superman comic but the left went all nuts because he is anti gay marriage?
========

Yep.

They also threw a fit when Shadow Complex was released.  That's a sidescrolling xbox live game, plays a lot like super metroid; story written by Card.  They threw a shitstorm because it's about the progressives, led by a thinly-veiled George Soros standing starting a civil war.  Though it was mostly the feminists complaining because sexism or something.  Them complaining on video game sites was the entire reason my friends and I initially downloaded it.

134

Hyperion was good, but the rest of the series quickly started to suck.

 

I've always had a soft spot for The Star of the Guardians series.

 

 

 

135

@134 Yep.

They also threw a fit when Shadow Complex was released. That's a sidescrolling xbox live game, plays a lot like super metroid; story written by Card. They threw a shitstorm because it's about the progressives, led by a thinly-veiled George Soros standing starting a civil war. Though it was mostly the feminists complaining because sexism or something. Them complaining on video game sites was the entire reason my friends and I initially downloaded it.

------------------------

I think I have a vague recollection of that.  Didn't it have a tie-in to Card's Empire series about a new US civil war?

 

136 127 Was it Card that was supposed to do a run in the Superman comic but the left went all nuts because he is anti gay marriage? Posted by: steevy at May 07, 2013 08:14 PM (9XBK2) -------------------- Yes it was. They're all totalitarians at heart. No dissent from any of their beliefs or you will be destroyed. Big Brother is watching.

137 Did not like Ender's Game. The only thing I found interesting is that JK Rowling basically stole the whole damn thing when she wrote Harry Potter.

138 Aren't child soldiers and guns a bad thing according to people who work in Hollywood and raise money for Obama?

139 Do we know for sure that those fighter ships were in Earth's atmosphere, or could that have just been atmosphere of an Earth-like planet? So, just looking at the trailer, I don't spot anything that looks to me like a large deviation from the book. Spoilers below, don't read if you don't know the plot already. In the book, Ender was "playing a video game" and he believed that Mazer Rackham was directing the game. Also, in the book, they had FTL communications technology (the "ansible"). So, it is entirely reasonable to think that Ender was nowhere near the battle, that he was in the "video game room" looking at a 3D simulation, which actually was a 3D overview of an actual battle, based on data relayed via ansible.

140 I liked _Ender's Game_ very much, although I suspect I would like the shorter novella version better than the full-length novel. (I didn't much like the endless scenes of scheming old guys talking to each other, saying pretentious things like "If we have to, we can tell him the truth. We're allowed to do that sometimes, you know." That stuff just felt like padding to me.) But the basic plot hook is brilliant, and the training sequences where they drive Ender to not-quite-destruction to forge him into a hardened weapon... all solid gold. Eagerly I read the next book in the series, _Speaker for the Dead_. And I hated it. Oh, how I hated it. At the beginning, we find that Ender is at loose ends, feeling some remorse for the stuff he ordered. He also has unlimited use of the ansible, and has all the money he could ever spend. He finds out about an intriguing mystery and decides to solve it. So right away I thought I saw how it would go: Ender would be like Nero Wolfe, and he would use his money to hire some local guy on the planet to be his Archie Goodwin and do all the legwork. He would use the ansible to consult experts or look up information at any human planet. He would solve this mystery and then use the ansible to find more mysteries and solve them. Except, not. Instead, he boards a starship and personally travels to the planet to solve the mystery; this takes years. By the time he gets there, all the people involved in the mystery have had their lives pretty much ruined by years of living with the aftermath of the mystery, and his attempts to solve the mystery are ripping open old wounds and making everyone even more miserable. The clues are all old now, the trail harder to follow. He solves the mystery anyway and the people are a better off, but I was really repelled by all the weepy drama. Am I wrong to hate a novel so much just because I disagree so deeply with the course of action taken by the lead character early on? If you had unlimited money and unlimited use of an ansible, would you personally travel for years to solve a mystery in person? Does this plot pass the "laugh test" for you?

141 I'm too lazy to read through all the other comments, so I may be repeating. The stuff set in the atmosphere is probably backstory (from either the first or second Formic War). Card & a coauthor are currently working on a prequel series to fill in a bit more of that. I'm not sold on the movie based on this trailer (which looked like it may have had a spoiler in it), but I loved the book so much that I'll see it anyways.

142 "64 So speaking of Pacific Rim which looks awesome, I really want a more Gundamy giant robot movie. It doesn't have to necessarily be Gundam, but something with giant robots and space colonies and shit. That would be sweet. Does that screenplay consultant guy have any openings?" Dude you want Gundams pray pacific rim banks at the box office. if it's huge every f'n mech related property will get greenlit on the spot.

143 Bender's Game? I thought it was to be sarcastic and get drunk... a lot. No?

144 Have you noticed that Harrison Ford no longer sounds like Han Solo or Indiana Jones?

Sometime in the last few years his old voice has been replaced by that of Chief Dan George.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7DMjmkhTBw

145 I was sick to my stomach when I saw what they did to Starship Trooper.  I love that book.  I don't love Ender's Game, but I like it quite a bit.  I wouldn't marry it, but I'd bang it for the summer.  I hope they don't fuck it up.  Aw, what am I sayin'- it's Hollywood.

