**THE WACPINE OF ‘EMPIRE OF THE SUN’**

WRITING: 6
ATMOSPHERE: 6
CHARACTERS: 7
PRODUCTION: 8
INTRIGUE: 5
NOVELTY: 7
ENJOYMENT: 5

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**The Good:**

A 13-year-old (!) Christian Bale in his first starring role, and while I miss his mannerisms and the tough guy attitude of most of his later work, he's undeniably adorable, energetic and natural in this one.

John Malkovich is the second standout performance here, in a part that is sadly smaller than I'd expected.

This is one of John Williams' more anonymous and less recognizable film scores, and like the one he did for The Sugarland Express, it's refreshingly different from what he usually delivers. It also suits the wartime drama fairly well. The score is suitably dark and depressing, even paranoid and intense at times, expertly underlining the film's most intense moments.

I always find it great when film scripts and the direction manage to palpably depict the chaos, terror and uncertainty of war. Panicking parents, crying children, ruthless and fearless soldiers - it's all here.

Spielberg has always excelled at directing films where a child is a primary protagonist. Empire of the Sun is another one of those films; the director manages to bring forward a child's perspective on the war and tugs on our heartstrings by giving us a story at is not about a soldier's journey, but about a little boy's desperate attempt to survive hostile times.

Through the story of survival, of getting along in a hostile environment and of the strong emotions of being reunited with our family, Spielberg yet again delves deep into soulful symbolism, even if much of what he wants to say is buried along the way.

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**The Bad:**

Many scenes feel like filler; they depict the same chaos, fear or beauty as before without furthering the plot in any way. Some of these should have been left on the cutting room floor. The overall editing favours long sequences and that decision lengthens the film with an unnecessary 30 minutes

A general lack of a clear structure in the film script makes it somewhat difficult to enjoy what is going on at times since we don't know what the characters are trying to achieve and how the story is expected to end.

Sadly, the script doesn’t bother to develop or explore the characters there than Jim all that much. The Asian characters in particular feel underdeveloped.

The tempo is hopelessly slow and the tonal shifts are nonexistent. Spielberg isn't even trying to woo his audience and the resulting film is a very flat production, with emotional content that doesn't strike as hard as it should.

The promising beginning and the first twist in the story initially made me excited, building up a wartime adventure and story of survival. Alas, the script never gets there but remains ruck somewhere in the wilderness.

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**The Ugly:**

A testament to a director evolving: instead of closing their film with a sunset, they open it with one (I guess it's technically a rising sun, but whatever).

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**WACPINE RATING: 6.29 / 10 = 3 stars**

_**Even great people have a dud on occasion**_

A British boy (Christian Bale) living with his wealthy parents in Shanghai is separated from them when Japanese forces invade in the early years of WW2. He then has to survive the war in a POW camp. John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers and Joe Pantoliano play fellow prisoners.

Based on J.G. Ballard’s semi-autobiographical novel, “Empire of the Sun” (1987) was Steven Spielberg’s first venture into ‘meaningful’ filmmaking. It’s not without historical interest. For instance, the beginning situation in China is compelling, highlighted by a potent ‘slap’ scene that wakes the pompous kid up to reality.

From there, though, the movie becomes a tedious prison camp flick with too many ambiguities and drawn-out scenes. Bale does an admirable job in a challenging role, especially considering his age, but IMHO he overdoes it and so the boy comes off hyperactive and annoying. Check out the low-key indie “I Am David” (2003) for a more effective take on similar material.

The film runs 2 hours, 33 minutes and was shot in China, England and Spain (you can fairly easily figure out which parts were shot where).

GRADE: C/C-

Empire of the Sun glaringly shines insight into the impoverished wealthy amidst war-torn China. Spielberg is one of a handful of directors that everyone acknowledges. Whether your interest lies with films or elsewhere, he is known to all for his eclectic filmography that tackles nearly every single genre available. The beauty of his directorial talents, is that he can manipulate any subject matter and transform its contents into an accessible piece of entertainment. From hard-hitting crime capers (‘The Sugarland Express’) to the depiction of African-Americans succumbing to racial/sexist abuse (‘The Color Purple’). He has the ornate ability to disassemble history and shape the remnants into his Hollywood mould. But at what cost?

