The Game has Ended

About 2 years ago I was having a discussion about books with a colleague of mine. She was shocked that even though I liked Sci-Fi (TV and movies) I didn’t read a lot of sci-fi. It has something to do with the dryness of the overall writing styles and I could not properly get into the worlds that were described unlike when it is on film. She recommended that I read “Ender’s Game” and it should change my mind.

I took her advice, picked up the book shortly after our discussion and began to read. At first I really enjoyed the book; I was intrigued by the characters, the different but not so different future setting, and the overall world that Orson Scott Card had brought to life. But about halfway through it began to drag losing pace and development and my interests began to wane. I stuck with it though, and the conclusion of the book was nuanced, interesting, and fulfilling. But it was not enough for me to pick up the other books in the series to venture further into this future world.

Not long after I heard about the movie being made. I was curious as to how this quite deep book would translate on the big screen. I saw Ender’s Game Tuesday night and, like the book, it was alright I guess.

In a future where hundreds of millions of lives were lost in an attempted alien invasion, humans have to think differently in their tactics to preserve the life that is left on earth. Young, brilliant, minds are recruited into a vigorous military program to find the one who would lead our forces to victory. They have finally found someone with potential, drive, and the tactical mind that they need, Ender Wiggins.

I have 2 views on this adaptation, one of a person who has read the book and one of a person who hasn’t. I saw this movie with my cousin who hadn’t read the book and before I started talking I let him explain what he thought and why. He did not connect with the characters. He thought that Ender came off as obnoxious and the ending seemed tacked on and somewhat stupid. There were holes in the story where something was clearly missing that would make this a more fulfilling experience. Everything seemed rushed but the battle sequences were pretty cool.

As a person who has read the book I did not and am not going to say something as cliche as, “The book was so much better than the movie” because really they are both on the same level but the nuances that were necessary to make the story work properly were removed making the story somewhat disjointed. I can fill in those blanks and better understand what is on screen but for those coming into this blind it is not a complete experience.

I can also delve into the characters better, analyse the casting choices, and breakdown the overall performances. Asa Butterfield as Ender wasn’t a bad choice but wasn’t the best choice either. He was able to pull off the quiet subtle scenes filled with angst and rebellion but the bigger scenes where he had to be strong, angry, fearsome, fell flat. Abigail Breslin as Valentine, Ender’s sister, was wasted. In the books she has a full and complex subplot that built her character and brought an understanding to her motivations. But because that story has been stripped from the film she comes off as weak, weepy, and her motivations are not understood. Hailee Steinfeld as Petra was strangely directed. She is one of the few girls in a military school, she in an awkward stage in her life and she is very much a tomboy. But in this she is very feminine and extremely flirtatious. Harrison Ford gets the job done as Colonel Graff but he really seemed kinda bored most of the time. Viola Davis was great as Major Anderson and I would have loved to see more of her character. Ben Kingsley as Mazer Rackham was strange. He was supposed to be so he did the job that was necessary but his reveal and overall character was supposed to be a revelation. And that is not how it came across in the film. There was something missing. The rest of the cast was truly a supporting cast as they were necessary to flush out the environment and move the story forward but their importance wasn’t properly acknowledged or shown. Their actions seemed out of place and sudden.

But many of the misunderstood actions of the characters has a lot to do with the pacing of the film. The timeline is greatly shortened compared to that of the book. This is could have worked but everything seems rushed and sudden, moving at an unnatural speed. Characters break and form allegiances for no real, observable, reason; they become skilled in unimaginable ways in almost no time; and emotional attachments are formed out of nowhere. Because of this many things just don’t make sense and you do not develop the proper connection to the characters to really care about their well being or purpose.

The film makers seemed to have skimmed the story, took out some key parts, and just used that as a vehicle to get to the action sequences. This is not the way it should have been. It the action sequences should have been a vehicle to move the story. Mind you the sequences were beautiful, hectic, and grand. They showcased the future technologies, threats, and accomplishments of mankind. But without the proper connecting points they seemed almost pointless.

Ender’s Game is a film to be seen on a big screen cuz it is very grand but I am not highly endorsing it. The big screen is necessary for the battle sequences but the rest would be better given sparse attention at home. There is too much missing for this to be a great movie and that is not just because I know the “whole” story.

Tra