The novel Ender’s Game has endured quite a troubled path from it’s original publication in the 80’s to the silver screen. After numerous stalled attempts, writer/director Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) has finally managed to mount a big-budget adaptation. And while this is a decent attempt, there are still some glitches that prevent it from truly reaching the stratosphere.
The story is set some time after an intergalactic war between humans and a insect-like alien race. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is a brilliant young student with a strategic mind. Ostracized by his peers, he also possesses an innate ability to understand and anticipate the actions of those around him. He’s immediately recruited by Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) into a battle training program for youngsters, so that he may lead, “…a war to prevent all future wars.” Just as before, Ender is despised and isolated by several students, but begins to advance through the training process, impressing the likes of not only the Graff, but war hero Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley) and Major Anderson (Viola Davis).
The cast are all very good, but have some trouble connecting with viewers. It’s difficult to say whether those who haven’t read the book will feel the same way, but the story seems cut to the bone and moves too rapidly. It’s difficult to get to know the lead and more importantly relate to him when the film is focused primarily on his combat training. It appears as though Ender’s sister Valentine (Abigail Breslin) is supposed to be an important character whose advice and morals are of great importance to the protagonist. However, she is introduced so quickly and discarded that a big, dramatic scene between the two late in the film doesn’t have any emotional impact. Another superior who responds very negatively to Ender has a change of heart so soon afterward that his gesture doesn’t feel plausible.
While the characters don’t resonate particularly well, the positive to a film that moves like a rocket is that it’s rarely dull. And with most of the emphasis on the battle room scenarios, the action is visually interesting. Characters engage in laser gun combat propelling themselves through an anti-gravity chamber. They hide behind doors and floating objects, developing elaborate strategies to defeat their competitors. These scenes are uniquely presented and are quite fun and dynamic to watch.
Unfortunately, another aspect that this adaptation can’t quite get a handle on is its message. To be frank, the book itself contains some morally dubious actions and its characters harbor some very right wing ideologies. Whether the source material is advocating or criticizing these views is a matter of perception. Another sci-fi film from a few years back deftly handled these kinds of issues, but the screenplay for this feature struggles with it. There are some comments questioning decisions and even a grand speech about the horrors of war. Yet these ideas and the character’s actions still come across in a muddy and contradictory fashion. This may seem a little heavy for what has been advertised escapist sci-fi fare, but the tone itself is serious and the execution feels tangled.
To enjoy the film, it’s probably best not to think about these ambiguities. Ender’s Game is certainly a well made and at times exciting film, but its lack of further character development, over emphasis on gee-whiz space battles and imprecise treatment of its bigger themes just keep it from truly hitting the mark.