Ender's Game - movie review

After reading Orson Scott Card's book Ender's Game and seeing the shorts for it over and over I was waiting in anticipation for this movie to come to the screen. Yesterday I went to see it in this first screening of the day. I was not disappointed. 
What surprised me was how close to the book it was - reminding me of Harry Potter movies who kept close to the book outline. A few things were changed and some of the threads left out made sense. Therefore my first recommendation is read the book, Ender's Game supposedly written for children, but truly I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The story of how children and tested and if pass, taken to 'battle school' and then onto 'command school'. These are children, who because of their fast abilities in thinking (via video games no less) are able to work together in order to overcome a race of 'insect' beings who came to earth and killed many people. Now Earth is taking the fight to them.
The story evolves around the main character, Ender Wiggin, played by Asa Butterfield, a wonderful young English actor, who was able to become Ender as he worked his way through the 'game'.  I found knowing the book helped fill in quite a bit, even though the movie definitely stood on its own.
Harrison Ford plays Colonel Graff, his mentor who is with him the whole way.  Hailee Steineld plays Petra, one of his fellow students as does Aramis Knight, who is cast as Bean.  Ben Kingsley shows up as the last war hero, as Ender's teacher, with a full Maori Moko, as a New Zealander, I was disappointed with the South African accent coming from a supposedly a New Zealander.  Guess they did not know the difference of accents. 
I always ask myself, is the movie worth seeing? The answer here is yes...especially if you have read the book. Also second thing I ask myself, what was the message, and here it is about war and annihilating a race of people, just because you don't speak the same language. The subtle under story is. Listen, find a way to communicate with the enemy, just because they don't speak your language does not mean they cannot communicate with you.  Also, is it worth destroying (in the movies these young children) just to create the end.  In other words, does the end justify the means.
Have a few hours to go and enjoy a 'different' movie, then go see this, its different in lots of ways.
4 out of 5.