146 Remember how I said a long time ago how I'm getting sick of movie box office acting as some kind of referendum on the politics of the moviemakers? No, of course you don't because who the hell remembers blog comments. Anyway, I said it. I said I hated the idea that I had to go see a movie just because it's conservative. Well, for Ender's Game I'm willing to make an exception. I didn't even like the book that much, to be honest (it was a good short story and should have stayed a short story). With all the evil fucking leftist thought police Stalinist shit that Orson Card's been getting lately, I'm willing to make an exception. Did you know he got hired to write some Superman comics, and then some evil fucking leftist thought police Stalinist shits got him fired because he was accused of not being sufficiently pro-sodomy. So when this movie comes out, I'm going. I'm taking my whole family. Even if it sucks. Even if I know it sucks. If necessary I'll buy tickets and then leave halfway through. I want this movie to be a hit. I want it to be the runaway hit of the year. I want all the liberals to think of Orson Scott Fucking Card raking in hundreds of millions of dollars, and I want them to go home and eat ramen noodles and get ulcers from seething with envy and hatred.

147 I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I was really pissed at how my University, the U of Arizona, paraded Enders Game as a "thought provoking" book mandatory for freshman Honors students to read back in 2010. If they wanted real "paradigm shifting" and "thought provoking" literature, they would have made Heinleins Starship Troopers required reading. Imagine the glory of a society where only those who have served can vote. No longer could useless, well compensated, white guilt tripping, government subsizidized professors and university students with no job prospects other than coffee baristas exercise the franchise. As John Lennon would say (probably pissed at me I hope) "Imagine"

148 Oh and hey Ace. I don't mind Immediate Menance in movies, but Phantom Menance I simply can not tolerate, let alone understand. :p

149 136 Yeah, it takes place during the first book.  They reference an agent finding a Progressive Restoration compound in the mountains and raiding it at the end of the book, which is a reference to the events in Shadow Complex.

150 Harrison Ford 'annoying' I love this site but eat a fat dick Ace. If Harrison Ford's character seems annoying it's because it's a shitty character. I read the series, the concept is great but the story and writing are terrible. That's Han Solo and Indiana Jones you know, who the fuck are you?

151 I read Ender's Game when I was 15, in 1987, before all the hype.  I was surprised to find later on that other people had read it also.  I didn't realize it was so well known till just a few years ago.  I thought it was good at the time I read it, but not the greatest thing ever written.  Kid goes away to space to learn how to kill the enemy, then kills the enemy without knowing he did it.  Throw in some angst about his family relationships and you've pretty much got the book.  Interesting, but nothing to get worked up over.  But in the years since I read it, I've come to discover that for a certain type of person this book is damned near a religious artifact.

I've read a few other things by Card and he seems to use his writing as a way to exorcise his demons.  Not always, but often enough.  Ender's Game made it clear that Card was one of those kids who got picked on a lot.  The people who find the book so compelling seem to be other people who also got picked on a lot.

To someone who was put under the boot of tougher kids when they were younger, the idea of a kid who is a strategic military genius who always beats his enemies and literally kills bullies is going to seem pretty nifty.

Omegas dream of being alphas, simple as that.

Now they're making a movie out of it.  I'll wait for it on DVD unless I hear it is especially good. 

152 If you had unlimited money and unlimited use of an ansible, would you personally travel for years to solve a mystery in person? Does this plot pass the "laugh test" for you? I think you've forgotten that he was sent there by something he was carrying.

153 I'm cautiously hoping this will be good. This was a *dark* children's book, I don't think the "bad kid kicked in the testicles" scene is going to be in a movie version. That said, it's looking all right, and having Card on board might help.
I do recall that allusions to the first Bugger War were mostly second-hand, and I don't think there was a lot of (non-propaganda) detail available to those outside the military.
The official website has a nice look, but is really light on content right now.
The OSC hate has picked up every year, now that the ghey is the most h8ted minority now, according to "public" opinion. Yet the Alvin Maker series is pretty much well-written stuff that plays to the liberal base... Caring (white)male helps Indians, blacks and women, saves Gaia kind of stuff.

154 @154 "I think you've forgotten that he was sent there by something he was carrying." You must be right because I don't have any idea what you are talking about here. If you could please clear up for me why he went, maybe I'll feel better about the book. I don't think you even really need to worry about spoilers, because that's pretty early on.

155 Ace, Ace, Ace.....   you poor naive soul.


   99.9999999 % of the people who go to see this movie will either A. have read the book and know the ending, or B. be under age 15 and young enough to still be surprised with the twist ending, and be sucked in by identifying with the age of the protagonists as many of us were when we first read the book.

       This book is the start of a series, it has an installed fan base, it gives them a chance to attack the killer instinct, aka successful militaristic defense of a society, what the hell else does hollywood need?

156 @154 I searched the web for plot summaries of the book, and now I suspect I know what you meant by "something he was carrying". I still insist that Ender should have done the remote detective thing. The trip took 22 years! If he spent three months solving the mystery and then went to that planet, he would have arrived in 22.25 years instead of 22, hardly a major delay. And the people who he wanted to help would have been helped immediately, and not spent 22 years suffering.