Ender's Game
Rated PG-13 (Violence)
Written and directed by Gavin Hood, based on the book by Orson Scott Card
*** out of ****
They were close. So damn close.
Before I get into the meat of the review, lemme talk about separating the art from the artist. Phil Spector is one of my heroes, and he is spending the rest of his life in prison. He is, and always was, crazy as a shit-house rat. But, the music that he recorded was just amazing. Without Spector, we would have had The Beach Boys, but, would Brian Wilson have had the guts to use the studio as an instrument?
Orson Scott Card is a homophobic asshole, but, that doesn't mean that "Ender's Game" isn't an amazing story. So, while I understand why some people might stay away from the book and the movie, it really is worth your time.
Back to the review.
Andrew "Ender" Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is a Third. Earth has instituted population controls, limiting parents to two children. But, Ender is special. The International Fleet (a united Earth defense force) is looking for humanity's Last Best Hope, and Ender's older siblings were almost, but not quite, the right child for the job. Valentine was too compassionate, and Peter was a psychopath. Hopefully, Ender will be the balance that the IF needs to stop the next Formic (or Bugger) invasion.
Ender is recruited for Battle School, where Major Anderson (Viola Davis) is the bad cop, and Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) is the worse cop. Ender's training is based not only on tactics and physics, but on how he relates to his platoon mates.
The team behind the movie got most of the core of the story. The events (and, I'm taking as a fan of the book) were mostly intact. But, dammit, it's what was left out that is what made the story truly great.
A good portion of the story is based around the Battle Room, a zero-G arena designed to teach tactics and improve unit cohesion. And, it looks great in the movie. It was just too damn short.
That's my main complaint about the whole thing, really. It runs two hours, but, man, there's so much STORY that was left out.
The casting was spot on. Ford was great as Graff, and Butterfield was perfect as Ender. But, it just just felt like an abridgement, and, when a screenplay is adapted, the good ones don't feel abridged.
There are two defining moments that I was worried would be glossed over, but they weren't. Two other things, however...
SPOILERS AHEAD
Ender was pushed past his limits. What he went through was a crime. At best, it was child abuse, and was presented as such in the book, and hinted at in the movie. He was brutalized physically and mentally. He was hated by squadmates, he killed two children in self-defense. When he started winning Battle Room matches, Graff changed the rules. He and his squads were forced to fight multiple battles a day, without sleep or food. At the end, Ender gave up. He, in essence, said "Fuck you" to Graff. "Fuck you. If you aren't going to play by the rules, neither am I. I'm going to win in spite of you, and then, dammit, I am going to quit."
It wasn't heroism, and, while Ender was a tactical genius, it wasn't just that that enabled him to win. It was Ender giving up, Ender telling authority to screw itself, Ender just wanting to go home, that won.
END SPOILERS
They were just so damn close.
There were great moments. Butterfield is a strong actor, but, because the movie was so short, we weren't able to see Ender develop. Davis was a good counterpoint to Ford, but, again, we aren't able to see their doubts, convictions and justifications. We see Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley) but don't see him beat the living hell out of a little boy. (That might not have been due to the length of the movie.)
I first read the book in my early 20's. Others probably read it when they were younger, as it shows up on suggested reading lists in high schools. The movie was stuck in development hell for years (when I read it, Wolfgang Peterson was attached to direct, and I don't think Asa Butterfield had been born).
It was going to be difficult to adapt for anyone, and, this is an admirable effort. If you haven't read the book, the movie is fine. Good effects, decent story, enjoyable all around. If you have read it, you'll know what's missing. They were so damn close.
