"Come on Harry, it's Alex's new movie. You know how much I love him." A 17 year-old said to her boyfriend.
"Nikki, but I want to see Rocky III. It's a great film, our friends said so." Harry tried to convince her. "And more over it's a war film, and you said those movies are not your cup of tea."
"But it's Alex. I have to support his films as his fan." Nikki said pouting.
Harry gave up and bought two tickets for the film.
Alex's fans are mainly kids and girls. Kids bring family and girls bring guys to the films. Alex and his fans are of the same generation. Kids loved him in E.T, 'Home Alone' series. He entered teenage and so are his majority of fans. When he reaches adulthood so will they. He had to satisfy his fan base with changing times and at the same time bring new fans of other generations.
'Empire of the Sun'- To survive in a world at war, he must find a strength greater than all the events that surround him.
It's the tagline for the film. It's about the forces that assault a boy's childhood in World War II. The central character is a precocious 11-year-old English boy named Jim (Alex King) who lives with his parents in the suburban British quarter of Shanghai's International Settlement. At the film's beginning, on the eve of the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, Jim is too absorbed in his boy's adventure fantasies to pay much mind to the gathering war clouds.
Jim: I was dreaming about God.
Mary Graham: What did he say?
Jim: Nothing. He was playing tennis. Perhaps that's where God is all the time and that's why you can't see Him when you're awake, do you think?
Mary Graham: I don't know. I don't know about God.
Jim: Perhaps He's our dream... and we're His.
This scene between Jim and his mother shows his innocence at the same time his keen mind.
The most agonizing moment in "Empire of the Sun" comes near the beginning as the streets of Shanghai are filled with a panic-stricken mob and he is separated from his parents as they flee to sanctuary. One moment his mother has him by the hand, and the next moment he has dropped his toy airplane and stooped to pick it up and they are separated by 5,000 frightened people, never to see each other again until the war is over.
Desperate for food, he's later taken in by Basie (John Malkovich) and his sidekick, Frank, a pair of American merchant seamen who scavenge the area for whatever loot they can find. Initially, they plan to sell Jim, but there are no takers (he's too skinny), and eventually the three of them are captured by the Japanese and imprisoned.
Once the locale shifts to the main prison camp the movie begins to deteriorate. The scenes that follow focus on the traumas that Jim and the other prisoners must endure, and they're meant to emphasize Jim's suffering. Instead, they demonstrate Jim's resiliency and indomitable energy.
Jim is a quick learner. Short, fast and somewhat invisible because of his youth, he has the run of the camp. He knows all the shortcuts and all the scams and steals to survive.Jim seems to thrive in prison, and, taking tips from Basie he negotiates the lanes of supply at the camp, both official and unofficial, with an enviable shrewdness and savvy.
Jim always admired Japanese for their bravery but now they are against his home country England, the country he feels no layalty to.
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Jim: If the Americans land, the Japanese will fight.
Dr. Rawlins: You admire the Japanese?
Jim: Well, they're brave, aren't they?
Dr. Rawlins: That's important, is it, Jim?
Jim: It's a good thing if you want to win a war.
Dr. Rawlins: But we don't want them to win, do we. Remember, we're British.
Jim: Yes. I've never been there.
As the months go by, he dreams less frequently of his parents and finally cannot quite even remember their faces.
The audience were spellboundby the performance of Alex though they are some flaws in the film. Alex improved the original version and shortened the film length.
As a result of the attack the Japanese decide to evacuate the camp. Basie escapes during the confusion, though he had promised to take Jim with him. The camp's prisoners march through the wilderness where many die of fatigue, starvation, and disease.
Jim witnesses flashes from the atomic bombing of Nagasaki hundreds of miles away.
After the Japan's surrender,Jim encounters the Japanese teenager he befriended earlier, who has since become a pilot but is now disillusioned.
Basie reappears with a group of armed Americans. One of the Americans, thinking Jim is in danger, shoots and kills the Japanese youth.
Basie: Jim, didn't I teach you anything?
Jim: Yes. You taught me that people will do anything for a potato.
Basie offers to help Jim find his parents, but Jim—infuriated over his friend's death—chooses to stay behind.
Jim is eventually found by American soldiers and placed in an orphanage, where he is reunited with his mother and father.
In this film, Alex appears in almost every frame of the film and ages convincibly during the course of story in an ambitious and demanding role. Alex perfected the performance of the Christian Bale, the original actor who played Jim.
The audience gave a standing ovation to the film expressing their love for the film.
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Next day in the newspapers the critics praised the film as one of the best films of the year. 89% critics gave positive reviews and audience gave 'A' in the CinemaScore.
Janet Maslin from The New York Times called the film "a visual splendor, a heroic adventurousness and an immense scope that make it unforgettable."
Many critics said that it was Alex's finest performance upto date. Roger Ebert gave a positive review and wrote that Alex gave a performance worthy of an Oscar nomination.
This started a discussion whether Alex could be nominated for Oscar this year. The youngest nominee for Oscar Best Actor in a Leading role is Jackie Cooper for the film Skipper(1931). If Alex was nominated he would be the second youngest. Alex was already the youngest Oscar winner in an acting role for "The Sixth Sense" for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
The weekend report and it showed that "Empire of the Sun" grossed $6.8 million in just 750 screens. Starting Monday the screens increased to 1600 and grossed $ 17.2 million in the first week and occupied #1 place in box office charts.
Alex's salary rose to $6.5 million for a film making him one of the highest paid actors in the world.
Image result for jackie cooper skippy [http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/07/20/21/1901658/7/920x920.jpg] Jackie Cooper in 'Skippy'