"Empire of the Sun": Spielberg's Underrated (or Overrated?) Foray Into 'Serious' Cinema

Okay, so I finally sat down and watched "Empire of the Sun" the other night. Spielberg trying to do 'serious' historical drama, right? Everyone always talks about it like it's a forgotten classic. I'm gonna be honest, I wasn't blown away. Don't get me wrong, visually stunning. Shanghai looked incredible, the plane sequences were great for the time, and Christian Bale as a kid… yeah, he was good. But something felt… hollow? Like it was trying so hard to be Important that it forgot to, you know, be a good movie. Specifically, I think the whole 'spiritual journey' thing with Jamie Graham felt forced. Kid loves airplanes, loses his parents, then somehow becomes enlightened in a Japanese internment camp? It felt like a connect-the-dots version of trauma. And John Malkovich, bless his heart, just didn't sell me as the cynical American sailor. Sure, he looked the part, but something about the performance felt… off. Maybe it's just me, but I never really bought into the 'bromance' between him and Bale. And the ending? Don't even get me started. That 'seeing the light' scene felt so trite and out of place. Look, I'm not saying it's a bad movie, per se. It's just… overrated. Spielberg's done way better, and there are far more compelling war movies out there. I think people are blinded by the pretty visuals and the 'Oscar bait' vibes. It's a good watch, maybe, but not the earth-shattering experience some make it out to be. Maybe I'm just missing something? Let me know what you all think, but be nice, haha. I just didn't think it was that good, overall.