Ender's Game
Having read the book, I was expecting little from this - after all, the book is a cerebral affair, chock full of internal politics, allegory and (intentional) repetition - but its translation to the screen isn't quite the washout I expected. Indeed it skims over events, dropping some altogether (particularly Ender's brother/sister's involvement in the political field, as well as their deep-rooted relationship with Ender, and many of the relationships in the battle school), but its heart - particularly the militarization and manipulation of children - remains somewhat intact. Ender himself is softened, as is the language and violence (no "buggers" here), but Butterfield is a decent lead (too old of course) and Harrison Ford a reliably gruff Colonel Graff, and there's a reasonable stab at keeping the novel's overarching themes in place.
If you want to get inside the character's skins (and indeed the author's, questionable morals and all) - read the novel. But as a likable, if flimsy, slab of cinematic sci-fi goes, it entertained. Even if the sharper edges have been filed down.
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