Toy Soldiers (1991) (Full Sub)

Amazon.com

Toy Soldiers is a slick dose of high-concept absurdity, and lots of fun if you don't think about it afterward. Adapted from a novel by William P. Kennedy, it's got the swift momentum that's a specialty of screenwriter David Koepp, whose later credits include Jurassic Park and Spider-Man. Matching Koepp's narrative energy is director and cowriter Daniel Petrie Jr., who wrote Beverly Hills Cop, and whose big-screen career stalled after this crowd-pleasing debut. The hokey plot involves a class of prep-school misfits (led by Sean Astin and Wil Wheaton) who use their rebellious ingenuity to foil Colombian terrorists who've taken over their school. The lead villain (Andrew Divoff) demands the return of his extradited drug-lord father (one of the prep students is the residing judge's son), and the inevitable showdown provides a heady mix of nonsense, graphic violence, and military muscle. It shouldn't work but it does, especially if you've got a tolerance for Die Hard clones that barely pass inspection. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

For me it's a classic!.......2007-08-23

I saw this movie years ago and after watching recently on DVD, I'm still convinced that it's a great movie...I will watch this one over and over again.

Rejects Rally!.......2007-06-20

I hadn't seen this in years, but I am glad I went ahead and bought it. I watched it again last night and found it was still as entertaining as the first time I saw it. Good cast, story, effects, and music make it a good buy. The scary thing with this movie is the reality factor. Considering the problems we have had with foreign relations, drug cartels, and the Virginia Tech incident with Cho, you have to give this story some credibility. I had forgot Ermey was in this, so it was a pleasant surprise. Astin and Gossett turn in great performances. I like this movie because it takes regular students and shows how their ingenuity and determination helps them to save all but one student from terrorist. Perhaps that is melodramatic, but at least it shows a plan and action and not just posturing. I recommend this to fans of action movies.

Great movie!.......2007-01-31

Good movie to add to your action section- I would let my kids watch it - not all blood & guts like most out there!

format information is incorrect.......2006-06-14

Just FYI, the movie format is listed as both widescreen and fullscreen/pan and scan, making it seem that this contains both versions. It is infact fullscreen only and has a lack of any additional bonus features. Still a great flick, but if you're looking for the niceities, you might want to wait for better version to be released.

A Boys' Adventure.......2006-03-13

Well, when I was a kid you had the Hardy Boys, but by the 90s even the updated Hardys (no more tooling around in 'roadsters') were pretty passe. TOY SOLDIERS has been described as a teen version of DIE HARD, and filmmaker Daniel Petrie was certainly savvy enough to realize that since it was largely that very age group that was responsible for the success of high action films starring macho actors approaching (if not already well into) middle age, how could he go wrong if he adhered to the basic formula but made his heroes rebellious teens instead of wiseacre adults?

And for what it is, it does work. Younger viewers are not likely to realize how derivative and formulaic this movie about terrorists taking over a private school for rebellious kids really is. TOY SOLDIERS is definitely a teen film for the 90s (and beyond) in its relatively frank use of profanity, casual mentions of masturbation and its depiction of a prank phone call to an adult service. Contemporary teens will likely find this an "authentic" touch. Their parents may be surprised--and some a bit disconcerted--to see how far beyond the Hardy Boys we've come. Frank and Joe never used the "F" word.

But some things never do change, and the film's basic appeal to young viewers is the same as that of boys' action adventure tales from time immemorial. Or at least as long as there have been boys' action adventure stories. The fantasy of kids being able to competently and heroically maneuvre in the adult world will always hold an appeal for younger audiences. Hey, movies about rebel teens being able to put one over on the headmaster are cool enough. But when they can subdue a gang of terrorist thugs, hey, that's waaay cool.

Average customer rating:

Chrildren's Movie
Struggles To Find Its Audience
This is my favorite movie!
Entertaining....even for adults.
WAR GAMES

Small Soldiers
Starring: David Cross (II) , Jay Mohr , Alexandra Wilson , Denis Leary , and Gregory Smith
Director: Joe Dante
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0783231199
Release Date: 1998-12-08

Amazon.com

Here's the pitch: "It's like Toy Story but these toys that come to life really kick butt!" That's essentially it for this breezy popcorn flick. In a very smart first 10 minutes, new toy-company owner Denis Leary tells his crew he wants toys "that play back." Hence the small soldiers land in Anytown, U.S.A., and the loner kid Alan (Gregory Smith) opens them up before they are supposed to be on the shelves. Those military-grade chips sure make them smart and give the toys plenty of pithy retorts to boot. Plenty of violence, er, action, most of it fun enough. The vocal talents, including Tommy Lee Jones, Frank Langella, and cast members of The Dirty Dozen are inspired characters, the humans less so. With Gremlins director Joe Dante at the helm, it plays like a sequel to that '80s fantasy. Amazing visual effects, of course. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

Chrildren's Movie .......2007-03-08

Good for older children(8 and up) younger children might not understand the whole movie

Struggles To Find Its Audience.......2007-02-17

"Small Soldiers" is a fun idea. Having toys come to life and do terrible/wonderful/comedic things has been visited many times in Hollywood. The only problem with this idea is that there are so many directions you can go with the film that it can lead to a mediocre outcome. For one, you could turn this flick into a horror movie such as "Puppet Master" or "Child's Play," or make it a family comedy such as "Batteries Not Included." Heck, you could have even animated it like "Toy Story." Instead, director Joe Dante and a gaggle of writers decided to make the movie into a middle of the road film. It isn't funny enough to be considered a comedy. There's too much violence and language to make it a children's or family film and it's just not that scary unless you're under the age of eight. This is the major aspect of "Small Soldiers" that holds it back. Had Dante and company cut back on the language and a little bit of the violence, this movie would have been a very fun family film. There's plenty of cheesey dialogue from both the humans and the toys in the film, but all of this is littered with a little bit too much rough language and some violence that just can't be in a family flick. I honestly think that this movie tried too hard to appeal to too large of a demographic.

