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Movies / On DVD / Empire of the Sun
Empire of the Sun

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Empire of the Sun (1987)

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Reviews Counted:35

Fresh:28

Rotten:7

Average Rating:6.8/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 34 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Steven Spielberg's EMPIRE OF THE SUN, based on the autobiographical novel by J.G. Ballard, stars Christian Bale as Jim Graham, a British schoolboy separated from his upper-class colonial parents... Steven Spielberg's EMPIRE OF THE SUN, based on the autobiographical novel by J.G. Ballard, stars Christian Bale as Jim Graham, a British schoolboy separated from his upper-class colonial parents when the Japanese sweep into Shanghai during World War II. Temporarily orphaned, Jim attaches himself to Basie (John Malkovich), a fast-talking American opportunist determined make a buck off the spoils of war. Later, when the two are interned in a prison camp, Jim's boyish fantasies are fueled by the grace and daring of the Japanese fighter pilots whom he comes to idolize despite their enemy status. Spielberg's visually spectacular wartime epic is a testimony to the human will to survive and a child's ability to find wonder even in the midst of horror. Thirteen-year-old Welsh actor Christian Bale is brillant as Jim in his feature film debut. Spielberg himself identified more with Jim, a boy who is obsessed with flying and who experiences the death of his innocence, than with E.T.'s Elliott. After a year of negotiations with the Chinese, Spielberg and his crew were allowed to film in Shanghai, which was virtually unchanged since World War II. [More]

Starring: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers

Starring: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers, Joe Pantoliano, Leslie Phillips, Ben Stiller

Director: Steven Spielberg

Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter: Tom Stoppard, Menno Meyjes
Producer: Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall
Composer: John Williams

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Empire of the Sun

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Christian Bale, then 13, is a revelation as Jim, an obnoxious British colonial child being brought up in luxury in China.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/17/09
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Spielberg includes a strand of populist heroism, yet even this fails to dent the awful message. And the budget makes itself seen, as does Bale's superlative Jim.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Good-looking but hollow.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Darren Bignell
Darren Bignell
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Spielberg has dreamed of flying before, and this time he earns his wings.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
05/17/09
Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Spielberg...displays a progressive and sophisticated awareness of issues of class and race that may be viewed as an apology for the casual imperialist and racist assumptions of his Indiana Jones series.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
05/17/09
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No special use is made of the talents of Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers, Joe Pantoliano and the others, so it is up to young English thesp Bale to engage the viewer's interest, which he does superbly.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/02/08
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One of Spielberg's best films, yet seldom shown.

comment Comment
03/02/08
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Video-Reviewmaster.com

No review available.

comment Comment
03/01/08
David Kaplan
David Kaplan
Kaplan vs. Kaplan

Christian Bale's debut is a doozy.

comment Comment
10/13/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

One of Spielberg's most underestimated films, this survival saga of a boy separated from his parents in WWII Shanghai is necessarily episodic, but it's beautifully rendered, offering early evidence of the good actor Christian Bale would become.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
06/20/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
09/29/06
Eric Melin
Eric Melin
Scene-Stealers.com

No review available.

comment Comment
10/06/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

No review available.

comment Comment
05/19/05
Jonathan R. Perry
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

No review available.

comment Comment
06/10/04
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

No review available.

comment Comment
04/02/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
01/28/04
Cory Cheney
Cory Cheney
Urban Tulsa Weekly

No review available.

comment Comment
01/05/04
Greg Maki
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

No review available.

comment Comment
10/05/03
Josh Gilchrist
Josh Gilchrist
Billings Outpost (Montana)

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

There are many glorious moments here.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Empire of the Sun

November 29, 2005: Japanese Community Protests "Geisha" Girls
Protest is brewing by the Japanese community prior to the release of producer Steven Spielberg's screen adaptation of "Memoirs of a Geisha" Chief among the complaints... More...

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