Empire of the Sun1987

55/100 A very personal movie for Spielberg, what with his fascination with World War II and his childlike imagination. It seems fitting that he should retell World War II through the lens of a child. However, Spielberg's skill with drama is not quite fully developed yet, and unlike his previous attempt in The Colour Purple, the script also isn't good enough to save this movie. However, there's still a lot to like here. A young Christian Bale plays the protagonist here, and even as a young boy, his acting is leagues better than most professionals, carrying the movie. Most of the movie's best scenes are due to the work he puts in. This is especially true for the scene in which he's separated from his parents about a fifth through, which I found very emotional. However, the script almost hinders Bale, as his character, Jamie, came off as annoying rather than endearing for most of the movie. He's supposed to have an arc of losing his innocence, but really I think Spielberg spends far too much time on the innocence and far too little on the loss, making it feel almost nonexistent. The themes are also pretty muddled here. The effect of the war is horrific, yet this horror is relegated to the sidelines in favour of whimsy just as in The Colour Purple. Most of the movie is spent in a prison camp, which is built pretty well but never feels dangerous. Just as in 1941, I find the Japanese actors are the best part, with Takatarō Kataoka as a young kamikaze pilot my favourite, with his performance and slow friendship with Jamie leading up to a devastating climax. However, the script tries to have the jailers be both lenient and frightening at the same time, and it doesn't work at all. Overall, I feel that while Spielberg absolutely was the right choice for this movie, unlike The Colour Purple, he probably should've made it later in his career when he'd figured out dramatic flicks and how to make them less boring. It's not bad by any means, but it's very mediocre and about half an hour too long.