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Small Soldiers (1998)

PG-13  |   |  Action, Adventure, Comedy  |  10 July 1998 (USA)
6.1
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Ratings: 6.1/10 from 73,563 users  
Reviews: 135 user | 98 critic

When missile technology is used to enhance toy action figures, the toys soon begin to take their battle programming too seriously.

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Alexandra Wilson ...
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Joe
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Jonathan Bouck ...
Brad (as Jonathan David Bouck)
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Ralph, Clean Room Technician
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Storyline

15-year-old Alan Abernathy, the son of a toy store owner, tries out some new action figures: The Commando Elite vs. The Gorgonites. But three months ago, a toy company believes it is onto something when it employs the latest government military technology in a series of action figures, enabling them to talk. They underestimate the power of the special micro chips they've employed, however, as the two opposing sides of the toy line start thinking for themselves and engaging in real combat! The Commando Elite vow to wipe out the Gorgonites in a suburban neighborhood. Alan, his neighbor Christy Fimple, (on whom he has a massive crush) with the help of the kind Gorgonites, must protect his home and family from the Commandos. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Big Movie Small Soldiers See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some menacing action/violence and brief drug references | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

10 July 1998 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

The Commando Elite  »

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$14,047,592 (USA) (10 July 1998)

Gross:

£6,231,135 (UK) (1 January 1999)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

| |

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The Gorgonites were strongly influenced by the "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" toy franchise by Mattel. See more »

Goofs

In the final scene, when Alan launches the boat, Archer is on the side closer to land. In the next shot, the boat has been turned around and Archer is facing downstream. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Irwin Wayfair: He's here! He's early! He's not supposed to be here now. He said... okay, here's the copy of... check.
Larry Benson: Pretty exciting, huh?
Irwin Wayfair: I don't know. I think it's kinda sad, I mean you know Heartland Toys has a long tradition of bringing joy to kids, ya know? Gil Mars isn't going to care about any of that. He's just gonna care about profits. I think it sucks.
Larry Benson: Welcome to Earth, Irwin. You may not be familiar with our company, but this is pretty much the way things work down here in the real ...
[...]
See more »

Crazy Credits

Besides the title logos, the opening credits don't begin until about 6 minutes in. See more »

Connections

Referenced in She's Alive! Creating the Bride of Frankenstein (1999) See more »

Soundtracks

Love Removal Machine
Written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy
Performed by The Cult
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
good archetypal satire
10 August 1998 | by (New York, New York) – See all my reviews

The characters were not well developed because of the archetypal nature of the story, which was simple and insightful, with a lot of action and no real brutality. Filled with parodies and even musical quotes from other films, this film has a plot similar to _Gremlins_ with the greater feel of its sequel with its archetypal powerhouse of a Daniel Clamp (that is, sans Clamp's failings). Dante makes the film comical and thought-provoking, with main characters who seem like we are supposed to see ourselves in their place, rather than learn about who they are. There is wonderful use of a boat motif leading to an ending straight out of _The Gods Must Be Crazy_, with its power and charm. Despite this, Dante realized he was doing somewhat of a retread, hence all of the gremlin jokes. Dante had a better portrait of younger teenagers with _Explorers_ for those who miss the character development, which really only seems lacking after the film is over.


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Nobody called the police? katherineklutts
Misleading marketing - still ticks me off. mjl1966
Your favourite Commando/Gorgonite. babyminnow
Why PG-13? duke_nukem_the_king_of_carnage
Implications of the movie (missed by most) whatthecrap
Ruined by its own toy line? mollygrue333
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