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Kirsten Dunst, Gregory Smith, Jay Mohr, Phil Hartman, Kevin Dunn ... see more see more... , Denis Leary , David Cross , Ann Magnuson , Wendy Schaal , Alexandra Wilson , Dick Miller , Robert Picardo , Tommy Lee Jones , Frank Langella , Ernest Borgnine , Jim Brown , Bruce Dern , George Kennedy , Clint Walker , Christopher Guest , Michael McKean , Harry Shearer , Sarah Michelle Gellar , Christina Ricci

Joe Dante directed this satirical action-comedy about talking tech toys accidentally juiced-up with military microchips. After the defense industry firm Globotech takes over a small toy company, Heart... read more read more...land Play Systems' CEO Gil Mars (Denis Leary) gives the green light to develop a new line of action figures, requesting an upgrade to more realistic figures from Heartland toy designers Larry Benson (Jay Mohr) and fumbling Irwin Wayfair (David Cross). Mars wants toys that act like the ones in TV commercials. The results are fierce fighting figures, the Commando Elite, programmed to seek out and destroy the kindly alien-like Gorgonites. In an effort to make the toys as natural as possible, Benson inserts Globotech's most powerful military computer chips. Meanwhile, in quiet Winslow Corners, Ohio, toy-store owner Stuart Abernathy (Kevin Dunn) and his 15-year-old son Alan (Gregory Smith) are stuck in a failing business, so when Heartland truckdriver Joe (Dick Miller) stops by with the Commando and Gorgonite toys, Alan is convinced they will be hot sellers, commenting, "Maybe this store will finally make a little money." With blistering blows to their blister packs, the Commandos burst out, receive orders from their leader Chip Hazard (voice of Tommy Lee Jones) and ready for an all-out assault on the Gorgonites. When the Gorgonite leader Archer (voice of Frank Langella) begins communicating with Alan, it causes the Commandos to perceive humans as another enemy, simply by their association with the "Gorgonite scum," so an attack on the Abernathy house begins. Unfortunately, the Gorgonites can offer only limited assistance, since they have been programmed to lose. The film combines animatronics, puppetry, and computer animation. The Commando Elite voices include surviving actors from Robert Aldrich's The Dirty Dozen (1967), while the Gorgonite voices reunited several This Is Spinal Tap (1983) cast members. A dedication to Phil Hartman (the voice of Phil Fimple) after the closing credits features a brief Hartman outtake. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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46% liked it

107,886 ratings

Critics

45% liked it

42 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Joe Dante

Release Date: July 10, 1998

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DVD Release Date: December 1, 1998

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Stats: 3,406 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (3,406)

  • cosmo313
    January 5, 2012
    cosmo313
    Joe Dante takes the helm for this movie which is basically a combination of his own film Gremlins with Toy Story, and concerns a bunch of action figures named the Commando Elite (a bunch of stock soldier types) who battle it out in suburbia against their monstrous misfits enemies... read more the Gorgonites and some human teens and their families. This is all made possible because of a toy company employee who uses military grade munitions chips as the processor for the toys.

    It's mostly just a wild and creative action movie, but it's also a fun send up of and tribute to military movies (most of the Commando Elite are voiced by cast members from The Dirty Dozen) as well as a sly and lsight satire of media execs, and that sort of thing.

    It might seem like a fun family friendly kid's film, but please note that this is NOT a movie for little kids, as it is actually rather subversive, sometimes dark, and a tad intense and creepy. I personally didn't find it to be too intense, but it's kinda like looking at Kindergarten Cop and putting thigns in context.

    This is a typical story where a geeky kid finds his place in the world, as does his toy counterpart, but the film is quite witty, inventive, and has soem really wel ldone visual effects. Plus, there's a good amount of humor here. The script has it's moments, but the story is admittedly a little thin and mostly a showcase for the visuals and the action. Plus, the film is rather cheesy in it's 90s-ness, but it's still fun and entertaining.

