Empire of the Sun (1987)
86%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 6 Oscars
13 wins & 17 nominations total
One of Steven Spielberg’s most ambitious efforts of the 1980s, Empire of the Sun remains an underrated gem in the director’s distinguished filmography
Empire of the Sun is a movie that will leave you feeling like you just ran a marathon. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions that will have you laughing, crying, and everything in between. The story is both simple and complex, and the score by John Williams is nothing short of triumphant. Christian Bale’s performance as Jim is remarkable, and it’s hard not to warm up to him as he navigates the horrors of war. Sure, some critics might say it’s derivative or lacking in particularity, but who cares? This movie is a classic Spielberg adventure that will leave you feeling optimistic about the universe.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Trebujena, Cádiz, Andalucía, Spain
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1987
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:2h 32m
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Language(s):English, Japanese, Mandarin, Shanghainese
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 9, 1987 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 6, 2001
Genre(s)
Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers, Joe Pantoliano, Leslie Phillips, directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Tom Stoppard, Adventure, PG, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Gilbert Adair, David Denby, Duane Byrge, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Sheila Benson, Gene Siskel, Rene Jordan, Chris Barsanti, Ángel Fernández-Santos, Molly Haskell, Hilary Mantel, Christian Science Monitor, produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg, Warner Bros Pictures, sound mix, English, Shanghai, Japanese invasion, prison camps, American sailor, British socialite, World War II, coming of age, emotional impact, music, drama, underrated, gem, Spielbergian, affirmation, faith, optimism, childhood, war, innocence, corruption, heartstrings, Steven Spielberg’s filmography, underrated gem
Worldwide gross: $22,238,696
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $59,360,303
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,262
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 6,473,315
US/Canada gross: $22,238,696
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $59,360,303
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 995
US/Canada opening weekend: $1,314,509
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $3,508,733
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,146
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $35,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $93,423,220
Production budget ranking: 442
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $50,308,404
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$84,371,322
ROI to date (est.): -59%
ROI ranking: 1,737
John Malkovich – Basie
Miranda Richardson – Mrs. Victor
Nigel Havers – Dr. Rawlins
Joe Pantoliano – Frank Demarest
Leslie Phillips – Maxton
Director(s)
Steven Spielberg
Writer(s)
Tom Stoppard
Producer(s)
Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 6 Oscars
13 wins & 17 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (57) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (14)
What is most remarkable about Empire of the Sun then, is the almost seamless fashion in which a faithful adaptation… has nevertheless contrived to become a proto-Spielbergian affirmation of faith and optimism in the universe.
January 28, 2020
Gilbert Adair
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Empire of the Sun is a great, overwrought movie that leaves one wordless and worn out.
December 31, 2019
David Denby
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
John Williams’ resonant and triumphant score superbly augments this simple and complex narrative
December 18, 2018
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
The pseudomystical vagueness that seems to be Spielberg’s stock-in-trade stifles most of the particularity of the source.
October 26, 2016
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The film’s grave problem is a lack of central heating: We don’t have a single character to warm up to.
October 26, 2016
Sheila Benson
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
This is derivative melodrama with Spielberg hedging his bets by ripping off his previous adventure films to lighten a story that cries out not to be turned into a comic book.
October 26, 2016 | Rating: 2/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
A sublime fable about childhood in contact with war where innocence triumphs over corruption. [Full review in Spanish]
June 29, 2022
Rene Jordan
El Nuevo Herald (Miami)
…the story is a chilly one, particularly for a filmmaker who had so shamelessly (and skillfully) plucked heartstrings.
May 2, 2020
Chris Barsanti
Eyes Wide Open
The great industrial product becomes a mediocre artistic object. [Full Review in Spanish]
April 17, 2020
Ángel Fernández-Santos
El Pais (Spain)
The case for war as a glorious adventure for a child has never been made more vividly than in Steven Spielberg’s powerful new epic.
February 27, 2020
Molly Haskell
Vogue
Christian Bale gives a most remarkable performance as Jim.
April 9, 2019
Hilary Mantel
The Spectator
[Empire of the Sun] has too much childish buoyancy to serve the disturbing historical events it’s ostensibly based on.
October 26, 2016
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor…
Plot
Based on J. G. Ballard’s autobiographical novel, tells the story of a boy, James Graham, whose privileged life is upturned by the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, December 8, 1941. Separated from his parents, he is eventually captured, and taken to Soo Chow confinement camp, next to a captured Chinese airfield. Amidst the sickness and food shortages in the camp, Jim attempts to reconstruct his former life, all the while bringing spirit and dignity to those around him.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Empire of the Sun on Fresh Kernels.
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