Ender's Game

Space high school sucks for teenage fascists in the gripping sci-fi flick, Ender’s Game. Based on the popular novel by famous homophobic bigot Orson Scott Card, this lofty adaptation follows young Andrew “Ender” Wiggin (Asa Butterfield, holding it down) as he’s trained in an orbiting military academy to lead the next war against hostile “Formic” aliens. Grumpy old man Harrison Ford fusses about as Ender’s commander, while Viola Davis worries about the boy’s disturbed psychological state and Hailee Steinfeld holds his hand as a more experienced cadet. War, here, serves as a stand-in for youth’s tactical struggle against bullies, girls and harsh authority. Writer/director Gavin Hood moves his world along with ambition, using the film’s momentum to prevent his protagonist from getting too comfortable. That’s a double-edged sword, since that brisk pace also undercuts the movie’s devastating denouement. EG is a lot of fun, but all that excitement drowns out its own message. —Jacob Boon