Ender’s Game

About all that’s missing from Ender’s Game is the joystick and the scoreboard in the corner of the screen.

It might be based on the first in a series of popular science fiction novels by Orson Scott Card, but this visually striking big-screen adaptation instead resembles watching someone else play a video game.

The story takes place in the near future, following an attack on Earth by an alien race known as the Formics against a human army led by a commander (Ben Kingsley) whose heroic sacrifice might have saved the planet from total destruction.

In retaliation, a demanding military colonel named Graff (Harrison Ford) decides to recruit the brightest and most cunning children to train at an elaborate space station as the next war heroes. Among them is Ender (Asa Butterfield), a social outcast who quickly rises through the ranks during boot camp with his strategic abilities in zero-gravity training exercises.

As the enemy prepares to possibly launch another attack, Graff thinks Ender’s leadership among his peers could be the key to saving the human race.

The film’s structure resembles that of an arcade game, complete with levels of advancement and a convoluted climax that feels like a bonus round for our young protagonist. That doesn’t leave many avenues for emotional engagement with the audience, despite its trumped-up life-and-death scenario.

Butterfield (Hugo) and his character might resonate with children, with his evolution from passive follower to brash leader, along with his obligatory romantic interest and navigation of adolescent social circles. As for adults, they might find some value in the half-hearted subtext that has been watered down from the source material, including discussions about military tactics and the ethics of bringing children into battle.

Yet South African director Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), who also adapted the screenplay, is more interested in style than substance. He stages an imaginative futuristic world with a handful of cool action sequences and seamless visual effects – including some in 3D, of course.

Along the way, Ford growls out a few good lines in a film that’s obviously meant to become the first installment in a big-budget franchise, complete with a bit of a cliffhanger at the end. Whether Ender’s Game continues, obviously, will be a decision based more on financial than creative grounds.

Rated PG-13, 114 minutes.