Ender's Game
Summit Entertainment | Release Date: November 1, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
51
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 39 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
20
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Total FilmMatt MuellerOct 24, 2013
Like its hero, Ender’s Game relies on brains more than brute force. An absorbing portrait of Lord Of The Flies-style morality housed in imaginative sci-fi casing. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyOct 31, 2013
Ultimately, the movie is not, to paraphrase the U.S. Army slogan, all that it could be. The climax is uninvolving generic eye candy, and the sequel-friendly coda is unconvincing. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliOct 31, 2013
Ender's Game is uneven - at times almost maddeningly so - with the first half offering more enjoyment than the second. Perhaps that's because, in military-style movies, I often prefer the training segments to the battle sequences. Read full review
75
New York PostSara StewartOct 31, 2013
A big, dark film that should satisfy the many fans of the Orson Scott Card novel and engage newcomers, too. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanOct 31, 2013
Ender’s Game is more than a parable about bullying, or a disquisition on the concept of the “just war.” It’s also a rousing action film, especially in Imax. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperOct 30, 2013
At times Ender’s Game throws so many metaphors and moral dilemmas our way, we almost forget to appreciate the stunning and gorgeous visuals covering every inch of the screen. Almost. Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'HehirNov 2, 2013
Straightforward, a bit literal-minded, very faithful to the book and largely compelling. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranOct 31, 2013
Its strong special effects make its simulated battles effective and, echoing the book, its story line touches on a number of intriguing issues. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeOct 25, 2013
An impressive, thought-provoking astro-adventure that benefits from the biggest screen available. Read full review
67
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallOct 31, 2013
Plenty of ideas float through Ender's Game but the notion of honing a child into a war machine is one that sticks. Writer-director Gavin Hood's adaptation of Orson Scott Card's novel doesn't offer much else, bottled up with battle jargon and special effects debris as it is. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyOct 30, 2013
Though it can’t overcome the source material’s problematic themes — namely, Card’s intentionalist morality, which prizes a character’s ideals over their actions — or its all-too-convenient characterizations, the film manages a sustained sense of momentum and tone that is rare for a contemporary, big-budget movie. Read full review
65
Film.comEric D. SniderOct 31, 2013
Since it took 28 years to get it to the big screen, the fact that the end result feels rushed and hasty probably qualifies as irony. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaNov 1, 2013
There's lots of zero-g action in Ender's Game - even old Han Solo takes a whirl. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsOct 31, 2013
A bit of a tweener, neither triumph nor disaster, a war-games fantasy with a use-by date of Nov. 22, when the new "Hunger Games" movie comes out. Read full review
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