‘Ender’s Game’: How Orson Scott Card’s Iconic Sci-Fi Novel Became A Must-See Movie

Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff and Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin in "Ender's Game." Summit Entertainment

I am a huge fan of "Ender's Game" so when I first saw images of the movie production, I was apprehensive. Not because I wasn't anxious to see to Orson Scott Card's sci-fi classic come to life, but because I didn't want to see it ruined. I am an avid reader, especially in the cult-like sci-fi genre, and each time Hollywood gets its grubby hands on a book, they seem to take what made the literature great and change it for the box office. But fortunately for fans of the novel, the "Ender's Game" movie is setting a new precedent, now I will never go as far as to say that a movie is better than its inspiration, but the "Ender's Game" film adaptation is certainly close.

"Ender's Game" distanced itself from recent book to film adaptions by approaching the young adult market with a fresh idea. The film favors "intelligent and impactful ideas," over romance and relationships, now that's not to say that the film is without emotion, but director and screenwriter Gavin Hood provided a mature and cold science-fiction, that withholds the most important emotional reveal until the final moments. This formula for success was not Hood's original idea; he just wisely refused to infuse unnecessary emotion into the stark landscape of "Ender's Game" solely for Hollywood's sake.

The mature story line follows the setting of Car's story, Ender is a child, barley a ten when he is thrust into the strict world of military life, Hood's passionate reveal at the end of film was achieved by simply following Card's cues. This is the first success of "Ender's Game" as a film, the original script was adapted from the novel with authenticity and understanding, which minimized, if not completely eliminated, the normal stripping that Hollywood performs on a story's most characteristic elements.

The other aspect of "Ender's Game" that makes it a must-see movie is its maturity and deep meaning despite its young adult directed audience. Ender Wiggin, has been literally born and bred for war, as a "third" he was born despite a strict 2 child policy via a program aiming at producing commanders for humanity's war against the Formics, or "Buggers," an alien race. The second invasion of the Formics almost eliminated Earth therefore Ender's training is rigorous both physically and emotionally as he prepares himself to be an lite commander and killer, with the sole goal of annihilating an entire "rival" species.

The film does not shy away from the gruesome trials that Ender, the boy genius. Endures while training in battle school. He is isolated from his family, and is also a prime victim for constant bullying due to his heightened IQ and abilities; this horrible existence for a child is not smoothed over in the film. There is no Hollywood glamor added to the film, Ender does not get a girlfriend, forget his killer instinct and become a lovable adolescent. Instead, the young child struggles with the implications of his horrific actions and abilities, always at odds with his inner monologue that pushes him towards extreme violence.

Hood truly and almost as well as Card, attacks head on the morally complex situation of using child soldiers, the unsympathetic nature of war, and acceptance or lack of acceptance for those who are different from us. These complicated concepts are seamlessly interwoven into the film, which is still an exciting sci-fi adventure despite the heavy lessons buried within. "Ender's Game" opens in US theaters on Friday, November 1.