Small Soldiers
Originally intended to be slightly edgier teenage fair until the studio decided to make it more fan friendly during production in order to cash-in on promotional tie-ins, 1998's Small Soldiers became a mix of those two concepts leading to a lukewarm reaction by both critics and moviegoers. You can certainly see director Joe Dante struggling to serve both masters, especially given how much of the film was shot prior to the imposed change in direction.
The story involves a defense contractor pushing out pro-military toys that, due to an unfortunate oversight, actually include real military microchips making the soldiers self-aware and far more realistic than anyone involved was hoping for. The movie stars Gregory Smith as the son of a toy store owner who gets his hands on the toys early. The toys include the militaristic Commando Elite led by Major Chip Hazard (Tommy Lee Jones), points for the puns, as well as the separately produced educational Gorgonites repackaged to be the soldiers' enemies. Alan's neighbor Christy (Kirsten Dunst) also gets pulled into the shenanigans as the toys with minds of their own lead to all kinds of chaos. The film is no more or less than its premise, and the effects have aged pretty well over the years.
Despite the film's mixed response on release, it did earn its share of fans along with those who watched Small Soldiers on cable over the years. It's more curiosity than must-have, but I'll admit having a soft spot for the film which includes a number or recognizable faces (and voices) in various roles including voice casts using actors from both The Dirty Dozen and This is Spinal Tap while also being notable as the final film roles for both Phil Hartman and Clint Walker (as the voice of Nick Nitro). The new 4K Steelbook includes both a digital and Blu-ray copy of the film along with the extras from the previously-released Blu-ray as well.
Watch the trailer- Title: Small Soldiers
- IMDb: link
