Reviews

I first saw this in the 70s on syndicated TV and admired its production values, which were high tech for the time. The remastered video is rich and colorful, far more intense then the pale 35 mm TV prints. This movie deserves more attention: it paved the way for UFO, Space: 1999 and even Star Wars with its detailed miniatures and cleverly conceived gadgets. Sure, the story of an alternative anti-matter planet Earth has been recycled a hundred times since Star Trek, but the beauty of this film is its self-conscious European flair for design: from the Rolls Royce space engines to the "Euro Sec" letterhead business paper, JFSS or Dopplegangers as it was called in Europe is enjoyable for the imaginary vision of Europe in space in the shadow of the Superpowers. Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's ambitious epic gets a little tedious when the American astronaut finally realizes that he is on the doppleganger Earth, and everything is literally downhill after the poetically graceful shuttle boarding sequence. A mediocre story is helped along by a grand and lyrical classical score by the late great Barry Gray, the John Williams of Britain.

If The Doors was Oliver Stone's baby, then Empire of the Sun is Spielberg's. This is his signature piece, if not his masterpiece: from the airplanes to the rolling dolly shots to the film stock quality, Empire of the Sun reflects all that is great about Spielberg's craftsmanship as a film maker without the bombast and over-sentimentality. The scale of the film is enormous, the production values incomparable. You can feel that no effort was spared to recreate the world recorded in J.G. Ballard's novel--from the crowds of Shanghai to the concentration camps, the Kafkaesque compound of confiscated goods in a vast open field in China, parachutes containing rations dropping from the sky: every scene is perfectly realized. Even Kubrick could not have done better. The atomic bomb blast sequence is hauntingly realistic and ominous. Who can forget that scene when Jim tries to retrieve his glider and sees a line of Japanese aviators on a hill in the distance, taking up the entire movie frame? The lighting of the sky, the ominous mood--pure cinematic genius. This is also one of Spielberg's most subtle films in terms of characterization--Christian Bale is superb as is John Malkevich--both convey how individuals cope with the horrors of war with acceptance and pragmatism. I have to say that this film is superior to both Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List as an organic work of art, as well an archetypal story for all nations. I am not a big fan of Spielberg, but Empire of the Sun gets my vote as his masterpiece.

In 1976, before George Lucas, had pitched his original Star Wars script to 20th Century Fox, he had a script in his hand which started out, "This is the story of Mace Windu, a revered Jedi-bendu of the Opuchi who was related to us by C.J. Thape, padawaan learner for the famed Jedi.." Lucas has gone back to the roots of his original "Dune"-inspired story which every true Star Wars fan knows about. Episode One is a promise kept to his fans. The names Mace Windu, Bail Antilles (Organa?), Whills (as in Journal of the), Correlia (Han Solo's home world famed for its huge starships), Kessel (famous for spice mines and a space race) have all been part of the background universe of Star Wars ever since the first movie came out in 1977. Now we are gradually seeing this universe come to life. That alone is worth the price of ticket. What a treat! Episode One more than delivers. People have complained about the characters, but if you look at the entire saga as one story, then Episode One makes perfect sense. Lucas has set up Anakin's turn to the Dark Side of the Force with several key scenes in this new movie; it's already clear that familial ties are the key to this saga. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu don't get much screen time in this movie, but you can bet your asteroids they'll be back in full Force in Episode Two. Viva George Lucas! Viva Star Wars!