Title: Small Soldiers
Year: 1998
Director: Joe Dante
Country: US
Language: English
To combat the incredibly popular Toy Story (1995), Dreamworks Studios made their own film about toys coming to life called Small Soldiers. Directed by Joe Dante (The Goonies) this 90's cult classic feels like a fever dream in regards to how odd it is. Commander Toys (lead by Tommy Lee Jones) recruit demented Barbies to fight humans to the death. O.K then...
When missile technology is used to enhance toy action figures, the toys soon begin to take their battle programming too seriously.
Small Soldiers holds up fairly well, mainly because it pays homage to other famous flicks before it. We get a dose of Patton (1970), Gremlins (1984) and Transformers (1986). Its use of animatronics was/is impressive; it would be nice if Hollywood used more of these practical effects in current pictures.
The cast consists of some heavy hitters, which include; Denis Leary, David Cross (pre Arrested Development) and Phil Hartman. Small Soldiers was Hartman's last role; his comedic genius is on full display here. The film's soundtrack is fun, I enjoyed belting out War! What is it Good for? in the theatre as a child.
Small Soldiers is a fun dose of 90's nostalgia. It's a trippy picture that will have you laughing throughout. It's not a deep movie by any means, but it certainly deserves its cult status.
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