(2013) (Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford) (PG-13)
- QUICK TAKE:
- Sci-Fi: A boy is selected to go through military training in the belief that he might be Earth's best bet to lead international forces into battle against the potential return of an alien invasion.
- PLOT:
- It's been 50 years since an ant-like alien species known as the Formics attacked Earth. If not for the heroics of fighter pilot Mazer Rackham (BEN KINGSLEY), all may have been lost, but his actions defeated the enemy that's now been corralled back to their home planet. Nonetheless, Earthlings are still concerned about another possible attack and thus have created a battle school for kids from which they hope they'll find their next great leader.
Colonel Graff (HARRISON FORD) believes he may have found that in Ender Wiggin (ASA BUTTERFIELD), a young and quite bright outcast who uses his wits alongside violence to defeat those who bully him now and prevent any such future attacks. While military shrink Major Gwen Anderson (VIOLA DAVIS) wants to know what's going on inside the boy's head, Graff thinks they may have found their next leader and thus whisks Ender away from his family -- including his sister, Valentine (ABIGAIL BRESLIN) -- to a military training station in orbit around Earth.
There, he not only meets Drill Sergeant Dap (NONSO ANOZIE) who's ordered to whip them into shape, but also other fellow cadets such as Bean (ARAMIS KNIGHT), Alai (SURAJ PARTHASARATHY) and Petra (HAILEE STEINFELD) who side with him. But he must also contend with bullies such as Bernard (CONOR CARROL) and the slightly older if sociopathic leader of one of the battle school's teams, Bonzo (MOISES ARIAS). A quick study of others, Ender is able to deal with them as needed and is fast-tracked through the system by Graff who believes that a Formic attack is imminent.
From that point on, Ender must contend with his increasingly scaled training and the repercussions that come from both his actions and decisions, as well as the weight of possibly being Earth's only chance against the enemy invaders.
- WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
- If they're fans of the book they might be interested, while the plot regarding kids being the stars of a sci-fi film could also prove enticing to those not familiar with that book.
- WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
- For some violence, sci-fi action and thematic material.
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