DVD : Empire of the Sun

Rating: - Spielberg Reigns!

As another reviewer so aptly put it, Empire of the Sun is a movie that stays with you. Somehow, on some level, you will be deeply affected by this movie. It is about resilience, hope and survival amid the tragedy and ruins of war. Christian Bale and John Malkovich are perfectly cast.
Empire of the Sun is Spielberg movie art at its best. ~ Mrs. B.

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Rating: - A Young Child Thrown Into The Nightmare Of War
Directed by Steven Spielberg, "Empire of the Sun," is the type of film I wish this talented director spent more of his time and energies doing. Not that there is anything wrong with many of his films. However, I find this film to be his greatest achievement as a director. The film itself is based on the bestselling novel by J.G. Ballard, whose own recollections as a young child in China are brilliantly brought to life in the form of the talented young actor Christian Bale. The war between China and Japan began in 1937 with the invasion of Manchuria; however, it was not until the Japanese attack on the United States that the Japanese decided to also attack the British, Dutch and French.

Prior to the Japanese attack on the Western powers, the Europeans had a very myopic view of the Japanese and their ability to fight a war. This would cost them dearly, and especially the European civilians who became caught up in the war. Unable to return to Europe, many would remain in camps until the end of the war. In the beginning the viewer sees the English going about there daily parties and dinners, oblivious to the encroaching Japanese. That is until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941. The reality of Japan's swift conquest of Asia will come as both a shock and horror to those civilians who become trapped in the chaos of war.

The film gives the viewer a very gritty look at how the civilian population had to survive now that hostilities existed between Japan and England. But in particular, we see how a young boy's life is altered when he becomes separated from his mother and father who are attempting to leave China before the Japanese troops arrive. The setting for this film is in Shanghai, whom many referred to as the most European of Asia's cities, and in particular China. The English have found comfort in the fact that the war between China and Japan is not their war, but someone else's. And this will be a lesson in arrogance that will cost the British military dearly, as well as their civilian population.

I found the cinematography to be outstanding. There setting for this film are very realistic, and one gets the feeling that they have indeed been transported through time to 1941. The cinematographers did an excellent job on this film. I was especially astonished in the way the city of Shanghai, was shown, and the conditions in which the foreigners [British mainly] who were caught up in this tragic turn of events were portrayed.

Moreover, I found this films narrative to be both a masterpiece of storytelling, and a masterpiece of visuals as well, and Steven Spielberg was able to utilize these visuals to the hilt in this film by recreating WWII China, and it's subsequent occupation of the Japanese forces in the film. As for the story of a young British child named Jamie (Christian Bale) caught up in all the misery from which he was never exposed, his portrayal was superb. Also, I not only believe the entire film was great, but the supporting cast of Basie (John Malkovich) and Frank (Joe Pantoliano) enhanced the film's story and made this a masterful film. On the flip side of this film is the making of the film, with interviews of J.G. Ballard and his remembrances of this terrible period in his life. This is a great film. Highly recommended. [Stars: 5+]

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Rating: - Superb
I cannot believe I had never seen this film. It was a breathtaking masterpiece. A superb piece of filmmaking. Christian Bale was a wonder. I cannot even believe that this film was made. I don't know how long it took to make it, but it's almost as if we the audience are watching him grow up before our eyes. He was outstanding. John Malkovich, who stars as the one nutcase weirdo he befriends, is perfect as always.

The cinematography, the locations, the amazing sets, all add up to a masterful 2.5 hours. Yes, there are some moments that probably could have been cut; yes, there are a few music cues that are just a little over the top, but all in all, this was a visually stunning, gripping film. It takes the willingness to sit and watch a long film, and it takes the desire to step back in time and watch a real "movie" as opposed to the studio-dictated substitutes we get today.

An absolute must-see.

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Rating: - Falls a Bit Short of Being a Masterpiece. Malkovich is Wonderful.
"Empire of the Sun" is directed by Steven Spielberg and has the makings of a masterpiece. It's got Spielberg directing it, it's a semi-war film, and its got John Malkovich in it. Problem is, it's too long and it seems glossed over a little bit. That doesn't mean it's not a good movie though and it is. The movie is about a young British boy named Jamie (Christian Bale. Yes, Christian "Batman" Bale), living in China (or Japan, I forget which) as a war rages on. Jamie ends up getting separated from his parents and ends up with two Americans named Basie (Malkovich) and Frank (Joe Pantoliano). After Jamie (who Basie redubs Jim) gets caught by the Japanese, with Basie and Frank, they all get sent to concentration camps. The movie's not sure if Basie is a good guy or a bad guy. Immediately in the film, he's made out to be a bad guy that you can kind of like. But later in the film, the screenwriters seemed confused. I'm not going to go into much more detail about the plot, except almost an hour and a half (of it's 2 hours, 30 minutes running time) is spent in the camp. The film has a couple tense, action scenes though. Anyway, Bale showed a lot of promise (that he would live up to) in this film although his character does become annoying frequently. Malkovich is, as always, fun to watch (although he doesn't have a lot of screentime. He actually does, but the movie is so long it seems like he doesn't). The movie's biggest flaws are its running time and its happy ending. I have no problems with long movies, but this was just way overbloated. The happy ending seemed so out of context to, it seems almost as if a studio overpowered Spielberg. Anybody who loves John Malkovich or Steven Spielberg should like the film though, it is worthy of checking out. I want to add; Ben Stiller also appears in the film as a minor character. It's kind of interesting to see him.

GRADE: B+

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Rating: - Oha ... another Spielberg
One of the worst movies ever ... unconvincing and exhaustively boring. Spielberg's brilliant at popcorn movies like "Back to the future" and "The Duel", the rest (seen "AI"?!) is shallow at best ... i still wonder how he managed to NOT completely ruin "Schindler's List"??