Variety
It is up to young English thesp Bale to engage the viewer's interest, which he does superbly.
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Empire of the Sun
Steven Spielberg's adaptation of J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, with a young Christian Bale playing our spoiled young British hero, living with his rich family in pre-World War II Shanghai. When Japan invades, the boy is separated from his parents and his world is shattered.
Best Cinematography, Score and Sound, BAFTA Awards 1989
1987Rating: PG, War themes, Infrequent coarse language153 minsUSA
DramaWar
- Director:
- Steven Spielberg ('Jaws', 'Saving Private Ryan', 'Schindler's List', 'Catch Me If You Can')
- Writer:
- Tom Stoppard
- Cast:
- Christian BaleJohn MalkovichMiranda RichardsonNigel HaversJoe PantolianoLeslie PhillipsBen StillerRalph Seymour
Empire of the Sun / Reviews
Time Out
Spielberg includes a strand of populist heroism, yet even this fails to dent the awful message. And the budget makes itself seen, as does Bale's superlative Jim.
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Roger Ebert
The movie is always interesting from a narrative point of view. Spielberg is a good storyteller with a good tale to tell. But it never really adds up to anything.
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