Does Spielberg’s contagious requirement for accessibility downplay the severity of its subject matter? Well, Empire of the Sun may just be the most perfect example to answer the aforementioned question. It illustrates my eternal adoration for the man as an auteur, as well as his damned tendencies that bring down his historical endeavours. A young British boy living with his wealthy family in war-torn Shanghai, becomes separated from his parents where he is soon retained as a prisoner of war in an internment camp.

An epic adaptation of Ballard’s semi-autobiographical novel, that heavily relied on a fictitious narrative to convey his own vivid memories of World War Two. A story of three vital themes that power both the characters and the central narrative. Opulence, faith and humanity. Spielberg commences the first act in a worrying light of unnecessary affluence, following a white family with an abundance of possessional wealth traversing the segregated streets of Shanghai embattled by poverty. The bitter aftertaste of supremacy as “peasants” desperately fight for survival. Whilst it may harken to real events, they make for unlikeable characters due to their careless perception in the environment they are enshrouded in. The father and mother are non-characters, merely acting as fuel for Jim’s coming-of-age journey, and Spielberg paid far less attention to the surrounding chaos which consequently diminished the severity of the war’s impact. It can be argued that the entire story, including the first act, is told through Jim’s perspective. But the naive ignorance to represent the lives that were truly affected was extremely profound.

Then Jim, in the crowded streets of Shanghai, becomes separated from his parents. Mugged, abandoned and lost. His opulent lifestyle relinquished from his selflessness. Gradually, Spielberg constructs an epic that conveys the loss of innocence. This once fragile young boy, unbeknown to the horrors of the world, now utilising his intuition to survive the brutality of war independently. Spielberg definitely downplayed the brutalism of conflict, and instead opted for an endearing focus on Jim’s abrupt development from a timid boy to unsung hero. Unsurprisingly, it worked. Spielberg’s screenplay presents Jim with a plethora of challenges that tests the will of humanity in its entirety. From attempting to escape the internment camp to resuscitating the recently deceased. Jim encompasses every notion of humanity during this heightened time, naturally making him relatable. His actions slowly further his development into adulthood in such a short space of time, with much gratification aimed at Spielberg’s masterful attention to characterisation.

Initially proclaimed as an atheist, Jim experiences metaphysical moments believed to be acts of faith, likening him to a deity of some kind. “Giving life” for a brief moment to the recently passed, which was an ounce of blood pumped to the brain. Witnessing a soul be released into heaven, however counteracted by the infamous Nagasaki atomic bomb. These “acts” grant Jim the power of self-belief, fully realising his potential as the “hero” of optimism.

There’s nothing more optimistic and endearing though than watching a juvenile Christian Bale steal the entire film. Malkovich and Havers ground the enthusiasm of Bale’s performance, yet his commanding presence at such a young age cements him as a talent to behold. Tender moments were handled with delicacy, whilst the louder moments fused with his boisterous personality. Quite simply, one of the best young performances I’ve seen. Williams’ signature score, ever accompanying Spielberg’s work, elevated the grandeur of the spectacular production design yet somewhat exhumed family-friendly vibes commonly found in his previous work. Admittedly that’s a personal conflict of my own, but again did diminish the more powerful scenes. Jim’s fascination with aircraft wasn’t fully realised and felt like an afterthought to coincide with the Japanese “friend” in the final act, although not a substantial detriment to the overall story.

In the blazing heat of war camps, Empire of the Sun shines as an epic that showcases the very reason for my Spielberg idolisation and his cursed ability to lessen the severity of history. Regardless, you’ll laugh, gasp and cry during this coming-of-age tale, and that’s the true beauty of this auteur’s timeless work.