Small Soldiers

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Matthew D Clever childhood classic with fun war references. Joe Dante’s coming of age action-comedy Small Soldiers (1998) was one of my favorite movies as a little kid. Dante’s direction is very playful as he combines practical effects with moving action figures as well as not very dated CGI. Dante’s incredulous attitude against greedy capitalists and ignorant parents is very nice to see. Joe Dante’s best films like Gremlins, Explorers, and Small Soldiers have this fun, family tone with heartfelt messaging. Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio’s writing is full of funny war movie references and kind family dynamics. I like their realistic approach to the teen romance with all the genuine awkward encounters. Joe Dante’s playful direction brings toys to life with a vicious violence that is just a blast to watch unfold into child friendly chaos. Marshall Harvey and Michael Thau’s editing keeps your suspension of disbelief intact as you can imagine these toys talking and fighting humans with their clever cuts around their movements. Small Soldiers is 110 minutes and feels like a half hour. Jamie Anderson’s cinematography is nice with excellent close-ups and medium shots for all the people and bravely using wide shots for the moving action figures, so that you can always see their full range of motion. Rosemary Brandenburg’s set decoration makes the homes look like 90’s families live there. Jerry Goldsmith’s score is pleasant and warm for this family adventure. Carole Brown-James’ costumes are a fun set ranging from grunge gear for the kids and formal business attire for the stiff adults. Gregory Smith is alright as the lead boy Alan Abernathy. He’s fun and believable for the teen drama, but he cannot be randomly mean or strange. Kirsten Dunst is the best part of Small Soldiers. I had a crush on her as a kid with her easy going attitude and cool personality. She’s very natural and funny as Christy Fimple. Dunst remains my favorite actress of all time, so it’s quite fun to see her younger still capable of compelling teen drama as a young lady. Denis Leary is actually pretty good as the millionaire toy tycoon Gil Mars with a mean spirit to his character like Leary’s dry standup. Phil Hartman is funny as the stuffy Phil Fimple. David Cross is hilarious and endearing as the nerdy toy designer Irwin Wayfair. Jay Mohr is pretty fun as the suckup Larry Benson. Kevin Dunn is so mean as Alan’s father Stuart Abernathy. Ann Magnuson is fun as the tennis loving mother to Alan named Irene Abernathy. Dick Miller is nice as the kind truck driver. All the voice acting is really excellent. The Dirty Dozen and This Is Spinal Tap cast are all great fun. Tommy Lee Jones brings a seriousness to Chip Hazard’s near General Patton patriotic psychopath. I like Frank Langella's softer tone for Archer too. Small Soldiers has a pretty star studded cast, even Rance Howard cameos as the neighbor husband. In all, Joe Dante directed a fun family film with Small Soldiers. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/16/25 Full Review Jace T As the title says, I have major nostalgia with this movie from my childhood. I absolutely loved this film as a kid and though it was so cool! I thought it was so cool that I even had my room painted like Small Soldiers and played the Small Soldiers PS1 game all the time. Arguably, this movie is not a 9/10, but I just can't help but to love it. There is no surprises that this film was directed by Joe Dante who made Gremlins. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/15/25 Full Review Audience Member Im writing to hate on these dweeb movie “critics”. This movie is a child classic! It’s not supposed to be a masterpiece and invoke a certain aroma of feeling, it’s supposed to be bad ass and make kids want to buy and play with the toys from it. Stop being dweebs. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/09/25 Full Review Thom N If I have time explain to you why this movie is terrific, you will never understand. A high-powered critique of suburban banality and the military-industrial complex, whose visuals are still as gorgeous as the day they were made, this classic by Joe Dante (The Howling, Gremlins) manages to say a lot without ever really getting ham-fisted about it, and does so with an amazing ensemble cast of mostly those considered unknowns or recent has-beens. It's a quick watch, and time flies while it's on. A young Kirsten Dunst is innocent and sweet, and it's great to see Phil Hartman one more time before his untimely murder. Watch this movie - it's good for people of many ages. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/23/25 Full Review Stephen C Funny in 1 hour and 50 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $55,100,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In memory of actor and comedian Phil Edward Hartmann (September 24th, 1948-May 28th, 1998)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/04/25 Full Review Reily M It's Pretty Good, Could Have Been Better. It's Basically A DreamWorks Version Of Disney And Pixar's Toy Story, Kinda. The Characters Are Good, The Score Could Have Been Better But Is Alright, The Acting Is Very Good, And It Is Enjoyable To Watch. 4/5 Stars Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/12/25 Full Review Read all reviews

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