For any film fanatic that also happens to be an Orson Scott Card
fan, Ender’s Game was the
type of film that warranted the hanging of a calendar on the wall and blacking out the
days until the film's November 1st release date. I was this excited
for months about the film, and yes, I saw it opening night. But after having
seen it, I say with dismay that although the admission may not have been a
total waste of money, it may have been better spent on a few drinks at a bar,
or on a Shake Shack dinner (for the non- drinkers). I was just so unexpectedly
un-enthralled that I’m still in shock.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLbmgT1BQjrbMScM4LwxSyaXGhYhPQjgNbUaYFv7e4f07VbmNCxk-9t1YfgRexYOgH-UATR1XvEQJaCzqnfhFuliKcYXk0ISODd93oW2gGVkZwlE1KpUrxrwqcZaSVK3CuuIY-lifzug/s1600/images-4.jpg)
Nonetheless Ender leaves his family behind to study at this elite training school where plans are secretly being made; Ender will train to become the next great commander of the Earth fleet. While at battle school Ender meets the legendary Mazer Rackham, a famous Maori warrior whom singlehandedly defeated the aliens previously, when they attacked Earth. Rackham’s job now is to mentor Ender, to prepare him for the greatest battle of his life.
Director Hood’s rendition of Ender’s Game does just adequate justice to the original plot
of the book. I pined for a grittier, R-rated Prometheus or District 9-ish kind of rendition, and instead I got something related more to Will Smith’s Independence Day.
There were no gaps left in the timeline of the film, gaps
necessary to explain how Ender could possibly have become a fleet commander at
all. As Director Hood portrays it, the audience sees Ender go from cadet to
commander overnight, almost literally. No human past, present, or future, (not
even Ender) could pull that off.
Blasé scenes are followed by descriptions of grandeur that made me
wonder if I had just watched the same scene as the military commanders. In
front of a group of new recruits Ender is praised by Officer Graff (Harrison
Ford) for his intelligence, a set-up for later peer torment? But the
intelligence Ender shows here is hardly praiseworthy. It’s just a smart-alecky
remark about zero gravity. Later, when Ender is confronted by a gang of boys,
whom he ends up defeating, the fight is not convincing, yet again,
administrators swoon. This type of device, apathetic scene followed by glorious
praise occurs over and over throughout the film. Descriptions of awe are
purveyed when no actual awe has taken place.
Asa Butterfield's unmoving performance is largely responsible for the film’s
failure. He is not a convincing Ender, and so all his examples of greatness
seem staged. Every time Ender does something “miraculous” and is praised for
it, it’s reminiscent of the medieval age; a king’s steward dolloping out praise
at every instance to keep his majesty satisfied. Harrison Ford is also pretty
terrible. Come to think of it, pretty much all the acting, except Ben Kinglsey’s
is bad.
Errata: Ender spends significant amounts of time whining about the
administration blocking his email account. What does this have to do with the
plot? Nothing. Since when do starships send and receive email? They don’t.
There’s ansible technology in this world people! (machines capable of
instantaneous or superluminal communication) Starships are way past “email.”
Overall, I’d say Ender’s Game was only kind of bad, but it so totally not awesome.
6.5/10