Based on the 1985 Orson Scott Card novel of the same name, the film “Ender’s Game” was released this past Friday to a slew of mixed reviews. It tells the story of a young boy, Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield, “Hugo”), who is enlisted in a military battle school to assist in the fight against aliens. Yet Wiggin is forced to deal with more than many of his peers; he is the last hope for Earth in the war, but his own internal struggle against his desire for power proves a great psychological hindrance.
In a world plagued by the constant threat of invasion, the people of Earth created a governmental institution to ready the world for the potential of another war against the Formics, which are a group of aliens that previously attempted to colonize the planet. This institution, the International Fleet, came to the conclusion that children, with their dexterity of mind, were better options for the future of the military and created the Battle School. Only the most intelligent and excellent children are accepted into the prestigious academy. Wiggin, after his acceptance, exceeds expectations among his peers and commanders, leading to quick promotions and difficult tests.
The movie does hold relatively true to the book, but to contain itself in the regular two hours, much of the superfluous development is entirely removed. The entirety of Wiggin’s experience in Battle School is extremely sped up. In the book, quite a bit of time is spent developing Wiggin’s relationships in his varying teams and eventually, the soldiers under his command. In contrast, in the film, the relationships are developed succinctly, but do not allow three dimensional character development in the timeframe. Also, additional coverage was given to Petra Arkanian (Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”), while less screen time was given to Bean (Aramis Knight, “The Dark Knight Rises”) and Alai (Suraj Partha, “Glee”). The extra development of Arkanian was well-portrayed, but in her expansion, the much-loved Alai and Bean were put on the wayside.
Despite the changes, the film is strong in many other ways. The special effects are absolutely phenomenal. “Ender’s Game,” though published in the 1980s, had its film production postponed until now, a time when the graphics and technology are compatible with those imagined in the book. The concepts for scientific advances are well thought out and plausible in today’s society, with everything from mid-air touchscreens to holograms on a portable tablet. In addition to the tech, the presentation of the Formic world and armies are beautifully and intricately crafted. It does not appear as if one is watching the movie from a theater, but rather staring out of a spaceship, watching the Formic swarms descend upon the Earth fleet. Yet the best special effects are most obvious in the battle room, where all the competitions at Battle School take place. The students fly about a null gravity translucent sphere in space, bouncing from lighted stars while attempting to shoot the other team with their freeze guns. Not once in those scenes does it seem possible that these actors were not actually flying in space.
“Ender’s Game” is a phenomenal movie that, for the most part, does justice to the book that has affected many generations. Despite many other recent movies featuring young characters, the development, storyline and special effects make it stand out as a winner.
The film is about so much more than just a young boy who must save the world- it is about the reality of human nature, which can be plagued by anger, lies and deceit; yet human nature can also exemplify itself through love, forgiveness and redemption, as Wiggin so evidently portrays throughout the movie.
