Rating: 
Summary: Coming of age for a young boy and Spielberg
Review: Made back in 1987, EMPIRE OF THE SUN, is based upon the best selling book by J.G. Ballard. It tells the story of Jim, (Christian Bale) a young British boy, who is separated from his parents, during World War II. His family is living in Japan at the time. The young boy is thrown into a Japanese internment camp. As the story unfolds, Jim befriends 2 Americans (John Malkovich and Joe Pantiliano) also trying to stay one step ahead of their captors and fight for freedom. As it says on the back of the DVD "Through [Jim's] eyes we see the facination and horror of war." Jim goes from being a child of innocence to an adult who is just trying to stay alive in a harsh world.When the film ended, I had forgotton how flawless the movie is. This was not only a young boy's coming of age story, but a coming of age for Spielberg as a Director as well. This was his 1st film (up to that point) without a real "Gee Whiz" element to it The performance by Bale is outstanding. As the viewer, you really get a sense of what it must have been like to be held captive in that prison. The scene where Jim runs back to the comforts of his home, shortly after being separated from his Mom and Dad, only to find it ransacked, and his parents gone, is particularly effective. The scene is both horrible and funny at the same time The film also boasts some fine production design and a good film score by John Williams. The film was the first to be shot in the People's Republic of China and eagled-eyed viewers will note a supporting role from funny man Ben Stiller. The only extra feature of note on the DVD is, a good 45 minute documentary, made at the time of production. The documentary is narrated by Actor Martin Sheen. When this movie was released, I remember the reviews being somewhat mixed. That is a shame. It is one of the only movies from Spielberg, that you don't hear much about, even today. I guess I just wanted to remind folks that EMPIRE OF THE SUN is still out there and certainly worth a first or second look
Rating:
Summary: Spielberg's Overlooked Masterpiece
Review: How could a Steven Spielberg film be overlooked? Well this one sure was! Despite winning the award for the best film of 1987 by the National Film Board it was not a commercial success. I guess the problem was that it wasn't E. T. Typical of a Spielberg movie it is visually stunning. But it also has a thoughtful and thought-provoking plot as a young boy comes to grip with the effects of war. It is a movie which makes you think, particularly during ... times when all too often the effects of war on civilians are simply ignored. (I recently watched the movie with my young daughters, 11 and 12, and they were mesmerized by it.) Christian Bale as the young hero gives a wonderful performance as does John Malkovich. As usual, the John Williams score is hauntingly beautiful and integral to the story. The China Odyssey feature on the DVD is well worth watching for both its historical insights and insights about the film itself.
Rating:
Summary: Empire of the Sun
Review: This movie is truly one of Mr. Spielberg's best. I may be a bit biased when it comes to a Spielberg's collaboration with John Williams, the composer, since I love all their works. I saw this movie first when I was in middle school and I still cannot forget it. I remember hearing the Exsultate Justi during the movie and getting chills down my back. As trite as it sounds, I was moved. Then, when I saw that the movie was released in DVD format, I HAD to get it. I highly recommand this movie to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Spielberg's Forgotten Classic
Review: Years before SCHINDLERS LIST, Spielberg made another WWII drama. Set in wartorn China, Spielberg bravely decided to tell the true-life story about a young English schoolboy, separated from his parents, who is forced to live in a Japanese concentration camp. A strong morality tale about class and race and the end of childhood, movie audiences didn't find much to understand EMPIRE OF THE SUN. It was about a part of WWII that few Americans study about, and its hero was English. Based on the autobiography by J.G. Ballard, Spielberg turned EMPIRE OF THE SUN into a sweeping war drama with a stellar cast that included Christian Bale (who has gone on to appear in HENRY V, LITTLE WOMEN, and THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY), Miranda Richardson (TOM & VIV), John Malkovich, and Nigel Havers. It is Bale who is stunning here, dominating the film as a spoiled 12 year old schoolboy who learns about the horrors of war and is transformed into a feral streetkid. What is more stunning is how EMPIRE OF THE SUN marked Spielberg's own artistic growth. There are no cherubic child actors here - Bale's performance is reminiscent in depth and range of Meryl Streep's own concentration camp role in SOPHIE'S CHOICE. Bale won a special award for acting from the National Board of Review. And Spielberg, many years before the computer generated worlds of JURASSIC PARK, filmed this Oscar-nominated epic on location in China. END
Rating:
Summary: An Unheralded Masterpiece
Review: This epic film is the first of Spielberg's World War II trilogy that includes "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan." It was made at a time when Spielberg was financially successfully but artistic merit eluded him. That this remarkable piece of filmmaking has been overlooked is no reflection on him; it is the failure of the tastes of critics and the public alike. Spielberg tells a beautiful story of the horrors of war, how families are uprooted and separated, and how the human spirit overcomes adversity. Christian Bale is superb in the film. I cannot comprehend why his career did not soar after the film's release. It was good to see him in the role of Jesus in the recently televised movie on Mary. John Malkovich is his usual fantastic self as a fellow POW who becomes Bale's Long John Silver, a sly comparison to the classic "Treasure Island." The film is beautifully photographed and has a subtle and moving score from Spielberg stalwart John Williams. It is a must for fans of the director and those who appreciate masterful storytelling.
