Dull, Monotonous & Overlong, Empire Of The Sun Is Unsure Of What It Wants To Be.

Rating: Null/10 (12 June 2015)

For a film that brims with such a strong passion for flying, it's quite ironic that Empire of the Sun doesn't even manage to take off at any given point over the course of its runtime. Quite a chore to sit through, this coming-of-age war drama from Steven Spielberg is completely devoid of his usual flair, remains monotonous in tone from start to finish & is pretty much unsure of what it even wants to be.
Based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, the story of Empire of the Sun is set during the Second World War in China and tells the story of Jamie; an English kid who after getting separated from his parents during the Japanese invasion of Shanghai ends up in an internment camp where he learns to survive despite the poor conditions & establishes a good living but when the war nears its end, so does his innocence.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film opens on a fine note by wonderfully introducing all its characters and while there are various indications that the story might pick up anytime now, that moment never really arrives. The whole story feels like a compilation of many episodes sewn together without any clear idea of what Spielberg intends the film to be, plus whatever emotion it was trying to evoke from its audience simply falls flat.
Most of the technical aspects are sound in its execution but that part is a default option in a Spielberg feature. Production Design team does a brilliant job in putting up some authentic- looking models & set pieces, Cinematography nicely captures the surroundings & unfolding events but it also lacks the immersive dimension that invites the viewers into the story. And while John Williams delivers an expressive score, it only works in bits n pieces.
Editing is disappointing for the story is way longer than it needs to be, isn't properly paced either & its 154 minutes of runtime is severely felt. Also, some sequences that made its way into the final cut should've ended up on the editing room's floor instead. The only thing that saves Empire of the Sun from being a complete disaster is the magnificent performance by Christian Bale in what is his on-screen debut & he's finely supported by John Malkovich.
On an overall scale, Empire of the Sun is possibly about the loss of innocence but it travels in so many directions that it ends up halfway on everything it was trying to be. Its motive is unclear whether one approaches it as a coming-of-age story or a war drama. The only good thing about the film is that it brought on screen a promising talent who would later go on to become one of Hollywood's most sought actors but apart from that, Empire of the Sun has nothing interesting to offer.