bheadher Among my several gauges for a movie, entertain me is always first...and Small Soldiers does exactly that. Certainly it is sort of a dumb fantasy film, but the plot is presented in such a way that you really can't help but like it, heh heh...First of all, a toy company CEO wants to amaze kids by presenting a mechanized line of interactive action figures. The production team wants to use smart chips to make them lifelike, but the CEO ok's the purchase of some military grade rejected smart chips...the fun starts immediately after they are inserted into a first production run of (pretty raunchy) soldier commando types, while the "nice" chips go into the fantasy "Gorgonites", a group of figures straight out of fantasyland, heh heh...I won't narrate the whole movie, but frankly is you want a diversion that is fun and vaguely morality driven at the same time, look this one up...it is definitely fun...

powermandan This is a pure nostalgia flick that I still find entertaining and still brings back memories from my childhood. I was a toddler when this came out, and I remember finding this really awesome and not being fooled into thinking this was real. Anybody that says this is too intense for children must forget about 8 and 9-year-olds. The most obvious influence this draws from is Toy Story. But it also has some Terminator aspects and Gremlins aspects too. Director Joe Dante directed Gremlins, so there are subtle references to it such as a mini toy of Gizmo in the dumpster and the computer code word being Gizmo. The Terminator aspect is dealt with wild advancement in technology and insane robots (despite these robots being one-foot-tall). Small Soldiers starts off with two toy creators named Irwin and Larry (David Cross and Jay Mohr) who must deal with their company being bought and some changes being made by powerful military expert Gil Mars (Denis Leary). Mars wants the newest toys to actually play back with their owner. This leads to state-of-the-art military chips being placed inside the newest brand of toys: waring factions called the Commando Elite and Gorgonites. Gorgonites are ugly aliens designed to lose against the Commandos. Eventually, the toys will come to life and wreck havoc everywhere they are. Increase the size of these toys, and you get Terminators.Three months later, teenager Alan Abernathy (Gregory Smith) works part-time at his father's (Kevin Dunn) boring toy store. He persuades his delivery man into giving him a exclusive sneak peek into the Commandos and Gorgonites. Gorgonite leader, Archer, (voiced by Frank Langella) follows Alan and warns him of impending danger, but Alan just thinks it's cool how well a toy can communicate with him. That night, the Commando Elite break out of their boxes and destroy his dad's store. Who's going to believe a group of toys wrecked a store and will destroy all else?Eventually, the movie takes a turn for the darker and grittier as Alan's house becomes a war zone. Commandos seize hold of all they can get and must battle the humans in a deadly combat. It is hard to take seriously and you can't really rationalize everything, but it is rather easy to see how realistic it is. The movie may be simplified in its display, but it was even freaky of possibility during its release almost 20-years ago. Technology has upgraded massively since then...Whatever. The movie is a fun adrenaline rush with humans caught between feuding toys. The action is awesome and the animatronics are great. I still have the dolls of Commandos Brick Bazooka and leader Major Chip Hazard (voiced by Tommy Lee Jones). This three-way clash makes for great entertainment.

Neil Welch A couple of toy developers have the bright idea of putting military computer chips in a new line of toys. Unfortunately, the toy soldiers in question thus become motivated to annihilate a rival range of toys and, if humans get in the way, that's just too bad.Director Joe Dante recycles the plot of his Gremlins movies, only with action figures instead of Mogwais and Gremlins, and the results are much the same - a thoroughly entertaining movie filled with masses of entry-level mayhem. The toys are well designed and brilliantly voiced by a voice cast which is far more star-studded than the solid and reliable, but low-key, human cast.It is perhaps a little violent and intense for the youngest of viewers, but otherwise it is a solidly entertaining family movie.

Leofwine_draca SMALL SOLDIERS is, essentially, Joe Dante's third GREMLINS film, except that the antagonists aren't gremlins this time around but instead normal, plastic toys who have been brought to life via military technology. It's along the same lines as TOY STORY, which came out at around the same time, but I think the Dante movie has the edge; it's live action, for a start, and the special effects used to animate the soldiers are remarkable.The film goes for a light action-adventure template with plenty of laughs thrown into the mix along the way. Like GREMLINS, there's a lot of small-scale stuff going on here, like fireworks being used as weapons and characters encountering the dangers of garbage disposal units. It's a kid's film, with child actors in the lead roles, but one of those ones that adults are sure to enjoy too.Cast-wise, we're handed decent turns from Gregory Smith (before he won popular attention with EVERWOOD) and Kirsten Dunst (just before she graduated to adult roles in SPIDER-MAN). Elsewhere, we get Denis Leary chewing the scenery as the slimy corporate villain, and Dante lucky charm Dick Miller as an unlucky delivery driver. Best of all are the voice actors hired for the soldiers; they're led by Tommy Lee Jones but boast plenty of veteran talent, including Ernest Borgnine and Frank Langella. Overall, Dante gets the tone just right, leaving this a highly enjoyable family adventure.