1. The Giant's Drink
The fantasy game that the children play at the Battle School is one of the most interesting aspects of the novel. The game closely resembles MMORPGs of today, expanding and testing the limits of the children through various "choose your own path" scenarios. In the book, Ender beats what should have been the game's highest level, a no-win scenario called The Giant's Drink. The player is given two drinks, one which will kill you, and one that won't. The game is programmed to kill the character either way, and how often a child tries again determines aspects of their character for the adults at the school to study. Ender, becoming frustrated with the game, defeats the Giant in a burst of unexpected violence, by turning into a rat and burrowing into the Giant's eye and killing him. Ender continues on from there, entering a fantasy land that eventually shows images of Peter and Valentine, as the AI of the game creates a detailed psychological response to the pain Ender feels throughout the book. It's the corpse of the Giant, and the fantasy realm beyond it, that the Buggers create in order to communicate with Ender after they're gone. It's where they hide the Hive Queen for him to find, and is a powerful, poignant moment when Ender finds it years later.
Why We Probably Won't See It In the Movie: The fantasy game plotline, again, would require too much screentime that ultimately takes away from the core story at hand. Though it works in the novel, it would be hard to portray on screen, especially the more psychological aspects of it. The book also does very little to explain the nature of the game and how it responds to Ender, something that is held off for the sequel novels. Perhaps we'll see an easter egg of Ender playing the game, and perhaps they will find new ways in order to show what the Hive Queen leaves for Ender to find (maybe he has nightmares, and she leaves clues from those?). Only time will tell how the filmmakers handle the more psychological sides of the story, and it's a shame that such an interesting, intricate part of the book will probably end up on the cutting room floor.
So, there's my list of 5 awesome things from the book that probably won't be translated to the screen. What do you think of the list, and were there any things from the book that you think may not make the final cut? Sound off in the comments below.