Ender's Game

Finally, Orson Scott Card’s epic novel is adapted for the big screen and, regrettably, it misses the mark. Asa Butterfield plays Ender Wiggin, a future young master strategist who is picked by a determined Colonel (a craggy and fun Harrison Ford) to eventually command a crew of teens. The hope is that the teens (including True Grit’s Hailee Steinfeld), through a series of drills and exercises can eventually gain the knowledge to lead Earth in a war against an insect-like alien species. The premise is a good one (and a trendsetter for such franchises as The Matrix and Harry Potter, being that Card penned the novel almost two decades ago), but Butterfield is a bust in the title role, rendering much of the movie flat and lifeless. Ford is the best thing in the movie, and I hope this acts a as a nice bridge for him to the Star Wars franchise; it’s indeed cool to see him doing sci-fi again. This movie feels abbreviated, with a rushed ending. Perhaps they should’ve done it as a TV miniseries, and recast the lead.