“Gremlins” meets “G.I. Joe” in this wild, special effects-fueled adventure from Joe Dante. Young Alan brings a new line of toys into his father’s store in hopes of helping sales. Little does he know that the Commando Elite figures are programmed with military computer chips and are gung-ho in attacking the rival Gorgonite figures-and meddling humans! With Gregory Smith, Kirsten Dunst, the great Dick Miller, and Phil Hartman, in his final role.
What We Thought:
When Small Soldiers first came out I was a bit too old for it. I did watch it with a young nephew back then because I was a fan of Denis Leary and Phil Hartman. Overall I thought it was fun for who it was made for, but it wasn’t a beloved kids movies in my lifetime. It was for the generation right after me though.
I haven’t seen it in years and after watching it last night, I kind of have a new positive perspective on it. When I first watched it I probably didn’t realize Joe Dante directed it, but watching it now you can absolutely tell. Dante made Gremlins and Gremlins 2 which were staples of my childhood and I 100% understand why the next generation after me loved this. It’s from 1998, but very much feels like a movie from the 1980s when “kids” movies had a bit more to them. The main characters are teens and there is a little love story in it so don’t think this is for the little ones despite being about toys. It earns its PG-13 rating and feels more like an 80s PG movie than the kid friendly film it might appear to be.
That’s why as an adult now I can see why the movie was a solid hit. With a movie about toys coming to life ala Toy Story you might think it’s for the under 10 crowd, but it’s not. The commando toys drug Phil Hartman and his wife in the film and multiple toys are lit on fire and are attacked with a nail gun. Younger me might not have appreciated it, but adult me who hasn’t seen a good kids movie made in decades can appreciate what Dante did with this one. Like Gremlins it pushes the envelope on what it can get away with and who it was sold to. They sold toys to kids from a movie made for teens. I love that.
Then there is the cast. It was the last film for the late Phil Hartman and man I miss that guy. Denis Leary plays a CEO type who buys the company that makes the toys. David Cross, Jay Mohr, Kirsten Dunst, the underrated Kevin Dunn and more round out the physical cast. But’s it’s the Commando Elite and the Gorgonites voice cast that caught me off guard. I remember Tommy Lee Jones as the voice of the main soldier toy, but other characters are voiced by actors in The Dirty Dozen, Jim Brown, Ernest Borgnine, Clint Walker and George Kennedy. The Gorgonites are lead by Frank Langella, but also feature the band Spinal Tap (Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean). Plus Sarah Michelle Gellar and Christina Ricci voice the dolls that attack Kirsten Dunst and others.
Small Soldiers did well at the box office and is a film its generation loved. I get it now. It’s not quite Gremlins, but it is very much a Joe Dante flick. With effects by Harry Winston mixed with 1990s CGI, it still holds up pretty well too. This new 4K Steelbook looks great and sounds even better. I definitely have a new found respect for the movie because it pushed boundaries on horror, action, and effects for a movie that could have easily been a Toy Story clone.
The Nerds Templar 