Empire of the Sun (1987)

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Great Film overall

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

I am amazed at the few who gave this low ratings. It is, for me, one of the great world war two movies. Told from the p.o.v. of a bright intelligent young English boy who has led a pampered life , we see how the larger world struggles force him to adapt and live by his wits in order to survive. Although the photography, special effects and scenes of battle are amazingly shot to make you feel a part of the action, it is the personal story of a young boy becoming a man that is compelling. We are shown how he experiences not only the horror of war, but the beauty of it as well, as emotions are heightened by life and death struggles. I wish I had seen this on the big movie theater screen, but still worth watching in any setting.

If it weren't for The Last Emperor, which is also one of the greatest films I've ever seen, this one would have won the Oscars for which it was nominated for 1988. Everything about it is first rate. The story, the cinematography, the sound, the music, and Christian Bale. Maybe my favorite part is really the music. John Williams is such a genius! The "Cadillac of the Skies" theme is escapism come true. This young boy comes to manhood in the most confusing of circumstances and his toy airplane is his last contact with his innocent and protected childhood. It is also his hero, his deliverer, his champion. The music tells this story. Some of the scenes haunt me, perhaps most especially the reunion with his parents. They find their boy, who looks like a man, and his reaction, for me as a mother, is jarring, but probably very accurate.

at first sigh, a film about survive. or about the war. or a film about early maturation.in fact, only a masterpiece. and, like each masterpiece, out of any explanation. because not exactly the great performances or the realistic atmosphere, the genius of Spielberg or the spirit of novel , the few memorable scenes or the dramatic end are essential but he state of viewer after its end. it is one of films who transforms the war in the next event from you because it gives the precious possibility to discover it inside. like a sort of experience. out of comfortable clichés. like a form of escape from yours circle. because the idea to lose everything , to suffer, to do anything only for survive, to depend by the other become more than a hypothesis after you see this film.

For a film that brims with such a strong passion for flying, it's quite ironic that Empire of the Sun doesn't even manage to take off at any given point over the course of its runtime. Quite a chore to sit through, this coming-of-age war drama from Steven Spielberg is completely devoid of his usual flair, remains monotonous in tone from start to finish & is pretty much unsure of what it even wants to be.Based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, the story of Empire of the Sun is set during the Second World War in China and tells the story of Jamie; an English kid who after getting separated from his parents during the Japanese invasion of Shanghai ends up in an internment camp where he learns to survive despite the poor conditions & establishes a good living but when the war nears its end, so does his innocence.Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film opens on a fine note by wonderfully introducing all its characters and while there are various indications that the story might pick up anytime now, that moment never really arrives. The whole story feels like a compilation of many episodes sewn together without any clear idea of what Spielberg intends the film to be, plus whatever emotion it was trying to evoke from its audience simply falls flat.Most of the technical aspects are sound in its execution but that part is a default option in a Spielberg feature. Production Design team does a brilliant job in putting up some authentic- looking models & set pieces, Cinematography nicely captures the surroundings & unfolding events but it also lacks the immersive dimension that invites the viewers into the story. And while John Williams delivers an expressive score, it only works in bits n pieces.Editing is disappointing for the story is way longer than it needs to be, isn't properly paced either & its 154 minutes of runtime is severely felt. Also, some sequences that made its way into the final cut should've ended up on the editing room's floor instead. The only thing that saves Empire of the Sun from being a complete disaster is the magnificent performance by Christian Bale in what is his on-screen debut & he's finely supported by John Malkovich.On an overall scale, Empire of the Sun is possibly about the loss of innocence but it travels in so many directions that it ends up halfway on everything it was trying to be. Its motive is unclear whether one approaches it as a coming-of-age story or a war drama. The only good thing about the film is that it brought on screen a promising talent who would later go on to become one of Hollywood's most sought actors but apart from that, Empire of the Sun has nothing interesting to offer.