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By Joshua Tyler | Published
When Orson Scott Card Ender game Extrande the shelves in 1985, it was not just another science fiction novel. It became a phenomenon, a winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, one of the most influential works of modern speculative fiction.
Andrew’s story “Ender” Wiggin, a child genius trained to lead the humanity war against a deadly alien species, was not only alien or battle tactics. He explored the complex psychological and moral dilemmas of war, the manipulation of youth and the destructive consequences of sacrifice. Book fans could only dream of seeing him attacked on the big screen.
When the film adaptation of Ender game Finally, he arrived in 2013, what was supposed to be a franchise headline became a disappointing ruling. It should have been a triumph for science fiction, but instead, it failed to have a lasting impact on both critics and public.
That’s why Ender game failed.
Fulfill the high expectations of a classic
For years, Ender game It was considered “without a film.” The novel is full of internal conflicts and deeply philosophical themes, many of which takes place in the mind of its young protagonist, Ender. In essence, history is about how far it must come in the search for victory, particularly when that victory is achieved through manipulation and deception.
The focus of the novel in the psychological aspects of war, leadership and morals made it a challenging proposal for Hollywood. As the author Orson Scott Card said, the whole story takes place in Ender’s head, which hindered the translation in a medium that depends largely on visual narration.
In the early 2000s, the appetite for science fiction adaptations had grown up, and the success of films such as The hunger games and Divergent It meant that Ender game I had the opportunity to find a audience. In 2008, the rights of the novel were bought by Oddlot Entertainment, and production was launched.
Gavin Hood, director of Criminalwho won a prize from the Academy for the best foreign language film, was hired to direct. Unfortunately, Gavin Hood was also the director of X-Men Origins: WolverineA film considered one of the worst superhero films of all time.
The script was adapted by Hood and a team of writers, and Hood also assumed an important role as a producer. The film was green with a budget of $ 110 million, and the study established its gaze in the creation of a new great success franchise.
A cast that should have worked
The cast of Ender game He was stacked with rising stars and experienced veterans, including Asa Butterfield (Ender Wiggin), Harrison Ford (Colonel Graff), Viola Davis (Major Anderson), Ben Kingsley (Mazer Rackham), Hailee Steinfeld (Petra Arkanian) and Abigail Breslin (Valentine Wiggin). The casting looked like a victory.
Asa Butterfield, who had already impressed in Hugo (2011), was a solid choice to give life to Ender. Harrison Ford, a box office success icon, was well chosen as the Military Military Commander of Nose Colonel Graff. And Ben Kingsley, who was no stranger to interpreting complex roles, assumed the mysterious Mazer Rackham.
Despite the talent involved, the actions themselves did not land as they needed. Ender’s Butterfield Asa representation was solid, but the character lacked emotional depth and ruthless intelligence that caused Ender to be so convincing in the novel.
While the representation of Butterfield captured Ender’s vulnerability and youth, he did not do enough to convey his internal struggle and cold logic that supports his decision -making. This lack of depth made Ender be a less comprehensive character, and that is a critical defect in a film that is supposed to be about the cost of sacrifice.
Harrison Ford Colonel Graff was the best executed performance in the film. Ford has always been excellent for playing grumpy figures with hidden moral ambiguity, and his performance as Graff was no exception. Even so, Ford’s talent could not completely raise the film, which was interrupted by a script that could not highlight the complexity of Graff’s role as a mentor and manipulator.
Plot divergence
The version of the movie of Ender game It remains reasonably faithful to the basic scheme of the novel. Even so, the differences in tone, rhythm and emotional content were significant enough to turn off the fans of the book and leave the cold casual filmmakers.
The basic premise is the same: Young Ender Wiggin is recruited in a military academy, where he trains in increasingly difficult simulations, which finally leads him to command the final battle against formal foreigners. Along the way, Ender faces hard mentors, personal isolation and ethical dilemmas as it rises through the ranks.
The most critical difference between the novel and the film is the representation of Ender’s cruelty. In the book, Ender is a strategist that uses extreme methods to ensure victory. It is emotionally cold, willing to sacrifice anything, including its own humanity, to guarantee the survival of the human race. This makes his eventual realization of what he has done is even more tragic.
The film softens Ender’s character. Their decisions are framed less as calculated acts of cold logic and more as errors or accidents. This characterization change eliminated much of the complexity that caused the book to be so powerful.
The film also drops a significant plot of the book: the complete exploration of Ender’s relationship with his brother, Peter, and his sister, Valentine. These relationships were fundamental for the development of Ender in the novel, highlighting the emotional cost of its isolation and their struggle with their violent tendencies. In the film, these relationships are barely explored, and although Abigail Breslin does a good job as Valentine’s, the emotional bets of Ender’s personal life are minimized significantly.
Hurrying through good parts
The production values of Ender game They were first category, with elegant images, futuristic sets and impressive special effects. The film had a great look, and its heavy battle sequences of CGI, including simulation style training sessions, were visually striking. Maybe I could have felt a little more lived, but the appearance of the film works well.
However, the rhythm of the film harms its ability to offer the emotional depth required for such a complex story. While the book takes its time building Ender’s character, exploring his moral thoughts, motivations and dilemmas, the film hastened through key moments.
The time dedicated to battle simulations and training assemblies could have been used to explore the emotional and philosophical foundations of Ender actions. On the other hand, the audience stays with a series of scenes disconnected and heavy of action that fail to deliver the blow that makes the novel so convincing.
The Ender game fails in the launch
Despite the pedigree of the book, the talented cast and the high production values, Ender game Performed at the box office. The film raised around $ 125 million worldwide, barely covered its $ 110 million budget. Given the expectations of a great success franchise, this was a significant disappointment. The film fought to capture the audience’s attention in a 2013 market full of people.
Critics were divided, with the film into an approval index of 62% in Rotten Tomatoes and a rating of 6.6/10 slightly better in IMDB. While some praised the images and performances, many felt that the film could not meet the complexity and depth of the source material. Ender’s softened representation and the lack of emotional commitment were recurrent criticism.
Why did the Ender game fail?
Over the years, Ender game He has won a small follow -up, particularly among the fans of the book. The availability of the film in the transmission services has given him a new life, but he has not generated the cultural impact that his creators expected. The desire for a franchise never materialized, and the film is still a curiosity in the world of science fiction adaptations.
Ender game He failed because he did not capture the heart of Orson Scott Card’s novel. He lost the soul of history in his attempt to soften. The topics of leadership, sacrifice and the morality of war were there, but were run. The film lost its opportunity to resonate with the public in the way the novel did, and as a result, Ender game Now is another example of a great book that simply did not translate well on the screen.
