This Orson Scott Card science fiction novel has been drifting along in film development hell for years, but finally arrives thanks to writer/director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi and X-Men Origins: Wolverine). Hood found a way into the mind and experiences of Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a young cadet picked and trained to save Earth (and the entire human race) from the threat of an alien invasion by leading an assault on the home world of the enemy. The film features a superb supporting cast (Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis and Hailee Steinfeld), but it all comes down to whether or not audiences will buy into a boy playing such a deadly game. Opens wide Nov. 1. (PG-13) Not screened in time for review
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2013.