Review of Empire of the Sun (1987) by Ben B — 22 Aug 2014
Steven Spielberg's two and a half our film about young Jaimie Graham's experiences during the second world war is an exquisite feast of visuals and acting. Spielberg's tracking shots, war sequences and stunning sunset pictures are an amazing realization of several years' work.
Christian Bale gives an outstanding performance, especially for a debut, alongside Malkovitch and Richardson (who also give decent performances). The story, "semi-autobiographical" to the author of the book by the same name, is one of "loss of innocence" and coming of age.
Spielberg's unique understanding of the child's mind gives the audience a disfigured image of war through a child's eye. An epic of a movie, Empire of the Sun stands firm in light of Spielberg's other dramas (Schindler's List, The Color Purple, Munich, etc.
).
This review of Empire of the Sun (1987) was written by Ben B on 22 Aug 2014.
Empire of the Sun has generally received very positive reviews.
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