ENDER'S GAME

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  Starring Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld, Ben Kingsley

  Directed by Gavin Hood

  I never read ENDER'S GAME (I know, shame on me), so I went into this film with no overblown expectations. I was pleasantly suprised at the darker tone of the story itself and the relevance of it even now.

  If you, like me, haven't read the book and have only seem the truly vague (for good reason) trailers, the story follows Ender (Asa Butterfield) as he is recruited into the International Military. The military is a means to stop the Formics, an alien race that, fifty years previously, had come close to putting the human race into extinction. As a brash colonel (Harrison Ford) takes an interest in him for his strategic mind and a slight tendency towards violence, we learn that not everything is as it seems.

  Butterfield is quite the presence, bringing much needed humanity to this character; Ender himself is a tactical machine, which Butterfield turns into both a blessing and a curse. Ford is fantastic as always and (to me) hasn't looked this young and vibrant in about two decades; as Graff, Ford portrays a constant grey area and you never really know where his morals lie (or if he even has any). Hailee Steinfeld plays a fellow cadet who takes an instant shine to Ender and helps him almost instantly. Abigail Breslin and Viola Davis have very minor roles, both having to do with trying to keep Ender's humanity intact. And now, we come to Ben Kingsley. In a small but important role, his role was a shock (I may have gasped, but that's just because I didn't read the book....again, shame on me).

  The story itself is a study of a loss of innocence in general and whether the big picture is all that should be viewed. It was a great experience. However, if I'm going to recommend a film that is primarily based in space, this would be my second recommendation. Once again, it's quite enjoyable, but a second choice none the less.

  *Asa Butterfield is fantastic in another film based on a book called HUGO. It's directed by Martin Scorsese and is quite a great film. Please, if you get a chance, watch it; I promise you'll fall in love with it.