    All in all, a decent, and fun movie. It's tonally uneven, and not as strong as it could be with the satirical elements, but the cast (voice and live action) are good, and the film is fairly well made, so give it a shot.
  • ajv2688
    November 21, 2011
    ajv2688
    No, it's not the first time that toys were brought to life, but that doesn't mean that this film is ripping off any other film. In this one, the toys believe that they have to be at war with one another, which causes the mayhem that ensues. It's really a great movie, a lot of f... read moreun for kids of all ages.
  • skeletonking101
    December 20, 2010
    skeletonking101
    a fantastic and creative plot with great action, acting, drama, and effects, the toy soldiers move fantastically and the ending fight is by far the best scene in the whole film
  • ythelastman89
    May 10, 2010
    ythelastman89
    All kinds of awesome and one of the best demented children's movies around. Joe Dante always knows how to make a movie that can appeal to just about everyone. This takes a very unique premise and makes it even more exciting with chip-enhanced action figures. This is probably ever... read morey kid's dream and worst nightmare, that toys how the power to think, feel and kill. In a lot of ways it's the Toy Story from hell, but to generalize it like that would be a slandering of its good name. Tommy Lee Jones as the unstoppable Chip Hazard and Frank Langella as the child-like mutant alien are only some of the great characters in this.
  • fb733768972
    January 13, 2010
    fb733768972
    Toy Story for Grown Ups! It is a well made action version of toy story! Even though I could never come close to toy story, it delivers!
  • deano
    July 22, 2009
    deano
    The names of the characters, particularly the Commando-Elite, are pretty good, and worthy of an award of their own.
    Although some of the animation is a little wooden, that just seemed to add to the whole flavour of the film. It makes witty references to the alikes of Patton... read more> and The Terminator, and what a charming creature Archer of Gorgonites is.
    A sequence involving malevolent Barbie dolls (voice by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Christina Ricci) is a stroke of demented genius.
  • jabcdef
    January 4, 2008
    jabcdef
    Its okay I suppose.
  • skactopus
    October 28, 2007
    skactopus
    Toys going to war. An interesting film for kids, but not for kids.

    The story behind this film is a little over the top, but is entertaining for the most part. The first half of this film is pretty slow and it left me feeling a little bored. I didn't really care for the first

    ... read more ten minutes either. How the heck is somebody going to order tons of top secret military chips in just a few clicks. I know that you shouldn't take this movie seriously, but that was just a bit too much. The second half of this film is where the movie gets going. For the most part, the commandos are on the attack and causing havoc wherever they go. The second half is definitely where everybody will enjoy the film the most.

    Remember when I mentioned that this is for kids, but not for kids? I meant it. A film about toys coming to life. Reminiscent of Toy Story right? Well, in Toy Story you didn't have toys attacking you with knives, chainsaws, and nail guns. This film, in my opinion, is just a little too violent for the younger audience. Parents, you have been warned.

    The acting is OK at best, considering a bunch of them are comedians. Kirsten Dunst is alright and Gregory Smith does a decent job as the lead. The voices done by Tommy Lee Jones and Frank Langella fit their respective characters well and are nicely done. Keep your ears open for some small voice work from Sarah Michelle Gellar and Christina Ricci.

    One shining point of this film is the CG and animatronics. If toy figures came to life and moved, they would move just like they did in the movie. The CG is also somewhat reminiscent of Toy Story.

    This film does have a unique story, but it may not be for everyone. Use your own judgment before giving this a try.
  • FiLmCrAzY
    September 29, 2007
    FiLmCrAzY
    i enojyed it
  • YosemiteSamFan
    July 13, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    A decent war-toy movie that was well done and enjoyable. American Soldier toys develop a flawed programming circuit and start a war against the Alien action figures known as "Gorgonites", which are cute little humanoid creatures. The figure animation is interesting, detailed and ... read morecute. The story and scenes are lots of fun. It's got the right stuff.

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Critic Reviews

Liam Lacey
April 12, 2002
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

...this smells like a script slapped together around a toy-product launch. Full Review

Kenneth Turan
February 14, 2001
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Though it starts promisingly, the picture ends as a standoff between the affection Dante and company bring to the project and its increasingly frenetic and tiresome emphasis on what special effects ca... Full Review

Janet Maslin
January 1, 2000
Janet Maslin, New York Times

As with many films in which special effects are the real stars, the technology here commands more respect and interest than the material otherwise warrants. Full Review

Joe Baltake
January 1, 2000
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

...deliciously perverse... Full Review

Susan Stark
January 1, 2000
Susan Stark, Detroit News

...wildly entertaining... Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

What bothered me most about Small Soldiers is that it didn't tell me where to stand--what attitude to adopt. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

As absurd as the premise might seem, Small Soldiers works for two primary reasons: the visual effects ... are entirely convincing and the script ... never takes its tongue out of its cheek. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

I can't think of a Hollywood entertainment I've enjoyed as much all year, and both audiences I saw the movie with seemed delighted as well. Full Review

Scott Rosenberg
January 1, 2000
Scott Rosenberg, Salon.com

Fortunately, it's possible to ignore the morals entirely and simply enjoy the filmmakers' skill at creating carefully contained mayhem in a microcosm. Full Review

Bob Graham
January 1, 2000
Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle

This live-action, animated feature has all the charm of the entirely animated Toy Story plus an audacity all of its own. Full Review

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Small Soldiers Trivia

  • Who voiced the leader of the bad toys in Small Soldiers?  Answer »
  • Who was the leader of the Commando Elite in the Joe Dante film, Small Soldiers?  Answer »
  • What actor died shortly before the release of his new movie, "Small Soldiers"?  Answer »
  • Name the movie with this quote: "We're not toys. We're action figures!"  Answer »
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