1987 · drama · war
Empire of the Sun
Directed by Steven Spielberg2h 33m1987
Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps. Jamie is captured with an American sailor, who looks out for him while they are in the camp together. Even though he is separated from his parents and in a hostile environment, Jamie maintains his dignity and youthful spirit, providing a beacon of hope for the others held captive with him.
Our read: Empire of the Sun (1987) reads as a sombre, steady, grounded drama · war entry — measured in intensity, mid-stakes in scope, measured in temperature, ambivalent in outlook.
Sombre, steady, measured drama / war, grounded in texture. Ambivalent, mid-stakes, measured.
- sombre
- intense
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How Empire of the Sun feels to watch.
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What watching it is actually like.
“You want an epic boy's-eye war journey about survival, wonder, and lost innocence.”
Skip it tonight — Skip if a long POW epic at 10:40pm feels exhausting before the credits roll.
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