Empire of the Sun [DVD] [1987]

Director Spielberg may have been trying to avoid the sentimentality for which he is famous by making this movie so reserved and strangely cold, even though it is about a boy sent to a Japanese prisoner of war camp in China during WW2, which you'd think would rate a few get-out-the-handkerchiefs moments. But the movie ends up being about as off-putting as Spielberg's similarly chilly "A.I." The beginning scenes of "Empire of the Sun" are its best, in which Christian Bale (the future Batman of "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight") is the pampered, spoiled son of British citizens living in wealth and splendor in Shanghai. But as soon as the Japanese invade, the Brits are sent to POW camps, and John Malkovich shows up as a weird hybrid of Col. Hogan of "Hogan's Heroes" and Harry Lime, the movie goes straight into the tank. From that point on, everything feels fake and forced...although nicely art-directed.

I suspect if I had watched this film back in '87, my reaction to it would have been similar to the majority's. However, knowing what Spielberg is capable of, it was easy to see how people missed what he was doing. The film is criticized for being a detached and sanitized war movie, but this is a fundamental misunderstanding. The film is seen through the eyes of a child who is warping the harsh reality around him as a coping mechanism. It's constantly dropping cues that the viewer should not trust that what they're seeing is the truth. Often times, after a particularly saccharine moment, something horrifying will happen to "break the spell." I hope people will revisit the movie with this different perspective in mind.

I found 'Empire of the Sun' to be slow and somewhat boring, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this is an interesting movie. I'm happy to have seen it and would recommend it to those who enjoy period pieces, especially of the World War II era. Widescreen, with an almost complete lack of bonus extras.

Classic Speilberg. Anything he made in the 80's and 90's are his best.

Had heard of this movie. Finally got to watch it and it was as good as I was told.

Was interested in Spielberg's best works and I love non-fiction with a touch of Hollywood thrown at the subject.

It was a good moive that give you a warm felling in the end not true to life but i think a good moive over all

This was a great movie and very interesting. The actors were all great.