Ender’s Game was an extremely successful novel, winning the Hugo and Nebula Awards, two of highest honors in fantasy writing. The movie version is a riveting sci-fi epic with an all-star cast: Asa Butterfield (Hugo) as Ender Wiggin, Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones, Star Wars) as General Graff, Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Schindler’s List, Hugo) as the legendary hero Mazer Rackham, Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit, Romeo and Juliet) as Petra, Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) as Valentine Wiggin, and Viola Davis (Eat, Pray, Love; The Help) as Major Gwen Anderson.

Ender’s Game tells the story of a futuristic Earth where the planet threatened by a mysterious alien race called the Formics. Children grow up learning about the heroic feats of Commander Mazer Rackham and how he defeated the Formics many years before.  Earth is still in peril of invasion by these engimatic beings, and in each generation, an elite cadre of handpicked youth are sent to Battle School where they learn the military tactics that might just finish off the Formics once and for all.

Ender Wiggin is one of these select few. The movie begins by revealing his complicated school life, where he is bullied for beating the other students at the war simulations they play.  The opening also briefly introduces his complicated relationship with his parents and brother, and his positive relationship with his sister Valentine. When Ender is sent to Battle School and advances quickly through the different ranks – winning the overdue admiration of his peers – there is something holding him back from being too successful. When he finally stands up for himself (after still getting bullied for being a know-it-all and surpassing everyone in school and war games), he is simultaneously ruthless (like his brother) and compassionate (like his sister). Although Ender is capable of great violence, he does not want to be a killer, physically or mentally. Will this hesitance hinder his ability to be a strong battle commander and kill off an entire species for the common good?

I did not get the chance to read the book Ender’s Game before I saw the movie, but it has been noted by critics that many of the thought-provoking parts the novel were cut from the film; action scenes were made the main focus. If you are a die-hard fan of the Ender’s Game books, I would suggest going with a couple of your friends who are also big fans.  Even if the movie deletes an awesome part from the book, you can always gripe about it with a sympathetic crowd on the way home. As for the others among you who did not read the book, I would recommend seeing Ender’s Game — I was very entertained. The acting was great; there were very cool special effects, and the experience was overall enjoyable.

The entertainment value of the movie notwithstanding, it has been a source of controversy. Orson Scott Card, the author of Ender’s Game (along with the other books in the series) is well known for his extremist politics.  Card is a well known anti-gay activist and has funded campaigns against LGBT rights, stating in The Mormon Times that homosexuality is a “tragic genetic mixup” and “the end of democracy in America.” He is a member of the National Organization of Marriage (NOM), an anti-gay organization whose motto is, “Protecting Marriage and the Faith Communities that Sustain It.”  Card was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon religion). One might assume his religious background is responsible for his opinions (as there is still a substantial minority of Americans opposed to marriage equality), but there are a lot of people in the U.S. and the world who are both highly religious and supportive of gay rights.  Many people who support LGBT rights are boycotting the movie because of Card’s views.

It’s important that those who do support marriage equality advocate for these causes in a positive manner that generate respect. Recently, Orson Scott Card released a statement to Entertainment Weekly, asking for “tolerance” of his anti-gay views, saying, “Now it will be interesting to see whether the victorious proponents of gay marriage will show tolerance toward those who disagreed with them when the issue was still in dispute.”

While it will be interesting to see how this issue irons out over time, Card’s opposition in this battle of opinion seems much more focused in its goals.  Although Card (listed as a producer on the Ender’s Game film) apparently sold his rights outright to Lionsgate (the film company behind the movie) and will not profit from royalties, he is currently enjoying an enormous boost in book sales.  Jono Jarrett, a member of an LGBT fan base that is coordinating a campaign called “Skip Enders Game,” wants to send a clear message to content providers (like Lionsgate), while giving Card minimal profits from being involved in this blockbuster film. “We thought that if we gave our community, our allies and our friends something else that’s awesome to do, that would simultaneously benefit their community to offset any damage that might accrue from Ender’s Game becoming a blockbuster and making a new fortune for Orson Scott Card,” he recently stated in TheWrap.

Despite the intolerant judgments of Card, potential viewers of Ender’s Game should consider how not buying a ticket might do more harm than good — the actors, cast, crew, and other members who worked on the movie would lose royalties because of a lack of viewers. Plus, the movie version of Ender’s Game has been sanitized of Orson Scott Card’s political ideals. Nonetheless, the choice is yours. Will you see Ender’s Game and support the hundreds of people that worked to make it the amazing film it is, or will you boycott the movie in the hopes that Card will be more respectful towards views that differ from his own?