Empire of the Sun (1987)

Empire of the Sun parents guide

Mild language and a few tense moments, about what a PG should carry.

Our estimate: fine from about 7. Rated PG.

Scare

Mildly scary

A few tense or eerie moments.

Jump scares

A couple

One or two sudden jolts.

Gore

No gore

Violence

Some violence

Some fighting or peril.

Sex and nudity

None noted

Language

Mild

Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is Empire of the Sun scary?

Only a little. Empire of the Sun has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

How gory is Empire of the Sun?

No gore and some violence. Squeamish viewers are fine here.

What is Empire of the Sun rated, and is it OK for kids?

For most kids, yes. Mild language and a few tense moments, in line with the PG.

What is Empire of the Sun about?

Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps. Jamie is captured with an American sailor, who looks out for him while they are in the camp together. Even though he is separated from his parents and in a hostile environment, Jamie maintains his dignity and youthful spirit, providing a beacon of hope for the others held captive with him.

Cast and crew

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Empire of the Sun is on our Coming of age, 1980s and War lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a movie that will make me cry”
• “funny but not stupid, under two hours”
• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”

Lists with the same feel: Melancholy and Late night.