Review of Empire of the Sun (1987) by Kyle G — 21 May 2012
Spielberg's stock-in-trade, a privileged yet alienated young boy searching for identity in the world of men, has a boon here in a young Christian Bale, who plays a very evocative example thereof.
While the early scenes of his coddled childhood, as a wealthy British national in war-touched Shanghai, are supposed to be alien and disconnected, that mood persists unintentionally into the later parts too, when colonialism and hatred and grief should be disappearing, or at least becoming less of a curious spectacle.
But it does persist, and what could have been a thoughtful meditation on war and childhood is just a confusing and distasteful combination of mawkishness and violence.
This review of Empire of the Sun (1987) was written by Kyle G on 21 May 2012.
Empire of the Sun has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
