Ender’s Hunger Games

Over the last decade young-adult books turned to movies have become one of the most popular franchises at the cineplex. The Harry Potter and Twilight films have both earned something like a staggering 3.5 billion + at the box office alone, so it’s not much of a surprise that others have jumped onto the YA book turned movie bandwagon.

Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff and Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin
Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff and Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin

Unfortunately, most of these newer movies, other than The Hunger Games out last year, haven’t been nearly as successful as what came before. In fact, all three of the YA movies out earlier this year The Host, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters were all critical and financial flops at the box office.

So, surly the producers of the remaining two YA movies left to be released this year have to be a little worried about the prospects for their movies? Especially since these two movies are scheduled to be released less than a month from each other.

Ben Kingsley as Mazer Rackham
Ben Kingsley as Mazer Rackham

The one movie I have the most concern about at the box office this fall is Ender’s Game, out now. To be honest, Ender’s Game isn’t technically a YA book. It was originally a sci-fi short story turned novel not originally meant for kids. However, the Ender’s Game movie has all the hallmarks of a YA book to movie.

In Ender’s Game, sometime in the past an alien species dubbed the “Buggers” have invaded the Earth and were nearly successful at wiping out mankind before genius commander Mamazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley) was able to defeat that alien army.

Hailee Steinfeld as Petra Arkanian
Hailee Steinfeld as Petra Arkanian

To avoid a repeat at the attempted extinction, the governments of the Earth have allied together and search for the best and brightest of military minds, no matter how young. Flash forward a few decades and Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is a pre-teen genius who’s picked by the military forces of the Earth to receive this advanced military training at “Battle School.” There, Ender must come to terms with being the best of the best and showing everyone else up, while at the same time learning how to lead others in playing at a simulated war against the Buggers.

Which, in today’s marketplace sure sounds like a hit to me. Except I don’t get the feeling that the movie’s been marketed very well and it doesn’t seem like the audience is excited about this one as they are other YA movies. Worst of all, the producers of the movie have been fighting a wave of negative publicity because of comments the author of the book made about gay marriage a few years back. (Spoiler alert, he’s against it.)

So, not only do the producers of Ender’s Game have to deal with louts like me wondering if the movie’s going to be any good or not but they’re also dealing with the threat of picketers at movie theaters as well.

Speaking of revolts, the movie I have the least concern about at the box office this fall is The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, out November 22.

Jennifer Lawrence takes aim as Katniss Everdeen
Jennifer Lawrence takes aim as Katniss Everdeen

The second of four movies, the last Hunger Games book is going to be split into two more films, this time Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are pulled back into another Hunger Games as a clause in the rules means that on the 75th holding of the games previous winners can be forced back into the arena and fight. It’s a way for President Snow (Donald Sutherland) to remind the populous that no one is safe, not even previous victors, and that he is in total control.

Except that Katniss’ defiance of the President in the first story has sparked a growing revolt that if the President can’t control might mean the doom of his regime,

The first The Hunger Games made something like $400 million at the box office and I have no doubt that the second one will go on to make much more.

Regardless of the controversy surrounding the movie, the Ender’s Game novel, though a bit dated nearly 30 years after its initial release, is still pretty darn good. While Catching Fire is a good book, The Hunger Games series of novels are a series of diminishing returns. The first one is brilliant, the second good and the third a bit of a slog.

More: Why would anyone want to be a part of The Hunger Games?

2013 Fall movie preview

Writing a fall movie preview is tough since not all films released then come out around the country at the same time. Sometimes a release date is only a release date if you happen to live in New York or LA, so be sure to check your local listings as the dates for these movies approaches.

