EmperorMovie Reviews

Emperor Showtimes + Tickets

So-so

Avg. Critic Score: 48 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

OK for kids 14+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

75

San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle
In the end, probably the best way to watch Emperor is to pretend that the Supreme Command of Allied Forces in Japan after World War II was Tommy Lee Jones. If you do that, the movie works surprisingly well. Read full review
75

New York Observer | Rex Reed
The real star of the film is the magnetic, forceful and charismatic Matthew Fox, who steals the entire film as easily as if he were pitching a softball. Read full review
75

Chicago Sun-Times |
As is the case with most of the elements in Emperor, the cliches are relatively few and spaced apart, and the tearjerking and profound moments are authentic and well-earned. Read full review
67

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
Emperor explores the delicate postwar dance of revenge, justice, and realpolitik, yet its focus on the issue of Hirohito's guilt or innocence (did he order the attack on Pearl Harbor? Or did he, in fact, oppose the Japanese military machine?) Read full review
63

St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Joe Williams
This true-ish story adds a romantic subplot to the prosecution of Japanese war criminals by American general Douglas MacArthur, but neither the love nor the war are completely baked. Read full review
63

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
Only near the end, when MacArthur and Hirohito meet in person, do we get fireworks. And that's thanks to Jones, who makes sure this old soldier will never die in our memory. As for this tepid movie, it just fades away. Read full review
63

USA Today | Claudia Puig
Some of the film's most illuminating scenes involve Aya's uncle, General Kajima (Toshiyuki Nishida), who schools Fellers on the sense of duty that is ingrained in Japanese culture. Read full review
50

Boston Globe | Mark Feeney
When MacArthur stands side by side with Hirohito (Takatarô Kataoka), it’s the ultimate in victor-vanquished encounters. That’s also true whenever Jones shares a scene with Fox. Read full review
40

NPR |
So it seems like the next logical step in telling a story with a relationship to truth might be that if you're going to fudge things, at least make it entertaining. Please, pull an "Argo." Read full review
40

New York Daily News | Joe Neumaier
Director Peter Webber (“Girl With a Pearl Earring”) fills the film with conciliatory emotion and jarring vistas of post-atomic landscapes. Unfortunately, Emperor needs more good ol’-fashioned swagger. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Emperor on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says OK for kids 14+ MacArthur meets Hirohito in interesting historical drama.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Emperor is a historical drama about American generals attempting to establish order in post-WWII Japan, as well as deciding whether or not to arrest and try Emperor Hirohito for war crimes. The filmmakers have padded the story with a fictional romance (which includes some kissing), but the movie could inspire students and families to do further research. Violence isn't especially frequent/graphic, but there are a couple of suicides (with blood), fighting, and images of a bombed-out Japan after the war. There's also some language, mostly coming from General MacArthur, including one use of "f--k." Characters smoke cigarettes (and one smokes a corncob pipe) throughout, which is accurate for the era the movie takes place in. The main character drinks beer, sake, and whisky and sometimes gets drunk, with no apparent repercussions.

Families can talk about Emperor's violence. What parts were the most upsetting/disturbing? Why do you think so many of the Japanese characters commit or threaten suicide?
Why does Fellers drink and smoke so much? Is it related to the high stress of his job? Did people know in 1945 what they know now about cigarettes?
Why did Fellers choose not to arrest Hirohito? Did he make the right decision?
Why would the filmmakers add a romantic subplot to this story? What happens when fact and fiction are mixed?

The good stuff

Positive messages: A man faces a complex decision. In spite of great pressure -- and after a great deal of mental struggle -- he eventually chooses compassion over revenge. And he manages to pass this compassion on to others.
Positive role models: The main character shows strong empathy and tolerance toward another culture, though his own personal behavior is sometimes rude and pushy.

What to watch for

Violence: Emperor takes place in Tokyo after WWII. Viewers see destroyed buildings and homeless victims, and there's much talk about how many people died in bombings. Many guns are shown, but they're rarely fired. A dead body is seen just after suicide; a pool of blood is shown. Another character commits suicide with a gun behind an opaque window; blood splatters on the window. The main character gets into a bar fight, and his face is bloodied. Children throw rocks at the main character, giving him a small cut on his forehead.
Sexy stuff: The main character has a romantic relationship that includes lots of kissing, but nothing more sexual than that is shown or suggested. There's a brief scene of a "wild" college dance, with students kissing in the background.
Language: Language is fairly infrequent, and only General MacArthur uses it. He says "f--king" once and uses "son of a bitch," "s--t," "balls," "hell," "piss," "damn," and "goddamn" at least once each.
Consumerism: Not an issue
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Fellers drinks beer and gets drunk in a bar and later drinks whisky and gets drunk in his office. There are no apparent after affects. He smokes cigarettes throughout (accurate for the era). Many minor characters are also seen drinking and smoking in the background.

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