Review of Ender's Game (2013) by Commanderdonut — 30 Mar 2014

Let me preface this by saying that I am generally a fan of book to film conversions, especially when, as in this case, the author has had a hand in its production. I watched the Harry Potter films with a certain amount of glee knowing that its author had played a fairly integral part in bringing them to life, and it was with this in mind that I had been greatly anticipating seeing Ender brought to life on the big screen.

I have read the entire Ender series dozens of times over the years, with each re-reading being as fulfilling as the first, so when I heard rumours that it was finally to be made in to a film I was overjoyed. Learning that Card himself was to play a part in its transformation was also pleasing news. Until that is I actually watched it.

Let me be plain here. I do not expect any book, especially one of the same caliber as Enders Game, to translate perfectly on to the silver screen. Conversely I did not expect this a conversion to be such a gigantic insult to the source material. Literally everything in this movie is a watered down, imbecilic simplification of the book. Any and all feeling of connection with Ender is stripped away in the first few minutes and it doesn't get any better from there on out.

For the sake of not posting spoilers for anyone who may not have seen the film yet (and I advise that you do not) I won't go in to any detail, but suffice to say that whatever it was about Cards original novel that allowed the reader to connect to its characters has been as thoroughly vaporized as the enemies ships. From almost the moment the film begins you are rushed through at a light speed pace, never getting time to understand the characters or their motivations nor their connections to one another. Ender as he appears in the novel was someone that many thousands of people grew attached to, felt a kinship with and that is something that was a core requirement of making this in to a film. They failed. Miserably. I no more connected with this version of Ender than I could connect with a toilet roll. He and all the supporting cast were as devoid of meaning and feeling as it is possible for any living being to be and the entire film became an exercise in tediousness. I can think of no worse fate for Ender than to have been mutilated, chewed up and spat out in the manner that this film done, shame on Card for allowing this and shame on the cretin who made it.