Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card | Teen Ink

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

December 2, 2013
By Cobi Broad BRONZE, KEAAU, Hawaii
Cobi Broad BRONZE, KEAAU, Hawaii
3 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Recently we read Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card and watched the movie Ender’s Game. Ender’s Game is a futuristic fantasy novel and movie featuring Andrew “Ender” Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) the third child who was recruited by the I.F. or International Fleet to battle the Formics an alien race that attacked earth many years before. In preparation for the next attack, Colonel Graff and the I.F are training only the best young minds to put an end to their kind for good. Ender Wiggin, is recruited to join the elite. After his brother Peter and sister Valentine were over looked for being too vicious and too sympathetic. Arriving at Battle School, Ender is faced with brutal training, challenges, and simulations but quickly and easily masters them. But like most movies made from novels, the movie was way different from the book, but also their were some things that were the same in the movie as well as in the book. The directors took out a lot of details from the book that everyone was on the edge of their seats waiting for that part to happen. The directors make these cuts to “Benefit the film” but they sometimes make the movie worse.

One major difference was Ender?s age in the book Ender was just six years old but in the movie he was around 12 or 13. Also the fight with Stilson the book sounded so horrible but in the book they were around six but in the movie they were teenagers so it wasn’t as bad. In the book they were fighting by the bus stop but in the movie the fought in the classroom and it was because Ender beat Stilson in a game. I think the director made this change because if you were to show this to little kids it might be a little gruesome. Also the director might have changed Ender?s age to save time through out the movie. Another change in the movie was that Peter didn’t tell Ender that he loved him and he?s sorry for always bullying him also that he never meant any of it. This part should have been in the movie because it shows that Peter loves Ender and cares for him. Also on the flight up to battle school the director left out the part where Bernard hits Ender with his seatbelt and ender braking his arm for hitting him. I think the director cut this out because it might have been a little too gruesome but I think that is the fighting parts are the parts that everyone wanted to see. Also Bean was in the same launchies group as Ender, but in the book Bean and Ender had no contact until Ender?s Dragon army. I don’t know why the director would change this part but maybe they changed it because it would have more effect if Bean and Ender, the two smartest kids knew each other since the start. But I think that Bean was introduced way too early in the movie. Also in the book Ender is playing this mind game that he always plays. He is a mouse and he needs to get past the giant. So the giant says, “There is one cup that is poisonous and one cup that is not. If you choose the right cup you can pass through.” So Ender goes to one cup and fails. Then to the other and he fails. Then he does something that no one has ever done and he jumps right into the giant’s eye and kills him. After he defeats the giant and he sees his sister Valentine and follows her into this weird place. Then he sees his brother Peter in the reflection and throws his game off to the side, because he realizes that he is just like Peter “A killer.”

Ender get promoted to an army from his launchie group, he is the youngest kid to ever be promoted that early. Ender gets promoted to Salamander and the commander of Salamander Army is Bonzo. As soon as Ender meets him Bonzo already hates him. They have their first battle so they do their formation and Bonzo tells Ender to stay behind and be the last one out of the gate. But Ender doesn’t listen and just goes anyway. If you get to the enemy’s gate your team wins. So then the only one that crosses for Salamander Army is Ender. Well, Bonzo is furious with Ender for disobeying him. He ends up taking Ender’s free time, practice away. So now while Ender was taking a shower his Commander, Bonzo comes up to him and wants a fight but Ender does not want to harm him but he has to defend himself. Ender smacks Bonzo and then he falls and hits his head on the edge on the step. Ender is calling for help and Bonzo ends up in really bad condition. Ender feels bad and really wishes he did not do that. Soon after Ender is promoted again to a commander of his very own army, they give him Dragon army. But they give him an army that has been discontinued because they never won a battle.


This book and movie was really good and I would love to watch it again. But this movie just proves that the book is always better. The theme of the book is “ It’s good for you to do what is needed, even if what is need doesn’t always seem to be right.” So in my opinion, you should definitely read the book before you watch the movie. That way you know what’s going on in the movie as you watch. I hope there will be another one of these movies because it didn’t end like how the book ended and the movie was open ended. The movie was really detailed with the main scenes and cut out most of the parts that we not as enjoyable. You should take my advice and watch/read this because it was very great enjoyable.


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