I now blog over at The Eyre Guide! This blog is an archive of my past posts.


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Film Review: Ender's Game & Catching Fire

Posted by Charlene // Tags: , ,

Ender's Game

I came to read Ender's Game pretty late, as I think it's a book a lot of people read in high school, so I did not have many years to build up expectations for a film adaptation.  So I think the film exceeded my expectations with how well it brought Ender's story to life.

The actor to play Ender, Asa Butterfield, was stellar!  I totally believed in his compassion and his intense drive to win and the inner turmoils that resulted.  He more than held his own against the older actors he played against, and he did so well with looking physically inconsequential, but having that inner fire that made him someone you definitely don't want to mess with.  But I think the humanity of Ender was the most touching part of the movie.  Despite all the terrible things that happen to him, and the attempts made to make him into the ultimate weapon, he holds on to empathy and I loved how well Asa Butterfield showed all of that.

The special effects in this film was amazing.  I was completely mesmerized by the zero-g competitions and how realistic it looked.  There were times when it was confusing to understand what was going on in them though, because the space was so big and it was all lights and tiny people.  I can't imagine being able to actually fight in that scenario since it seems to easy to confuse your enemies with your teammates.

The film is more focused on Ender and less on his siblings which makes sense, and I the most important points in the book made it to the film and is explained in a way that made the dilemmas in the story very poignant and relatable.  As an adaptation I think they did the best they could to bring such a complex story to life, and I was so impressed by the work all the actors did in this.  This is a great science fiction film.

Catching Fire

I think the first film was a fantastic adaptation of the first book, so I had high expectations going into the second film.  And I am happy to say that I was completely impressed by this film.  The story packs so much emotional power, and it is not glossed over at all in the film.  The desperation the people in this future have for freedom and independence comes across so well, and the way Katniss struggles with the role of symbol she accidentally stumbled into comes across beautifully genuine and poignant.  There's so much depth to these stories, and the film captures that so well, making this such an immersive, emotional ride of a film.

Jennifer Lawrence has to be one of my favorite actresses, because she's just amazing as Katniss.  Compassionate, wry, determined, traumatized - she needs to keep everyone safe, but is helpless to do so.  I can't imagine any other actress capturing all those sides to Katniss like Jennifer Lawrence does.  I think that final moment when she just says everything with her eyes, is enough to get her another Oscar.

When I first read The Hunger Games, I have to admit I was very Team Gale (I switched over later) but if I had seen Catching Fire before reading the books, there is just no possible way I would have been Team Gale.  Peeta really steals the show in this - he's everything that should be right for Katniss, and his devotion to her is heartbreaking to see when Katniss doesn't appreciate him enough.  Josh Hutcherson was just amazing, and I already feel depressed about what's in store for him in the last two films.

I really enjoyed what some of the other Tributes brought to this film, but the sassy Johanna was the best in my opinion.  I love when characters say what everyone else is afraid to, and her defiance was inspiring.  As was all the moments when the tributes did or said something that was like a slap to President Snow.  

This film captured all the heart and suspense and surprises of the second book and was an excellent adaptation.  I was truly affected by the characters all over again and I can't wait to watch the next movie!

Share this post: Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Email This Pin This Share on Google Plus Share on Tumblr
Scroll Up

17 comments:

  1. I only read Ender's Game about a year and a half ago, so we're both relative newcomers! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the film, it seems to have had some very mixed reviews.

    I'm seeing Catching Fire on Sunday, so excited - it looks and sounds fantastic! =D Happy to hear you loved this one too, it certainly does seem like a sequel that could be as good as or even better than the first.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh good, I hope you'll watch it soon! And so excited for you to be watching Catching Fire for the first time! I'm thinking I should probably go and watch it in theaters again because I'm not sure I can wait until the DVD comes out!

      Delete
  2. Joanna was great. Catching Fire was my favorite of the three books and I was quite pleased with the movie (although I haven't read the book in quite a while so I wasn't disturbed by all the nitpicky changes that are inevitably there). Best of all, I wasn't overwhelmed by shaky-cam like I was in the first movie!

    I thought Ender's Game was good too, but I wasn't wild about the book - I mean, I liked it, but I didn't go crazy for it like a lot of people - so I didn't have too many expectations going in. Ben Kingsley was a nice surprise, since I somehow hadn't heard he was going to be in it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was really impressed by Catching Fire, so I hope they keep it up for the last two films. I forgot about the shaky-cam thing in the first film - I should rewatch Hunger Games actually!

      And it's great that you enjoyed the movie even if you weren't crazy for Ender's Game. I thought all the actors did a great job and there was so much heart in the story.

      Delete
  3. It is pretty freaking emotional! I didn't mind starting to cry early in the film since it was with good cause! Oh yes, the elevator scene was so funny!! Katniss' face was just stuck on disbelief! :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. Loved loved loved Catching Fire! Jennifer Lawrence was spectacular and I completely agree with you, she could totally take another Oscar for that last scene. To be completely honest, I think I liked Catching Fire better than The Hunger Games and I'm not even mad about it! Haha :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am still torn between absolutely saying Catching Fire was better because I did really enjoy the first one, and I think the first book is my favorite, but with another rewatch I can see myself switching to your point of view! :)

      Delete
  5. Great review on both films and I pretty much felt the same. I liked Enders Game but my husband didn't really love it and a few other people I know didn't either. I was surprised. I liked it a lot. I don't think there will be a second one but that will be fine with me. I always thought of Ender's Game as a stand along book anyways. I never moved on in the series.

    Catching Fire was very good too. A great second movie!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same for me actually! I've never been interested in reading the rest of the series. It's so weird, because I do like seeing what happens next generally. Maybe Ender's life was so traumatic in the first one that I don't want it to get any worse. :) I'm glad you liked both of these films!

      Delete
  6. Oh man I cried SO much in this film..so good..easily the best book to movie adaptation this year!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lots of really emotional moments in Catching Fire! I'm really going to be devastated with Mockingjay!

      Delete
  7. Great reviews on both of these films! And I so agree about Johanna, she completely stole the show when it came to the secondary tributes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I feel like I should re-read the books so I can remember all the tributes- I hardly remember Johanna!

      Delete
  8. Yay Peeta! I found the second book in this series pretty mediocre, but I've heard such great things about the movie, I'm getting really excited to see it anyway :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha, I glad I totally appreciate the Peeta love now! I hope you like the movie more than the book then! It is an improvement on the first movie in many ways!

      Delete
  9. You are so right, it's impossible not to like Peeta after this installment. I used to like Gale better too. It's amazing how much chemistry the characters have together, I just love them all.

    I'm glad Ender's Game was a good adaption, I really liked the book. I may just see if it's still playing in a theatre near me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh finally another Gale fan - I'm not used to seeing them around! :) "Ender" is really good, hopefully it's still in theaters, because it's worth it to see it on the big screen!

      Delete