Goofs

When Ender and the others are launched into space to go to Battle School, huge clouds are shown (very realistically) moving outward from the launch area as the ship rises, similar to scenes of the Space Shuttle or the Apollo Saturn V taking off. This isn't exhaust from the rocket; in order to prevent (mostly acoustic) damage to the trench underneath the rocket, thousands of gallons of water are poured into the trench, and this is turned into clouds of steam by the rocket's engines. However in the film, the rocket is seen to be tilted into a vertical position above a large circular opening into which the engines will fire. There is nowhere for a water deluge to pour, or really any need for it. See more