‘Ender’s Game’ DVD Review: A Beautiful Adaptation

I missed Ender’s Game in the theaters, but I was eager to check it out on DVD after hearing a wide range of reviews from friends. While I definitely think I would have enjoyed it more in IMAX, I was still entertained watching it on the small screen.

The film is based on the popular 1985 YA novel of the same name by Orson Scott Card. It’s set in a future where children are expected to defend humankind against an alien race (Formics) which attacked Earth 50 years earlier. Our hopes lie with Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a character that quickly wins over viewers after swiftly dealing with a bully in Battle School, and that’s just how he catches the eyes of those onlooking military commanders as well. Ender learns the art of war through a series of virtual reality war games (hence the title of the book and film). The ultimate goal? Ender has to learn to think like the enemy in order to win the war and prevent another alien invasion.

Ender’s Game is a great looking film and is pretty good for what you’d expect. With $110 million dollar budget – they didn’t shortchange audiences when it came to effects. The acting was quite strong as well. Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin round out the young talent, where Harrison Ford, Viola Davis and Ben Kingsley give stellar performances yet again. My only complaint here is that there wasn’t more of Ender’s sister, Valentine (Breslin), a character who book fans will wish was more involved in the storyline of the film. She’s barely there.

Overall, the film brings out the preteen in all of us, and for those of us that read the book back in our youth – it’s exciting to see the story finally brought to life… even if there are some noticeable changes.

Special features on the Blu-ray DVD include: Audio Commentary, Ender’s World: The Making of Ender’s Game (Featurette), Inside The Mind Game (Featurette), and deleted and extended scenes.

Grade: B
Review By: Emma Loggins