TOW #8- Ender's Game Movie Review by Manohla Dargis

Manohla Dargis, A critic for the New York Times, critiqued the movie Ender’s Game in her movie review, “And a Child Shall Lead Them Into Battle.” As she seemingly mocks the movie, Dargis gives her insightful view of the successes and failures of the film. Ender’s Game is a movie based on the novel by Oston Scott Card detailing the endeavors of a boy who must lead the humans against an alien race. By comparing Ender’s Game to other world-renowned films, and implementing humorous figurative language, Dargis ultimately succeeds in conveying this view. Throughout the text, allusions and comparisons to other movies can be found in each paragraph. Each of these comparisons connect with an audience familiar with movies, the likes of which would choose to read a review. For example, “Like the kids in the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise and in ‘The Hunger Games,’ Ender and his schoolmates do have childish moments. Yet what’s striking about the children in these pop culture behemoths is that, unlike in ‘Rebel,’ they aren’t allowed to pretend to be adults, because the world compels them to assume those roles.” Throughout the text, Dargis references films seemingly irrelevant to Ender’s Game in order to connect to her audience’s prior knowledge, while also assisting in conveying her points. Instead of thorough explanations of her point, she chooses to make a comparison to a movie her audience presumably has already seen. This also helps her to establish credibility, as it establishes her familiarity with a variety of films. Figurative language also is a tool used by Dargis to get her points across. For example, Dargis states that, “As he furiously moves spaceships and troops across computer screens, he looks, by turns, like a superexcited kid, an orchestra conductor, Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice and even a Christ figure.” By using a simile, Dargis is able to display in image to readers in a way that is humorous and connectable. As her audience would be familiar with the majority of these references, the strategy used to present information is logical. These readers would be able to imagine this event in their head, and be humored by what they saw. This would also convey the idea that the event in the movie was humorously unrealistic and unnatural, thus making her point and mocking the film.

And a Child Shall Lead Them Into Battle

Ender's Game
http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2013/10/31/review-enders-game/