Small Soldiers is a nostalgic favorite of the 1990s, even if the movie was largely dismissed by critics. The movie came from Joe Dante, the director best known for Gremlins, and it is not hard to see similarities between that classic movie and Small Soldiers. It is another movie in which things run amok from some small and unᴀssuming threats, as some greedy executives at a toy company use state-of-the-art microchips implanted in GI Joe-like soldier toys to make them more exciting, only for the toy soldiers to think they are real commandos on a mission.

The movie was a family-friendly adventure movie, with fewer of the horror-comedy aspects of Gremlins. It also features a stellar cast, including Kirsten Dunst, David Cross, and Phil Hartman in his last on-screen role. I can still remember going to see Small Soldiers in the movie theater as a child and being thrilled by the concept of my toys possibly coming to life and doing battle all on their own. However, critics weren’t as amused by the movie as I was in 1998, but Small Soldiers is better than they would have you believe.

Small Soldiers Is “Rotten” On Rotten Tomatoes & Critics Weren’t Kind About It

Joe Dante’s Family-Friendly Action Movie Was Seen As One Of His Lesser Efforts

Like Hook or Hocus Pocus, Small Soldiers is a beloved 1990s classic that fans might be shocked to learn was not particularly embraced by critics. While the movie has a strong following among fans, the critical reception led to the movie earning 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it a definitive case for mixed reviews. The praise it received was mostly directed towards the impressive effects, both puppetry and CGI, used to bring these toys to life. However, the story was criticized for being lacking.

Some of the biggest critics at the time took issue with the movie, as Small Soldiers earned “Two Thumbs Down” from Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. Ebert himself pointed out that the movie’s depiction of violence was inappropriate for the kind of family-friendly movie that was being sold and warned off younger audiences (via RogerEbert.com):

“Small Soldiers” is a family picture on the outside, and a mean, violent action picture on the inside. Since most of the violence happens to toys, I guess we’re supposed to give it a pᴀss, but I dunno: The toys are presented as individuals who can think for themselves, and there are believable heroes and villains among them. For smaller children, this could be a terrifying experience.”

Some were less harsh on Small Soldiers but acknowledged that it wasn’t offering anything new and was simply trying to be a lesser version of some other popular movies, as with the review from Empire:

“It’s Gremlins with toy soldiers, except not quite as dark or funny.”

However, other reviewers were more cynical about Small Soldiers, feeling that it leaned into the premise as a way of selling toys rather than telling a complete story, as the review at The Globe and Mail suggests:

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

Why Small Soldiers Is An Underrated 1990s Kids’ Movie

Small Soldiers Thrills Young Audiences With Its Premise

When it comes to movies we all watched as kids, nostalgia can make a lesser movie seem better than it was in retrospect. However, in the case of Small Soldiers, it is a movie that deserves more praise than the reviews suggest, as it is a genuinely fun time that makes great use of its premise. Just about every kid can relate to the idea of playing with their toys and imagining if the toys could actually get up and walk and talk the way we are imagining. However, Small Soldiers takes that child’s wish and shows the mayhem that can come as a result.

Small Soldiers also had the benefit of coming out after Toy Story had become a mᴀssive hit as the first Pixar movie. That movie suggested a world in which our toys get up and live their own lives when we are out of the room. Small Soldiers looks at that premise, but as if all of the toys were like Buzz Lightyear, not knowing they are toys and prepared to carry out their missions, as if these games and stories were all real.

The resulting chaos makes for some wonderful action moments, like the Commando Elite using various household items and lawn care tools to build genuinely intimidating killing machines. It is made all the more fun by the fantastic puppetry done by Stan Winston’s team to create these toys.

There is also a fun dynamic between the heroes and villains of the story. The toys in question come from two different factions, with the Commando Elite being the impressive action heroes and the Gorgonites being the monstrous villains. However, the new intelligence systems turn the commandos into ruthless villains, while the Gorgonites are gentle and peaceful creatures.

The movie also has a lot of fun with its voice casts for these groups. Along with Tommy Lee Jones as their leader, the Commando Elite are voiced by cast members of the iconic war movie, The Dirty Dozen, including Jim Brown, George Kennedy, and Ernest Borgnine. The Gorgonites are led by Frank Langella as Archer, while cast members of This is Spinal Tap, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer, voice the others.

Small Soldiers may not be a perfect movie, but it delivers the kind of fun action, humor, and imagination that its target audience is looking for. With its impressive effects, it is also a movie that holds up very well all these years later. Critics may have found issues with the movie, but it is not hard to see why this 1990s classic has stayed with us decades later.