I am amazed at the few who gave this low ratings. It is, for me, one of the great world war two movies. Told from the p.o.v. of a bright intelligent young English boy who has led a pampered life , we see how the larger world struggles force him to adapt and live by his wits in order to survive. Although the photography, special effects and scenes of battle are amazingly shot to make you feel a part of the action, it is the personal story of a young boy becoming a man that is compelling. We are shown how he experiences not only the horror of war, but the beauty of it as well, as emotions are heightened by life and death struggles. I wish I had seen this on the big movie theater screen, but still worth watching in any setting.

at first sigh, a film about survive. or about the war. or a film about early maturation.in fact, only a masterpiece. and, like each masterpiece, out of any explanation. because not exactly the great performances or the realistic atmosphere, the genius of Spielberg or the spirit of novel , the few memorable scenes or the dramatic end are essential but he state of viewer after its end. it is one of films who transforms the war in the next event from you because it gives the precious possibility to discover it inside. like a sort of experience. out of comfortable clichés. like a form of escape from yours circle. because the idea to lose everything , to suffer, to do anything only for survive, to depend by the other become more than a hypothesis after you see this film.

After the unforgettable movie experience of the Color Purple the Master of Film has done it yet again with the most Heartbreaking, Glorious, Soaring, Uplifting, Inspiring and one of the most Unforgettable movie Experiences of my life it really is a soaring uplifting film of the human spirit and an inspiring coming of age adventure you feel uplifted and wonderfully inspired because the way in which the inspiring themes of the film are presented to in the patriotic direction the soaring uplifting score the wonderful redemption at the end when all hope seems to be lost and all hope is rediscovered and redeemed when the dreams and inspirations of Jim's new found life come true all because of a life changing experience of the horrors around him in the harrowing events of war because of one change one memory one moment that could all be slowly fading away really makes Jim wonder if his new found dreams are the right thing to do or does he help and look after the people injured and wounded? The Direction and Score tell the story of the film with the care and affection for the history it portrays it almost feels like a documentary not a film! Like the Color Purple the film has an idea a theme that runs through the whole film the theme of tolerance the idea of what are we prepared to tolerate and suffer in order to achieve the dreams we want the dreams we aspire to achieve the future of all man kind! I really feel strongly about the film as much as I do about the Color Purple they are underrated Masterpieces and do not get talked about any more among the Master of Film's filmography because they have not done well with awards or not gained the critical acclaim they deserve! Empire of the Sun is the Best Picture of 1987 for a number of reasons the inspiring themes of soaring airplanes and the dreams we all share the recurring motifs of memories that Jim has like the haunting melody that his mother plays on the piano similar to Celie and Nettie's hand clapping motif and song in the Color Purple which connects Celie and Nettie together the Haunting piano melody that Jim's Mother plays connects Jim to his mother he knows that he is safe and well and that is very powerful for me that a simple piano motif can bond and connect someone together! The film has a recurring theme of showing acts of malevolent evil and what the power of evil can and will do if necessary there are threats of danger and you see many sequences of danger and hurtful acts of evil which affects Jim and the people around him as the threat of evil increases and the hope decreases as Jim knows he feels anger for the evil around him but he never speaks his emotions the film shows it through the simple power of emotion and Jim's body language he really changes throughout the film he cares and respects all who know him he has a friend called Basie who he aspires to and when Jim explains the emotion of the heartbreaking experiences he has gone through throughout the war which are intertwined with the wonderful experiences of the planes soaring across the sky it feels heartbreaking and wonderfully overwhelming at the same time! Like the Color Purple you feel the overwhelming force of the ending as all hope is restored when the whole atmosphere of the whole world returns to normal no feeling of darkness peril or danger worries Jim at the end he is with his mother he is safe and well but there is a sense of traumatic memories that will never change the heartbreaking sequences of people reviving other people back to life which people should never have to do in the first place but they have to in order to survive the traumatic horrors of war! Last note I want to say that The Color Purple and Empire of the Sun are heartbreaking companion pieces and they need to be loved and appreciated more and we can share the Color Purple and Empire of the Sun with the world! Empire of the Sun is A Glorious Uplifting Adventure of the human spirit!

For a film that brims with such a strong passion for flying, it's quite ironic that Empire of the Sun doesn't even manage to take off at any given point over the course of its runtime. Quite a chore to sit through, this coming-of-age war drama from Steven Spielberg is completely devoid of his usual flair, remains monotonous in tone from start to finish & is pretty much unsure of what it even wants to be.Based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, the story of Empire of the Sun is set during the Second World War in China and tells the story of Jamie; an English kid who after getting separated from his parents during the Japanese invasion of Shanghai ends up in an internment camp where he learns to survive despite the poor conditions & establishes a good living but when the war nears its end, so does his innocence.Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film opens on a fine note by wonderfully introducing all its characters and while there are various indications that the story might pick up anytime now, that moment never really arrives. The whole story feels like a compilation of many episodes sewn together without any clear idea of what Spielberg intends the film to be, plus whatever emotion it was trying to evoke from its audience simply falls flat.Most of the technical aspects are sound in its execution but that part is a default option in a Spielberg feature. Production Design team does a brilliant job in putting up some authentic- looking models & set pieces, Cinematography nicely captures the surroundings & unfolding events but it also lacks the immersive dimension that invites the viewers into the story. And while John Williams delivers an expressive score, it only works in bits n pieces.Editing is disappointing for the story is way longer than it needs to be, isn't properly paced either & its 154 minutes of runtime is severely felt. Also, some sequences that made its way into the final cut should've ended up on the editing room's floor instead. The only thing that saves Empire of the Sun from being a complete disaster is the magnificent performance by Christian Bale in what is his on-screen debut & he's finely supported by John Malkovich.On an overall scale, Empire of the Sun is possibly about the loss of innocence but it travels in so many directions that it ends up halfway on everything it was trying to be. Its motive is unclear whether one approaches it as a coming-of-age story or a war drama. The only good thing about the film is that it brought on screen a promising talent who would later go on to become one of Hollywood's most sought actors but apart from that, Empire of the Sun has nothing interesting to offer.