"Ender's Game" Review

"He's back so soon?" You're damn right I am! Hi, I'm the Man Without A Plan, returning for yet another movie review. This time, we've got "Ender's Game", an adaptation of the beloved sci-fi classic by Orson Scott Card. The story features Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a boy who lives in the distant future. He's chosen for his strategic ability to go to a school for gifted children that teaches them skills for battle and leadership to prepare them for a potential future attack against an alien race who nearly wiped out humanity years before. Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) leads the "Battle School" and wants to train Ender to be the ultimate one-man army. He believes Ender has the potential to command the entire interstellar fleet and wants to keep him isolated to focus on his training and the destruction of the aliens, but his assistant Major Anderson (Viola Davis) wishes to keep Ender's innocence and humanity intact. After all, he's just a kid. Ender tries to balance these opposing ideas while learning how to become the greatest commander the world has ever known. Little does he know he may get his chance to prove himself sooner than he thinks.

I really like this kid. Butterfield plays the "chosen child" archetype with enough confidence to set himself apart from the rest of the kids, but he always feels like a kid. He's playful, mischievous, compassionate. It's rare that I see a main lead that really, you know, leads the movie. So often I see a row of colorful, interesting characters having to make up for the everyman routine the main lead gives off. Here, Ender's charm and wit shines through; he carries the movie superbly.

The "Battle School" is cool too. The design itself is your typical sci-fi: space suits, large shuttles, futuristic technology, etc. However, the slick cinematography and quick editing gives the film an overall crispness that feels stylish. Enough time is spent learning about how the school functions that the sets don't just feel like backgrounds; the film creates a world of its own. The students play through simulations that test their skills in strategy and command. It's kind of like playing laser freeze tag in zero gravity. The object of the game is for one team to get at least one player through their opponent's base. If they manage to get one person through, they win. However, if a player is shot by one of the lasers, they're frozen and move around aimlessly. It's fun to see the kids' different plans and how they're executed. Each game is different from the last and each strategy varies depending on the opponents and conditions applied. This livens up the action and is enjoyable to watch.

Ender struggles between compassion and aggression. Whether it be fighting the aliens, bullies, or even the Colonel at times, he balances between being diplomatic and using brute force to overcome. Unlike movies like "Avatar" or "Independence Day" where one side is advocated over the other, "Ender's Game" chooses to introduce a third overlying option: strategy. Instead of acting right away, Ender tries to look at as many factors he can before making a decision. Inaction doesn't equal indifference here: his reactions to a situation change if new information is introduced. Circumstances matter, especially in conflict, and sometimes a missing piece of the puzzle can make all the difference. A change in reaction doesn't make the choice invalid: he makes the best with what he's got, but it's refreshing to see a movie where its course of action isn't seen as the only right one. The movie gives a scenario and offers the viewer options for interpretation. It realizes that not only is the choice important, but the reason why it's made and how it's executed is important as well, if not even more crucial. I think this is a good idea to introduce, especially to kids, who are developing their processes for dealing with conflict every day. This movie gives them an option to explore that isn't as explored in other movies, showing its ability to be used in real life.

I have few problems in dialogue and an occasional imbalance of tone, but "Ender's Game" was a lot of fun to watch. It's a breath of fresh air in the sea of "man vs. alien" films, exploring the decision-making process of battle and the psychological ramifications of those choices in a way that appeals to a younger demographic without dumbing it down. I really enjoyed this flick, check it out. I'm the Man Without A Plan, signing off.

"Ender's Game" trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UNWLgY-wuo