Miriam Stone

A truly great movie. There are few films that are character studies of what internal mechanisms allow a young person to survive horrors far beyond a child's control. Negative reviews I have read uniformly fail to recognize that this is what 'Empire of the Sun' is about - how a kid gets through a war both externally and (basically) internally intact when he has been separated from his parents. The elements in Jim's character that allow this 12 year old to survive are illustrated on film here better than I have seen in any other movie. Every vignette shows how Jim uses what is available in order to survive : the semi-magical imaginative bent in his character ( which is an inherent aspect of childhood, seldom this well depicted), his maintenance of human relationships, his constant reliance on staying engaged and setting up daily and routine structures that are within his scope of control. The Empire of the Sun is the best illustration of how children use the basic elements of imagination, empathy, energy and naive fearlessness to learn and develop the strategies they will use as as adults someday to navigate the world. There are not many movies that I can think of that deal with this at all - much less this well. Engrossing and compelling from start to finish.

Phenomenal. I don't see how anyone can equal Game Of Thrones, much less surpass it. The best cinematic experience I've ever had - and it has reached excellence for all eight seasons !