Directed by:
Joe DanteCinematography:
Jamie AndersonComposer:
Jerry GoldsmithCast:
David Cross, Jay Mohr, Denis Leary, Gregory Smith, Dick Miller, Kirsten Dunst, Jonathan Bouck, Kevin Dunn, Ann Magnuson, Wendy Schaal, Phil Hartman (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Alan Abernathy (Gregory Smith) is working at his father's toy store when he receives a sample of two new ranges of action figures: the Gorgonites, a race of peaceable aliens; and the Commando Elite, a tough bunch of war-ready soldiers. However, when Alan takes them home, the figures come to life and begin to engage each other in a furious running battle, with the Commando Elite transforming ordinary household implements into deadly weapons as they wage war against their alien foe. When Alan realises what is going on, he joins ranks with the Gorgonites and starts to draw up plans to bring an end to the commando threat. (Mediumrare Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (1)
In 1998, Joe Dante made a film in the style of his best films from the 1980s. Instead of Gremlins, however, this time there are the Commando Elite members and Gorgonites on the screen, instead of one wacky hypochondriac from the Inner Universe there are two wacky (and very awkward) scientists, and one typical American suburb gets a lot more work than in the finale of The 'Burbs. Small Soldiers could have been even better if the writers hadn't taken away the human characters and made most of them unsympathetic jerks. This is how the film is saved, literally, by ILM's and Stan Winston's top-notch special effects, Dante's flair for hyperbole and his ability to turn even a seemingly naive situation like an army of toys attacking an inhabited house into an absolutely riveting event. I don't need to mention that Jerry Goldsmith helped him again (and that their unfortunately penultimate collaboration was again successful).
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