Kicking off the “movie holiday season” is yet another film in which preteens and teens are forced to become adults. Based on the novel by Orson Scott Card, Ender Wiggins (Asa Butterfield) is selected by Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) to attend Battle School. Through several battle games and computer simulations, Ender’s ultimate task is to become a commander worthy of protecting Earth from an alien invasion.
As with many book-to-film adaptations, various things about the book—characterization, subplots, conflicts, conversations, etc.—are changed due to the interpretation of the writers and the director, the aesthetic impact, and/or how much a certain plot point or scene in the book may translate well onscreen for various audience members. Thus, filmmakers risk losing fans who are so dedicated to the novel. Nevertheless, for the most part, Gavin Hood’s ‘Ender’s Game’ covers events in the book that lay the foundation for Ender’s story: a brilliant, young mind being trained to command many and also deals with being bullied by older students and being treated in harsh manners by his instructors in the process.
‘Gravity’ isn’t the only one exquisitely capturing space. In this setting, cinematographers have the freedom to wow audiences not only with the story they are telling, but also with the one they aren’t. ‘Ender’s Game’ is a beautifully shot film showcasing all of what Ender’s world has to offer—an extraterrestrial battle school and action sequences in no-gravity zones.
Given that Ender is training in space, where one would have to get comfortable in a zero-gravity field, ‘Ender’s Game’ did not give its audiences (more specifically with the book fans) more scenes in battle school. Quite a bit of this film seems rushed; the film should’ve been extended (by about twenty to thirty minutes) to show the extent of his training. Scott’s ‘Ender’s Game’ are very detailed and provide more insight into Ender’s thoughts, feelings, command strategy, and a taste of what Ender and his squad would have to encounter when the time came to go to war. As mentioned previously, it may have made the film longer, but these moments are very crucial, especially for a story of this nature. Additionally, terminology used (i.e., “third”, in the beginning of the film) and a reoccurring theme that stems from Ender comparing and separating himself from his brother’s brutal behavior is lost on audiences. (Arguably, since there’s a political subplot dealt with in the actual novel the latter was completely overlooked in the film that would have made this repeated comment more relevant, it’s probably best that Hood omitted this). The script for ‘Ender’s Game’ might have had more substance including some of these essential plot points instead of leaving us a bit empty in the end.
Despite its negligence with some key parts in the novel, ‘Ender’s Game’ is a visually-pleasing and amusing alternative to ‘Hunger Games’ with a few interesting approaches to dealing with a grave reality.
Jim’s Rating: 6.25/10