Review of Empire of the Sun (1987) by Aaron R — 03 Jan 2009

I expected more than what I got out of "Empire of the Sun". The best part of the film is young Christian Bale's performance, who, as an overly talkative, squirmy British boy, seems to channel every bit of the film adaptation of "Oliver!" into his role.

The film lacked a certain darkness though; I did not feel that the true horror of the Japanese occupation was conveyed, and an odd mixture of humor with the drama did not seem to flow well. The film seemed to be more about a boy's self-discovery in the vein of the "Odyssey" than about the war.

Bale's character's admiration for his Japanese captors, however, was an interesting psychological take that is often glossed over in similar films. Ultimately, however, when compared to similar war films such as 1957's "The Bridge on the River Kwai", which explored a similar hostage-captor dynamic (the British POW's did not want the Allies to bomb "their" bridge even though it was built for the Japanese), but in a darker, more realistic tone, "Empire of the Sun" falls short.