It seems remarkable that a novel as popular and influential as Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game has taken almost 30 years to make it to the big screen. But it’s also no surprise that director Gavin Hood decided that now would be an opportune time to adapt Card’s novel, given the recent spike in interest for the sort of young adult, sci-fi action that is at the core of Ender’s Game, as well as recent hits like Divergent and The Hunger Games. One could even argue that Card’s novel set the stage for those bestsellers, with its bleak view of the future and complicated moral puzzles. But even today, Card’s novel remains relevant, and this film demonstrates that.
Ender’s Game is the story of a young boy named Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), who is being trained, along with hundreds of other children in the galaxy, to combat a malevolent alien race called the Formics, which threatens Earth. As the third child in his family, Ender is expected to make it to Battle School and he does, impressing commanders Graff (Harrison Ford) and Anderson (Viola Davis), who believe that Ender may very well be the one who can save Earth. At Battle School, however, Ender has trouble fitting in, clashing with some of the other boys, including an abrasive commander named Bonzo (Moises Arias), and talking back to higher ranking officers, who don’t take kindly to Ender’s superior attitude. Eventually, though, Ender finds friends in the form of Bean (Aramis Knight) and Petra (the wonderful Hailee Steinfeld, in an unfortunately underwritten role) and sets out to prove himself in the cutthroat war simulations that Battle School presents its students with.
I must admit that I am not a huge fan of Orson Scott Card’s novel, though I certainly recognize its influence. In the book, I found Ender to be cold and unlikable as a protagonist, and the scenes of violence were brutal and empty, unlike in The Hunger Games, which only turned to violence as an absolute necessity. But, luckily, the film version of Ender’s Game remedies most of the issues I had with the novel. This may be the rare example of a film that is better than the book from which it was adapted. As young Ender, Butterfield is ideal, making the audience believe his transformation at every turn. And he’s backed up by a great supporting cast. I thought Harrison Ford was way too over the top in this year’s Jackie Robinson biopic 42, but here he gives one of his best, most complex performances in years as Ender’s gruff but understanding taskmaster. Viola Davis is always excellent and the great Ben Kingsley, as Mazer Rackham, is just as fun to watch here as he was in this year’s excellent Iron Man 3. Where the film falters is in its casting of some of the child actors, who are just not as polished as Butterfield and Steinfeld. And while director Hood’s screenplay does hit the ethical questions that Card’s novel asks, it does so rather abruptly at the end of the film. The action climax is also not as effective as it should be, often confusing and cluttered from a visual standpoint. But, ultimately, Ender’s Game is a satisfying sci-fi adventure and should certainly please those who enjoy these types of stories … at least until Catching Fire comes out.
Grade: B+