The cast of The World's End
The cast of The World’s End

Out August 23 is co-writer/director Edgar Wright and co-writer/star Simon Pegg’s The World’s End. The movie, which features an impressive cast including Pegg, Martin Freeman, Rosamund Pike and Nick Frost to name a few takes place as friends go on the ultimate bar-crawl that just so happens to coincide with the end of the world. I’m a huge fan of Pegg and Wright. I loved Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz but with The World’s End I get the feeling that the two are stuck in a kind of frozen adolescence with their collaborations, and what worked for them in their 20s and 30s might not work for them now pushing/well into their 40s.

riddick
Vin Diesel in Riddick

Nearly a decade after The Chronicles of Riddick and 13 years since the original Pitch Black Riddick returns to theaters September 6. This time Riddick (Vin Diesel) must face monsters and mercenaries on a lonely, desolate planet. Pitch Black is one of my  favorite sci-fi movies. It’s the rare film that breaks the conventions of the genera while telling a simple yet compelling story minus lasers and warp drives. But, where Pitch Black broke conventions the sequel The Chronicles of Riddick embraced them. Where Pitch Black told a lean, stripped down story The Chronicles of Riddick felt bloated and overwritten. But with lasers and warp drives.

That being said, from what I’ve seen of Riddick it seems to be a return to what worked in Pitch Black while casting off what didn’t in The Chronicles of Riddick, so I’m genuinely excited about this one.

In Rush out September 20, Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl play two rival F-1 drivers in the 1970s who faced off against one and other to, almost, the death. Expect fast cars, fast women and poofy 1970s hair. Is it too much to ask that they race each other in Red Barchettas?882_605625459456371_982226468_n

The movie I’m most excited about this fall is Gravity, out October 4. Directed and co-written by Alfonso Cuarón, who also directed and co-wrote the woefully underrated Children of Men, Gravity follows two astronauts played by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney who are stranded in space after a disaster aboard their ship. If Children of Men featured several long one-take shots, the longest being about eight minutes, then Gravity features many long shots, the first of which is reportedly a whopping 17 minute opening scene!

Chloë Grace Moretz as Carrie
Chloë Grace Moretz as Carrie

Another movie I’m interested in is Captain Phillips which sets sail October 11. Here, Tom Hanks stars as the title character who’s ship is hijacked by Somali pirates. Phillips was held hostage for four days which was only ended when Navy SEAL snipers killed the hostage-takers. SEALS vs terrorists? Could Captain Phillips be this years Zero Dark Thirty?

The remake of a movie that was itself based on a book Carrie debuts October 18 just in time for Halloween. Starring Chloë Grace Moretz in the title role and Julianne Moore as the abusive mother, is there really any reason to remake Carrie in the first place? Was there something missing from the original? Surly it wasn’t lack of pig’s blood.

Hailee Steinfeld and Asa Butterfield in Ender's Game
Hailee Steinfeld and Asa Butterfield in Ender’s Game

The first film of “however many they can make before it stops being profitable because there’s a ton of books already written” Ender’s Game blasts the buggers in a theater near you November 1. Here, after an alien invasion nearly succeeds in wiping us off the planet, the military begins training the next generation of commanders who just so happen to be pre-pubescent kids, the best of which is Ender Wiggen (Asa Butterfield). At the “Battle School” Ender must learn combat tactics while at the same time dodging school bullies out to sew a little vengeance on little Ender who’s showing everyone else up.

Jennifer Lawrence in Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Jennifer Lawrence in Hunger Games: Catching Fire

On November 8 Marvel Entertainment makes their first attempt at making a few hundred million bucks in the fall rather than just the summer with Thor: The Dark World. This time Thor (Chris Hemsworth) must team up with his love Jane (Natalie Portman) to battle an ancient evil. But story comes second in superhero flicks – so expect lots of SMASH, BASH and BOOM!!! with Thor: The Dark World.

The second of a planned four films The Hunger Games: Catching Fire parades into theaters November 22. After the previous Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) must deal with the ramifications of standing up to a government who’s source of power comes from keeping most of the population in slavery. I’m interested in this one since my favorite character from the novels  Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) makes his first appearance.