[Films] Ender's Game

As may have become obvious from some of my previous posts on this blog, I quite like science fiction. Whether it be novels, television shows, films, or games, if it's sci-fi then I'll at least give it a try. Like most genres there are some 'classics', one of which is the novel Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Actually I hesitate to call it a novel, as it's actually pretty short. But it packs a lot into its slim page count, and manages to tackle some pretty weighty issues (more on that later). A few years ago a film version was announced, to cautious optimism from sci-fi fans. How well would the parallel storylines of the book fit into a cinematic format, and would the film pull its punches on the moral issues?

I love the style and composition of this image - Ender in the dark, staring out at the world. (Credit: fanart.tv)

Sadly Ender's Game was another film that I didn't manage to get to see at the cinema on its release. Which means it was the student cinema to the rescue once again! I went to see it last night, and really enjoyed it.

Firstly, lets talk about issue number one - the stories in the book. Or rather story singular as it is here; for the film the secondary storyline which features Ender's brother and sister becoming political activist bloggers (effectively) is dropped. Wisely in my opinion, as I think that it would have been hard to mesh with the main storyline within the time constraints of the film, and distracted the audience from some of the other issues that the film brings up (again, more on those later). That main storyline, of Ender being 'the one' to save mankind from the aliens, going through battle school, and then unknowingly fighting a war of annihilation, is well handled. Yes, there are some aspects, like the battle school, that I'm sure are shortened compared to the book; disappointingly so in the case of the battle school, as the scenes that take place in zero-gravity are a lot of fun and could have been used more heavily I think. But the salient points are all there and, more importantly, the crucial interactions with the other characters that drive the story forward are brought front and centre. Some of those characters have expanded roles compared to the novel - notably Bean, for whom material is brought in from the parallel novel Ender's Shadow.

The scenes in the zero-gravity battle school are a lot of fun, and are very well done for what could have been

some difficult scenes to pull off. (Credit: digitaltrends.com)

Next, the actors. Asa Butterfield plays Ender, and I'm not sure what I think of him. He has the right amount of cool and calm to him for the most part, but struggles somewhat in the more emotional scenes. Don't get me wrong, he's no Daniel Radcliffe from the first Harry Potter film, or Keanu Reeves. But I never really felt attached to Ender, which is a bit of a problem considering those previously mentioned moral issues in the story. I can't put this all on Asa though; I remember having the same problem with the character of Ender in the novel as well. Harrison Ford is good, as he should be, as the uncompromising Colonel Graff, Ben Kingsley is also very good as the oddly South African sounding Mazer Rackham, and Viola Davis gives the film a bit of emotional balance as Major Anderson. But for me it was the other children, particularly Ender's 'team', who are the standouts. They don't have a lot to do in some cases, and are really supporting cast for the main man, but they're very good. Aramis Knight as Bean in particular.

The film is very enjoyable for what it is on the surface - a story about a young man with the expectations of the world on his shoulders, preparing himself single mindedly for the fight to save mankind. But there's subtext going on that really elevates the film for me, and that I was much better placed to appreciate now than I was when I read the book several years ago. As in the book the film doesn't shove these moral quandaries in your face for much of the film; they're brought up via the discussions and arguments between Graff and Anderson, who act almost as proxies for the two sides of the debate. When Anderson quits and Graff takes control it seems almost as though Orson Scott Card endorses his position. But then the end of the film hits and the same questions are brought to the fore and revealed as the entire purpose. The film takes this further in the direction of a particular resolution to the debate; I felt that the book was more successful in letting the reader/viewer make up their own mind on the morality of Colonel Graff's actions.

A propaganda poster, showing the battle school spacecraft and one of the central messages of the training program

In the end, it's revealed to be a lie. (Credit: firstshowing.net)

So what are those moral issues I've mentioned? Well for a start there's the idea of training children as warriors, and having adults fight a war using children. Are they being deprived of their innocence and childhood? Is their creativity and adaptability essential? How much are we willing to sacrifice for victory? From ourselves? From other people? Then there's the question of how far to pursue a defeated enemy - annihilation, as in the film? Is aggression warranted if it's considered to be self-defence, and how far should that aggression be taken? One of the twists at the end of the story is the revelation that the humans have been forcing the war along, and that much of what's used to justify their actions could be considered as reaction to their aggression in the first place - does propaganda have its place? Finally, the dial on which the final act turns. Can we be responsible for our actions if we think it's not real? Ender and his friends think they're carrying out training simulations, but they're fighting real battles. Are they responsible for genocide, or is it the higher ranks who duped them into it? Would they act differently if they knew the scenario was real? Was it ethical for them to be tricked into fighting the war in that way?

A scene from the final act of the film, in which Ender and his elite cadre fight a war under the illusion of a training regime.

When you find out what's been going on, it makes the previous scenes all the more poingnant. (Credit: thinkingfilmcollective.blogspot.com)

As I said, weighty issues, and ones that are all the more obvious when presented visually and audibly than when on the page. As a story it certainly gives the person watching (or reading) a lot to think about, and is the reason that it's become a classic I think. If, like me, you like sci-fi then you'll see this film for the overtly genre themes of spaceships and aliens, and for the chance to see a classic of the genre brought to life. But I think that everyone can enjoy the philosophical core that beats at its heart.