Ender's Game Review

rating: 2

The common issue with adapting novels often lies in the pacing. A novel can have all of the time in the world to introduce its characters and then develop them to the point that they have more layers than actual people. As well as this, each event in the narrative, no matter how seemingly insignificant, can be given as much attention as the author sees fit. Ender's Game revolves around a young boy named Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) who is recruited by the International Fleet in a bid to prevent any future attacks from an alien race called the Formics. We follow Ender as he is taken from Earth to train in Battle School with other gifted children and he quickly begins to impress his superiors and earns promotion after promotion. And this is ultimately what mares Ender's Game. Too much plot has been packed into its running time that clocks in underneath two hours. We get no sense of time and the pacing is a shambles. For all we know, we could be watching a week in the life of Ender; or a fortnight, a month, maybe even a year. We're never to know, and we can only assume that those who have previously read the source material are to hold this knowledge. The lack of the sense of time and the hurried narrative also comes across in the dialogue that will serve screenwriters as an example of lazy exposition, the simplest of foreshadowing and no hint of subtext. The film opens with a voiceover monologue from an uncharismatic Butterfield to set the scene, which will probably remind you of this year's flop After Earth, if you were unfortunate enough to experience it. Sometimes it does manage to get away with spoon-feeding you the story, as you have to remember that the film is also aimed at younger audiences, which is easy to forget at times due to the subject matter. The film has few saving graces. These include the confident direction from Gavin Hook, a pleasant surprise coming from the director who assaulted us with X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Shots are often framed with precision and skill, combining nicely with the impressive special effects, some of the best you will see this year which is all the more impressive considering the budget wasn't a groundbreaking one. Sometimes, especially during the final action sequence, the visuals can be reminiscent of a video game, which is arguably excusable due to the title of the film. Although, in saying all of this, due to an underwhelming marketing campaign, it wouldn't be at all surprising if Ender's Game doesn't cook up a storm at the box office. Unfortunately, the performances are nothing to get excited about, either, despite the promising cast. Asa Butterfield doesn't seem to posses the capacity to engulf us into a story as he looks to be on the verge of tears throughout. His character's bouts of anger and rage are more reminiscent of a teenager having a hissy fit as his voice breaks every time he raises it, akin to the character John Connor in Terminator 2. It's unfair to criticise the sixteen-year-old too much, as his already impressive filmography would suggest that he has an exciting career ahead of him. Academy Award nominee Hailee Steinfield is criminally underused, and Viola Davis seems to be on cruise control, doing what she can with weak material. The best outing comes from Harrison Ford in a performance tailor made for himself. He plays the man who recruits Ender, Colonel Graff, a name that proves that character background would be a waste of time; as he growls his way through the film with his gruffness, you can't help but imagine Ford laughing to himself after the day's work when he thinks about his pay cheque for a performance that doesn't stretch his credentials in the slightest. The biggest let down is Ben Kingsley, usually so reliable, but he again is underused to an alarming effect seeing as he was advertised an awful lot during the marketing for the film. He plays a Maori descendent with a questionable New Zealand accent and his character is as two-dimensional as Roger Rabbit but critically lacking the charm or the fun. Try and let that sink in for a second. The film often poses many interesting themes to explore, such as man's love of war, but due to attempting to do too much at once, we barely scratch the surface of any of these themes. This makes Ender's Game all the more disappointing, as it often raises many ambitious questions and shows a lot of promise, but the audience is never delivered the full potential. It's not the worst film of the year by any means, and not even the worst science-fiction thanks to Shyamalan, and some viewers may be enticed by the gorgeous set-design and the morally ambiguous tone, but ultimately, it is too ambitious, and you won't be blamed in thinking that at least two films could have been made to tell this story if it was to reach its full potential, especially when you think back to the sharp and sudden ending that has to be explained via voiceover, perfectly encapsulating the feel of the entire film. Ender's Game is out in cinemas now.