Small Soldiers

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Small Soldiers

PG-13

1998

1h 50m

Comedy

Action

Fantasy

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Popcornmeter

50%

Tomatometer

52 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

When teenager Alan (Gregory Smith) buys a set of Commando Elite action figures, he's unaware that they have been programmed with military technology. The toys, including leader Chip (Tommy Lee Jones), spring to life and start taking their directives seriously, beginning by "killing" their enemies, the toy Gorgonites. But Archer (Frank Langella) and the Gorgonites won't go down without a fight. Alan gets caught in the middle of the war, as does his neighbor and crush, Christy (Kirsten Dunst).

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Critics Consensus

Small Soldiers has plenty of visual razzle-dazzle, but the rote story proves disappointingly deficient in director Joe Dante's trademark anarchic spirit.

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Jennie Punter

Toronto Star

Feb 19

2/5

Small Soldiers is no Toy Story, but director Joe Dante delivers a moderately entertaining movie with high production values and low-brow parody.

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Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

04/12/2002

2/4

...this smells like a script slapped together around a toy-product launch.

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Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

02/14/2001

3/5

Though it starts promisingly, the picture ends as a standoff between the affection Dante and company bring to the project and its increasingly frenetic and tiresome emphasis on what special effects can make its little people do.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Aug 11

2/4

The special effects are the selling point, and even they’re not always easy on the eyes.

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Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

Jul 31

You’d be forgiven for not being aware of this particular title, but, for some, it remains a good time between its outstanding cast, memorable moments, and killer official soundtrack.

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Jul 22

3.5/5

Small Soldiers is a bold genre mashup that doesn’t always hit its targets, but there’s no denying its ambition or craft.

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Caz M

@CazMartino Feb 1

Childhood favourite for a lot of 90s kids. Rewatched Sun Feb 1st 2026

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Peter G

@PeterGabrielle Jan 26

A classic and a masterpiece

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TheMovieSearch R

@TheMovieSearch Jan 21

Small Soldiers is a misunderstood 90s film that was never meant to be taken as a serious cinematic achievement. It’s corny, cheesy, and a little spooky by design, leaning fully into its identity as a toy-driven adventure made for kids. While the screenplay has clear flaws and logic gaps, the movie succeeds in capturing imagination, nostalgia, and the chaotic fun of toys coming to life. Gregory Smith delivers a grounded performance that helps anchor the madness, and Kirsten Dunst adds charm and humor with playful, awkward chemistry that fits the era perfectly. The Good Guys versus Commando Elite storyline is exaggerated but intentionally so, creating a fun balance between kid-friendly action and darker satire. It’s not perfect, but it knows what it is. Small Soldiers works best when viewed as a product of its time, offering silly entertainment, memorable visuals, and a reminder of how imaginative play once shaped childhood.

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Dj B.

@Lost4Sauce Jan 14

Memorable 90s movie with a great cast and much better fx than most in its day. Its not Gremlins by any means but its a fun near parody with a great soundtrack that deserves to be revisited now that you are an old nerd with your own kids. This movie maybe deserves an extra half star for being the great Phil Hartman's final film. His role is small but still very funny.

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Alexander S

Oct 20

Small Soldiers is an incredibly creative and entertaining film that deserves to be remembered as a classic of the 90's even if it’s a little quirky; a sequel released sooner would have been great. Grading: B+

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Julian S.

@akajulianscott Oct 19

It’s got the Dante vibe, just not the magic that makes GREMLINS or THE ‘BURBS stick.

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Joe Dante

Director

Kirsten Dunst

Christy Fimple

Gregory Smith

Alan Abernathy

Jay Mohr

Larry Benson

Phil Hartman

Phil Fimple

Kevin Dunn

Stuart Abernathy

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Synopsis

When teenager Alan (Gregory Smith) buys a set of Commando Elite action figures, he's unaware that they have been programmed with military technology. The toys, including leader Chip (Tommy Lee Jones), spring to life and start taking their directives seriously, beginning by "killing" their enemies, the toy Gorgonites. But Archer (Frank Langella) and the Gorgonites won't go down without a fight. Alan gets caught in the middle of the war, as does his neighbor and crush, Christy (Kirsten Dunst).

Director: Joe Dante
Producer: Michael Finnell, Colin Wilson
Screenwriter: Gavin Scott, Adam Rifkin, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Distributor: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks SKG
Production Co: DreamWorks SKG, Amblin Entertainment, Universal Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Action, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 10, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $55.1M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

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