Ender's Game: Kids in Space

I am not a member of the Ender's Game  cult. I remember reading it, and liking it OK, but it didn't stick with me the way a Dune or a Snowcrash did (both of which you should read, right now. Especially Dune. DO IT). The bummer elements of the novel didn't jive with how rad twelve-year-old James thought space combat was. Consider the aliens' feelings? Fuck that noise.

Major.

For those of you unfamiliar with the novel, Ender's Game is about a bunch of highly talented kids recruited to command earth's military in the final stages of an alien war because, very simply, they're better at commanding than grownups. There's more nuance than that which you can learn all about by reading the book if you're so inclined. Just remember- kids. aliens. space battles.

Because I was pretty "meh" about the novel, it was with an overwhelming sense of "meh" that I approached Alamo Village last night, and it lingered. Through the whole movie. Through all of Ender's intense training. All the little kid fist fights. All of Harrison Ford's scowls and Ben Kingsley's face tats. I didn't have a bad time; it's always nice to drink a frosty cold diet coke in the dark. I just didn't have a good time, either.

The biggest problem with Ender's Game cinema version is the pacing. I may not have loved the book, but I do respect it. It asks some pretty heavy questions about the morals of war, understanding your enemy's position, and exploiting the few for the good of the many, especially for a YA novel. The psychological strain Ender and his cohorts endure is brutal, and you feel as much intensely in the book. That gets lost in the movie, which replaces the novel's cerebral weirdness with battle training montages. What that distills to is an OK science fiction movie. Not a great one. Probably not one you should spend money on. Just an OK one. 

I fully acknowledge that I've just written a "The Book is Better than the Movie" review, which you're welcome to call me out on. Just know I already hate myself a little for it. 

...this will probably be the only time I ever complain about battle montages.

Directed By: Gavin Hood (otherwise known as the man who managed to steal this gay bashing asshole's crown for directing the worst X-Men movie! Impressive work, you hack.)

Starring: Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, the bad-ass girl from True Grit, and Little Miss Sunshine. 

You Should see it if: You're bored and/or you're a fan of the books. If they make a movie out of a book you love, even a bad one, you should see it, just to feel righteous about how much better you could have made the movie. LOOKING AT YOU, DREAMCATCHER.