Empire of the Sun
1987 · 153 min · Director: Steven Spielberg
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Based on J. G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, tells the story of a boy, James Graham, whose privileged life is upturned by the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, December 8, 1941. Separated from his parents, he is eventually captured, and taken to Soo Chow confinement camp, next to a captured Chinese airfield. Amidst the sickness and food shortages in the camp, Jim attempts to reconstruct his former life, all the while bringing spirit and dignity to those around him.
Emotional fingerprint
Empire of the Sun (1987) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Sadness 30%, Empathy 25%, Fear 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Sadness30%
- Empathy25%
- Fear20%
- Inspiration15%
- Hope10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Sadness, Empathy, Fear. Genres: Drama, War. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Sadness, Empathy and Fear. Its IMDb rating of 7.7/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 73/100.
How did it make you feel?
Votes are saved to the fingerprint once you’re signed in.
Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Empathy
- Sadness
- Disturbing
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Disturbing
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Empathy | Sadness | Disturbing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 4′ | Tension | 25 % | 11 % | 3 % | 9 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 11′ | Tension | 34 % | 13 % | 4 % | 13 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 19′ | Tension | 58 % | 35 % | 21 % | 21 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 27′ | Empathy | 73 % | 61 % | 45 % | 24 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 34′ | Empathy | 68 % | 65 % | 44 % | 22 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 42′ | Empathy | 61 % | 59 % | 35 % | 22 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 50′ | Empathy | 58 % | 56 % | 35 % | 26 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 57′ | Empathy | 62 % | 59 % | 40 % | 39 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 65′ | Empathy | 69 % | 65 % | 47 % | 47 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 73′ | Sadness | 63 % | 58 % | 48 % | 44 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 80′ | Sadness | 61 % | 48 % | 38 % | 40 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 88′ | Tension | 69 % | 46 % | 25 % | 44 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 96′ | Tension | 70 % | 47 % | 23 % | 50 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 103′ | Disturbing | 70 % | 51 % | 29 % | 50 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 111′ | Tension | 79 % | 62 % | 44 % | 47 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 119′ | Sadness | 83 % | 74 % | 65 % | 48 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 126′ | Sadness | 82 % | 75 % | 74 % | 59 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 134′ | Sadness | 84 % | 74 % | 74 % | 66 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 142′ | Empathy | 85 % | 78 % | 73 % | 59 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 149′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
Riches to rags
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about Empire of the Sun. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Jim's Mother
Mr. Victor
Kamikaze Boy Pilot
Tiptree
Yang
Sgt. Uchida
Amy Matthews
Mr. Radik
Singing Prisoner
Details
- Directed by
- Steven Spielberg
- Written by
- Tom Stoppard, J.G. Ballard, Menno Meyjes
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1987
- Runtime
- 153 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Sadness
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
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