A lot of what we've seen from the Ender's Game promotional content has focused on the threat of an alien war -- the latest TV spot included -- and given the backdrop of this futuristic story, that's not all that surprising. The cast -- which includes Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley and Asa Butterfield -- and the visual effects are two huge selling points for the film. But those who've read Orson Scott Card's novel know there's a bit more to this story than thrilling space battles and apocalyptic alien invasion imagery. Still, the spot sure is exciting. In addition to space battle scenes, a glimpse or two of children floating in zero gravity and some earth-set invasion snippets, the TV spot also includes the sight of a child assuring someone that he'll do everything he can to win this war.
It's another exciting promo to add to the other content we've seen, videos, photos and propaganda posters included. But as a fan of the book, I find myself growing more and more eager to see more glimpses of the training side of this story, as the bulk of the novel's story is less on the war and more on Ender's training, his interactions with his fellow Battle School students and the mental and emotional toll Battle School takes on Ender, who's just a child playing games that aren't games. In terms of my interest in the story and what I loved so much about the book, the space war falls second to Ender's story.
Though a lot of what we've seen from the promotional content has focused on the alien attacks and space war, there have been hints that there's more to the story than a child leading a war against aliens. Take, for example, the calendar photos we shared with you earlier this week, all of which focus on Ender at Battle School, standing among his peers, standing in the Mess Hall, sitting in class and training in the zero-gravity Battle Room. We also know that the Mind Game Ender frequently plays in the book will be featured in the film, though there hasn't been so much as a glimpse of that in the promos, from what I've seen. But that's ok. We've been told it's going to be there, and it's ok that they're not showing us everything in the promos ahead of the film's release. So, I'll remain optimistic and enjoy the shiny visuals we're seeing in these promos, while waiting patiently for another month (and a few days) to see how the film looks.
In related news, in addition to the above TV spot, Summit also released a new International Banner for the film, which shows off some of the cast, including Ford, Butterfield and Kingsley, along with Viola Davis, Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin.
Ender's Game arrives in theaters November 1.
