If the trailers and TV spots for Ender's Game aren't selling you on the IMAX experience for this movie, perhaps this new poster will. The image shows the silhouetted figure of Ender Wiggin standing in front of a row of monitors while giant freaking lasers blast off in front of him. I've been a bit gripey lately about how much attention the "alien invasion and war" side of the story has been getting in the Ender's Game promotional content, but it's hard to deny the appeal of the poster above (see it bigger here.) The poster teases the potential for some great visual effects in the film, which could prove to be even better on an IMAX screen.
In addition to releasing the above poster, Summit released these 360 panoramas of two of the Battle School sets. Go ahead and take a spin in Colonel Graff's command center:
And check out the Dragon Army Barracks here:
Just the other day, I was commenting on the way a lot of the promos for the film are focusing on the alien war aspect of the story. Of course, if you're familiar with the book, you know that the story is set in the future when man is between wars against an alien race called the Formics. The International Fleet is recruiting kids to train for the coming war. Young Ender Wiggin, a gifted underdog of a character, is chosen to go to Battle School, and the book centers on his efforts to find his place among his peers, join in the training, which includes playing games in preparation for the war, and eventually climbing the ranks of the army. With so much of the book focused on Ender's training, it's noticeable that we don't seem to be seeing a lot of Battle School scenes in the promos, with the exception of a few glimpses of the zero gravity Battle Room. Looking at it optimistically though, space and war are probably bigger sells and a better approach to filling theater seats than the sight of Ender settling into the barracks, interacting with some of his future allies and enemies or commanding orders in the Battle Room. And we know the Battle School side of this story will play its part, as evidenced by the barracks panorama above and some of the photos that have been released. So hopefully it's just a matter of patience here.
In the meantime, those who want to gear up to show their love for Ender's Game might want to check out Hot Topic as the store is currently selling T-shirts. Right now, they have one that reminds us that "The Enemy's Gate is Down" -- a crucial lesson to learn if you're ever floating around in the Battle Room. And the others are the logos for Dragon Army and Salamander Army.
Ender's Game arrives in theaters November 1.