I remember when this film was released in theaters. I was working my way through college at a toy store in the local mall. "Small Soldiers" had an aggressive ad campaign for the toyline that coincided with the film's release and a lot of parents scooped up "Chip Hazard," "Archer," and other "Small Soldiers" toys. Once many of these parents took their children to see the flick, however, they wanted to return the toys because their kids were afraid to play with them because they thought that they'd come alive. Well, it was obvious from the PG-13 rating that the movie wasn't for youngsters to watch, so I don't fault Dreamworks for this. I do think that they tried to double-dip their audience a little with such an aggressive toy campaign, but ultimately I blame the parents for not researching the movie enough. Unlike some recent films that promoted themselves as "family" movies but turned out to be a flick with heavy political and environmental overtones ("Happy Feet" comes to mind), "Small Soldiers" made it clear that it was not a film suitable for youngsters. Once again, the PG-13 rating should have been warning enough.

The movie has a solid cast. A young Kirsten Dunst, Gregory Smith, Jay Mohr, David Cross, and others provided a likeable group of characters. Denis Leary marched into every scene as if he owned it, and he did. Phil Hartman passed away before the release of the movie, but did a fine job with the role he was given. Overall, I can't complain about any of the actors involved. The toys were voiced by Frank Langella (Archer), Tommy Lee Jones (Chip Hazard), and the men of "This Is Spinal Tap" and the members of the cast from "The Dirty Dozen." All of them did a wonderful job.

The DVD comes with a few special features including the "pat on the back" making-of documentary. The digital transfer is flawless, and I was especially impressed with the almost seamless intertwining of CGI and animatronic characters on the screen.

Overall, I mildly recommend this film to parents with kids over the age of ten. They might actually be a little bored throughout the movie due to an unnecessarily long running time. Had things moved at a faster clip and this movie clocked in at about ninety minutes, I think it would have been much better. If your kids are under ten, do not let them watch this. It's probably going to be too scary for them. Adults interested in special effects will probably want to take a look at this given that it uses CGI when it was still a relatively new artform in cinema. Other than that, don't expect too much from this movie. It's okay, but if you've never seen it before, please rent it before you buy it.

This is my favorite movie!.......2006-11-25

This is the best war movie ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! awsome special effects!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the Gorgonites and the Commando Elite, there funny.

Entertaining....even for adults........2006-11-02

My little boy loves soldiers and creatures---this has both. This is one of his favorite movies. I sat down and watched it with him and I really enjoyed it too. Be prepared though, it does have some violence.

WAR GAMES.......2006-08-04

Joe Dante, the director who brought us those delightful GREMLINS, helms this underappreciated 1998 flick with startling special effects and lots of "inside" dark humor. RESCUE ME's brilliant Denis Leary plays a corporate bigwig who utilizes military microchips to make explicitly realistic toy soldiers. Jay Mohr, the company's designer, unknowingly uses top secret DOD microchips when programming the microchips so the soldiers are even more lethal than intended.
A young Gregory Smith (EVERWOOD) plays a disgruntled young lad who sneaks some of the new toys from the delivery driver (the ubiquitous DICK MILLER) and finds himself considered an enemy by the Commander Elite Force who are programmed to find and snuff out the Gorgonite "Scum." With expert voicing from Tommy Lee Jones, Frank Langella, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Christina Ricci and cast members from the original DIRTY DOZEN movie and SPINAL TAP, the movie is a fiercely inventive movie that might be a little too violent for younger children, but older kids and young teens should find it entertaining. A young Kirsten Dunst, the late Phil Hartman and Ann Magnuson are also aboard. It's pretty good stuff all around.

Average customer rating:

Toy Soldiers
Starring: Jason Miller , Cleavon Little , Rodolfo de Anda , Terri Garber , and Douglas Warhit
Director: David Fisher (II)
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000640SI
Release Date: 2002-06-11

Average customer rating:

Chrildren's Movie
Struggles To Find Its Audience
This is my favorite movie!
Entertaining....even for adults.
WAR GAMES

Small Soldiers - DTS
Starring: David Cross (II) , Jay Mohr , Alexandra Wilson , Denis Leary , and Gregory Smith
Director: Joe Dante
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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Comedy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: 0783235488
Release Date: 1999-07-06

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Chrildren's Movie .......2007-03-08

Good for older children(8 and up) younger children might not understand the whole movie

Struggles To Find Its Audience.......2007-02-17

This is my favorite movie!.......2006-11-25

This is the best war movie ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! awsome special effects!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the Gorgonites and the Commando Elite, there funny.

Entertaining....even for adults........2006-11-02

WAR GAMES.......2006-08-04

Average customer rating:

Toy Soldiers
Starring: Toy Soldiers
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000CIXF66
Release Date: 2006-01-31

Average customer rating:

For me it's a classic!
Rejects Rally!
Great movie!
format information is incorrect
A Boys' Adventure

Toy Soldiers [Region 2]
Starring: Sean Astin , Wil Wheaton , Keith Coogan , Andrew Divoff , and R. Lee Ermey
Director: Daniel Petrie Jr.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000506CO

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

For me it's a classic!.......2007-08-23

I saw this movie years ago and after watching recently on DVD, I'm still convinced that it's a great movie...I will watch this one over and over again.

Rejects Rally!.......2007-06-20

Great movie!.......2007-01-31

Good movie to add to your action section- I would let my kids watch it - not all blood & guts like most out there!

format information is incorrect.......2006-06-14

A Boys' Adventure.......2006-03-13

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