"Cadillac of the Sky!"

Rating: 9/10 (18 March 1999)

Truly a "Cadillac" among films. It is nice to see history finally catching up to the greatness of this film, which rarely takes a false step. The middle is perhaps a bit muddled and long, but it all serves an eventual purpose. And so many have misunderstood the angle Spielberg takes---the view of war through the eyes of the little boy. This gives the director the freedom to see things in fantastical terms without being considered overly "Hollywood" or corny. The mainstream press just winced at the slow-motion glory of Christian Bale jumping up and yelling "B-52, Cadillac of the sky!" as planes roared overhead. But---the scenes were magnificently filmed, and they captured the boy's preservation of his own child-like nature despite what he had endured. "Empire of the Sun" has endured years labeled as a "minor" Spielberg film. But I believe this is a film to carry over into the next century, and treasure anew.