Cast: Gregory Smith, Kirsten Dunst, Kevin Dunn, Phil Hartman, Denis Leary, Ann Magnuson, Wendy
Schaal, Jay Mohr, David Cross, voice of Tommy Lee Jones, voice of Frank Langella
Director: Joe Dante
Producers: Michael Finnell, Colin Wilson
Screenplay: Ted Elliott, Zak Penn, Adam Rifkin, Terry Rossio, Gavin Scott
Cinematography: Jamie Anderson
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
U.S. Distributor: Dreamworks SKG/Universal Pictures
Critics often say that a movie works on multiple levels, and never has this been more true than with Joe Dante's Small Soldiers, a veritable treasure-trove of in-jokes and sly humor that will go over the heads of most children (and more than a few adults). Of course, missing that aspect of the film won't prevent anyone from enjoying the action/adventure and special effects elements. A sort of Gremlins meets Toy Story, this picture investigates what might happen if a group of homicidal, xenophobic commando action figures were able to move around on their own. As absurd as the premise might seem, Small Soldiers works for two primary reasons: the visual effects (supervised by the masterful Stan Winston) are entirely convincing and the script (credited to a team of writers) never takes its tongue out of its cheek.
There is a lot of Dante's Gremlins in this film -- a seemingly-innocent object turns into a source of mayhem. Approached differently, the material could be fodder for a horror movie (see Child's Play), but Dante wants us to have fun with Small Soldiers, not to be frightened by it. As a result, the tone is kept playful, with a lightweight musical score, a jokey screenplay, and a distinct lack of blood and harsh violence. The question arises about whether this film is suitable for children, who, because of the content and marketing tie-ins, will be eager to attend. While there are some creepy images (for example, a platoon of malformed Barbie dolls playing Lilliputians to one human's Gulliver), it's likely that only the youngest and most impressionable kids will be frightened by Small Soldiers. The PG-13 rating is "soft," and there's not much in this movie that can't be seen in the more violent TV cartoons.
The weakest aspect of Small Soldiers is the back story, which isn't all that convincing. (Oddly enough, the film is easier to believe once the toys start talking and walking, and things enter the realm of complete fantasy, than beforehand.) Small Soldiers opens in the offices of Hartland Play Systems, a toy company that has just been acquired by Globotech, a conglomerate specializing in military contracts. Globotech's owner and CEO, Gil Mars (Denis Leary), wants Hartland to come up with a revolutionary new toy. So designers Larry Benson (Jay Mohr) and Irwin Wayfair (David Cross) create a series of foot-high soldiers and monsters containing a computer chip that allows them to move and speak on their own. There is a problem, however -- the chip is a top-secret military release that allows artificial intelligence and encourages potentially- violent behavior.
Cut to small-town America, where teenager Alan Abernathy (Gregory Smith), who is temporarily running his father's toy store, receives a shipment of "The Commando Elite" and their enemies, "The Gorgonites." Before they are placed on display, the toys escape from their boxes. The militant commandos, led by the grizzled veteran Chip Hazard (voice of Tommy Lee Jones), declare war on the gentle-but-hideous Gorgonites and their leader, Archer (voice of Frank Langella). Alan, his would-be girlfriend, Christy (Kirsten Dunst), and the kids' parents involuntarily become involved in the battles between these tiny opponents.
Despite the thinly-veiled message that it's wrong to judge based on looks (the "ugly" Gorgonites are the good guys; the "heroic" Commandos are the villains), Small Soldiers is essentially an exercise in pure entertainment. The film taps into something fundamental in each of us. As a child, who hasn't played with dolls or action figures and pretended they could move and talk on their own? Small Soldiers postulates a situation that everyone (both children and adults, who used to be children) can relate to. That, even more than the special effects which bring the action figures to life, explains the movie's central appeal.
Joe Dante has a diverse directorial resume. A protégé of Roger Corman, Dante has helmed such movies as The Howling, Gremlins, Amazon Women on the Moon, Matinee, and a segment of the ill-fated Twilight Zone feature. Dante loves in-jokes and parodies, and Small Soldiers is full of them. In one sequence, the tough-talking Hazard addresses his troops in front of an American flag while the theme from Patton plays in the background. On another occasion, a toy helicopter goes on a bombing run to the tune of "The Ride of the Valkyries" before Hazard makes the comment, "I love the smell of polyurethane in the morning." There are dozens of references to other war movies, and even a jab at the Energizer Bunny.
In terms of casting, Dante's most brilliant move was choosing the voices for the action figures. Dirty Dozen-ers Ernest Borgnine, Jim Brown, Clint Walker, and George Kennedy play Hazard's men. The "Spinal Tap" guys -- Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer -- contribute their vocal talents to the Gorgonites. And young female stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Christina Ricci have cameos as twisted Barbie dolls. The human cast is comprised of affable figures like Kevin Dunn and the late Phil Hartman (in his last role). Denis Leary is at his nasty, fast-talking best in a cameo as the heartless, profit-oriented head of Globotech. As the protagonists, Gregory Smith (Krippendorf's Tribe) and Kirsten Dunst (Jumanji) are likable, but they really play second fiddle to their smaller, effects-generated co-stars.
Although Small Soldiers lacks the simple brilliance and magic of Toy Story, it works for many of the same reasons, chief of which is the human fascination with toys and gadgets. The film treads a fine line between cartoonish and excessive violence, and finds the best compromise by limiting the most graphic images to the bloodless dismemberment and evisceration of plastic action figures. Through it all, Dante maintains a sense of humor that is neither too sophisticated for children nor too juvenile for adults. The result is a fine piece of entertainment for all but the youngest viewers.
© 1998 James Berardinelli