“Ender’s Game”, the movie based off of Orson Scott Card’s renowned novel, does not live up to expectations, as the movie feels rushed and misrepresents the novel.

This film is directed by Gavin Hood and stars Asa Butterfield, who plays the main role of Ender Wiggin, and Harrison Ford, who plays Colonel Graff.

This sci-fi adventure film takes place in the year 2086, when aliens known as the Formics attempt to colonize Earth. Commander Mazer Rackham, played by Ben Kingsley, is able to stop them, although thousands of innocent people are killed in the process. Nearly 50 years later, after his actions have been constantly monitored by Colonel Graff, Ender Wiggin proves to be a prodigy, as he is the best fighter and thinker the International Fleet has seen.

He leaves his family behind on Earth and is taken to Battle School in space, where he is trained to be a commander. At Battle School, Ender learns how to fight and lead troops, hoping that one day he will be the person who saves Earth from another Formic invasion.

The film was interesting, but it seemed like the average run of the mill sci-fi movie. The only difference was that children were the heroes instead of an adult. Another issue was that the sets looked fake, making the movie seem cheap.

Although the general story-line and movie itself was a good watch, a major disappointment was the failure of the film to convey the full message of Card’s original novel. For example, in the beginning of the novel, Ender is six years old, and by the end he is 10, a detail that enables the reader to experience his entire journey. However, in the movie, Ender is already a teenager and remains the same age throughout, making the movie feel rushed. In addition to not conveying Card’s message, the way Ender is portrayed makes it seem as if he is a nice boy and is not aggressive, when in the novel, he is supposed to be a violent character. Also, Ender’s siblings are rarely seen in the movie, but they play a huge role in the book, resulting in an incomplete adaptation.

Even though the film misrepresented Ender, Asa Butterfield fit the role perfectly, and did a good job of acting.

Another flaw with the movie was Moisés Arias’ portrayal of the character Bonzo, a tough bully who constantly harrasses and despises Ender. Although he acted well, his past performance as Rico Suave, a small, mean, rich boy, in the Disney Channel series, “Hannah Montana”, weighed in heavily and prevented me from taking him seriously.

“Ender’s Game” is currently ranked second overall on iTunes and is number one in the genre of action and adventure.