Rating:
Summary: Empire of the Sun - Spectacularly Moving
Review: What a sensational film. I'm curious as to why it has been so overlooked all these years. It's so much more than a war movie. It not only speaks to the tenacity of the human spirit, but also to it's frailties. When Jim reunites with his mother in the final scene, it always brings tears to my eyes. Yeah... lots of tears.
Rating:
Summary: Wunderbar
Review: One of the greatest dramas ever. Buy it. Watch it. Many times.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Spielberg
Review: EMPIRE OF THE SUN is my favorite Spielberg film. It's a close tie with CLOSE ENCOUNTERS ... but EMPIRE is really high on my list. What an outstanding (and underrated) film! I saw it in the theaters in 1987, owned an old video of it for a while, and bought this DVD as soon as it was released. The film, in all of its forms, has stayed with me all these years. First, Spielberg has a top-notch script from Tom Stoppard (who is surprisingly restrained with the dialogue). The cinematography by Allen Daviau is exquisite (and the transfer to DVD looks outstanding on my widescreen HDTV). The acting -- especially Christian Bale as the main character, Jim -- is great as well. I get tears in my eyes if I just hear one of the EMPIRE OF THE SUN themes from John Williams' score. THE COLOR PURPLE and EMPIRE OF THE SUN were Spielberg's "stretch" films where he attempted to do more adult work. EMPIRE OF THE SUN is deeply moving. On the surface, its story concerns young Jim and how is separated from his parents and survives a war camp in pre-World War II China. Thematically, Spielberg tells us the story of growing up, losing one's innocence, and learning that people will do anything for a Hershey bar. When Jim throws his suitcase containing all of his boyhood possessions into the river, he makes an important choice in life. And yet Spielberg, who is a sentimentalist, reminds us that after surviving life's hardships we all still need a hug from our mothers. EMPIRE OF THE SUN is one of Spielberg's best -- if not THE best film he's made. I think it's been overlooked. Please try to see it.
Rating: 
Summary: a skewed reality, how a twelve year old boy would see things
Review: A film by Steven Spielberg Film critic Ernest Rister has written a brilliant review of "Empire of the Sun" where he details the unreality of the movie, how the viewer cannot trust what we are seeing on screen because it is the impressions of a 12 year old child and Spielberg gives us enough hints and allusions and images in the film that with a little bit of work, the viewer should be able to figure this out. Since I had read Mr Rister's review more than a year before I finally saw this movie, I tried to keep that knowledge in mind when I was seeing "Empire of the Sun" for the first time. "Empire of the Sun" is the story of Jim (Christian Bale), a 12 year old British boy living in China with his parents. The movie is set during World War II when Japan was attacking China. During a raid on the city they are living in, Jim and his parents are trying to escape when they are separated. We don't know what happens to his parents, but Jim ends up in a Japanese internment camp. Jim meets an American named Basie (John Malkovich), whom he befriends and sort of tags along after. "Empire of the Sun" deals with the isolation and loneliness of this one boy who is quickly losing his innocence. That is really the heart of "Empire of the Sun", the loss of Jim's innocence in the midst of World War II. The one thing that I struggled with was not taking this film at face value, that the events on screen are not truly happening, but rather how Jim is remembering them. They are happening as a twelve year old boy is seeing them, heightened and slightly distorted. I did not catch the clues that Mr. Rister wrote about, but I suspect you have to be studying "Empire of the Sun" to really grasp what Steven Spielberg is putting into the movie. Fortunately, "Empire of the Sun" works on two levels: as a straightforward film, and also on the level that Rister discovered and Spielberg intended. -Joe Sherry
Rating:
Summary: One of the Most Beautiful Movies Ever Made!
Review: My intention is not to write a "helpful" review, but to reinforce the fact that this is one of the greatest movies ever made!
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