Remarkable, no...Amazing.

Rating: Null/10 (12 January 1999)

For some reason about a month ago, I felt like renting Empire Of the Sun again after not seeing much of it in about 9 or 10 years. The first time I saw it, I was living in Hong Kong so the China angle didn't mean much to me. And perhaps I was too young (18/19) or impatient to fully grasp the depth of the performances and story. Well, this past couple times it was a different matter entirely. I found the film to be outstanding, even beautiful at times.
Christian Bale gave perhaps one of the most incredible performances I've seen for any actor, not just one of his age in the film. You'll be amazed. And the scenes of Shanghai were awesome. From my own experience in Hong Kong, I had no trouble believing that was really Shanghai.
Anyone reading this who has not seen the film yet, see it. Take what everyone else here has said as more than just hype. You'll be glad you took the time to watch the film through. And you'll have the same question that everyone else has about this film - Why wasn't Christian Bale given the Academy Award for this? "Difficult boy..."