Ender's Game

Some kind of space Harry Potter in a dull story about doing a genocide US style as if it would be a video game.

Boring and with the stupid "we are not so bad" ending to make everybody happy.

Still wondering what Harrision Ford and Ben Kingsley are doing in this movie ...

I doubt "Ender Wiggin" (Asa Butterfield) would be anyone's idea of a soldier but "Col. Graff" (Harrison Ford) reckons his reaction to some bullies might suggest he has more mettle than his weedy physique indicates. His bootcamp experiences are much the same with loads of muscle-bound bullies making his life difficult but "Graff" isn't interested in making his life any easier, despite the occasional protests of his sidekick "Anderson" (Voila Davis). Indeed he actually ups the ante considerably when the young man is introduced to the eccentric "Mazer" (Sir Ben Kingsley). A veteran of the ongoing deadlocked war with the "Formics" that everyone hopes can train the the young "Ender" to break. Butterfield does quite well here as the youngster but both Ford and Kingsley underwhelm with the latter, tattoo-covered, character more hammy than intimidating as the story gradually stops being about the people and more of a video game with great visual effects, but a rather weak conclusion to the story that is inconsistently paced for two hours. I like the genre and it tries to be a bit different in it's approach to sci-fi story with a bit of a conscience. Worth a watch.

Score: 6/10 - A Technically Proficient, Emotionally Hollow Adaptation

There are certain books that lodge themselves in your psyche so deeply that decades later, scenes, lines, and questions still surface unbidden. Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is one such novel. Published in 1985, it was a seismic work of speculative fiction, a brilliant, brutal, and morally devastating exploration of childhood, manipulation, and the terrible cost of victory. For those of us who read it forty years ago and still think about it, the 2013 film adaptation arrives with impossible baggage. Judged purely as a movie, it is competent, visually striking, and well acted. Judged as an adaptation of a foundational text, it is a profound disappointment.

What Works (On Its Own Terms):

Visual Spectacle: The film looks the part. The Battle Room sequences, zero-gravity combat with floating armies of child soldiers—are rendered with genuine scale and excitement. The CGI is seamless, and the production design captures the stark, utilitarian brutality of the Battle School. It is a visually immersive experience. Asa Butterfield's Performance: Butterfield does credible work as Ender. He captures the character's isolation, his reluctant brilliance, and the terrible weight placed upon him. The conflict is there in his eyes, even when the script fails to give it the space it needs. Harrison Ford as Graff: Ford brings gravitas to Colonel Graff, the manipulative architect of Ender's torment. He sells the character's cold, utilitarian amorality, even if the film softens his edges significantly.

Why It Fails (For Those Who Carry the Book):

This is where the review becomes personal and necessary. There is nothing in this movie that resonates. The novel's power was its interiority. We were inside Ender's mind for every strategic calculation, every sleepless night, every moment of self doubt and creeping horror. We understood not just what he did, but why and th...