Small Soldiers | Rotten Tomatoes

Small Soldiers

PG-13

Released Jul 10, 1998

1 hr. 50 min.

Comedy

Action

Fantasy

List

49%

47 Reviews

Tomatometer

45%

100,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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).

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Mar 05

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Max

Apple TV

Watch Small Soldiers with a subscription on Max, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

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.

Read Critics Reviews

stefan G

Love it . One of my fvourite Movies

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/18/24

Full Review

love survives

its one of the best movies I ever seen. kirsten dunst and tommy lee jones ware brilliant in it. its a fun movie for all ages. sure it have its problems but I still love it. 4/5.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/28/24

Full Review

Pet P

Such a great movie! A childhood classic for pre teens of my generation

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/25/23

Full Review

chris C

Looking back on this movie was so much fun. I remember growing up wanting these toys in the hope they would come to life. The cgi and animation was solid for the time but doesn't hold up amazing to today's standard. Overall a fun enjoyable film that will sure to keep you watching and remember.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/15/23

Full Review

Erick C

Nah it sucks. Rewatching as an adult it aged poorly with all the music cameos. Only thing I enjoyed way Tommy Lee's VA. The ending was terrible, no one took any responsibility. Rich Guy just throwing money around.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

07/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Director Joe Dante essentially makes his third 'Gremlins' like entry involving small antagonists against suburban residents starring Gregory Smith, Denis Leary, Kevin Dunn, a young Kristen Dunst, Phil Hartman, Jay Mohr, and David Cross Globotech Industries specializes in battlefield technology to common consumer products The CEO is Gill Lars who's looking for the next leap in toys making profits having children be able to play and interact with action figures Unfortunately the creators of the toys decide to rush to make the product effective by inserting x1000 military computer chips during manufacturing These chips end up making the figures sentient but where as the Gorgonites are painted to be villains the so-called Commando soldiers are the real enemy programmed to wipe them out and any allies involved They're led by Major Chip Hazard voiced by Tommy Lee Jones A young boy Allan running his dads toy shop finds the Gorgonites lead by Archer voiced by Frank Langella, desperate to understand this human world, discovering he might have a soul, and hopefully find a sanctuary Allan also has a crush on Christy who's father is tech-obsessed and has a brother The Commandos grow by the numbers weaponizing ordinary household appliances and machinery to build their arsenal Allan and Christy and the Gorgonites must band together to defeat them I'll admit this can't quite live up to 'Toy Story' levels or even 'Gremlins' for that matter But there's a lot of fun elements from the toys coming alive to the CGI, the action, and the interaction of Alan and the Gorgonites It's nice too the Gorgonites can grow and learn from the chips but also provide a danger for any electronic devices Jones is chewing up every scene as Chip Hazard delivering on the authoritative side and Langella evokes very good sympathy as Archer It's all about making the necessity of care-in toy making and in general, even militarism disguised as entertainment for kids can backfire, just because you can't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist A good if uneven viewing that is definitely toyetic with a tongue in cheek script

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/11/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Joe Dante

Director

Kirsten Dunst

Christy Fimple

Gregory Smith

Alan Abernathy

Jay Mohr

Larry Benson

Phil Hartman

Phil Fimple

Kevin Dunn

Stuart Abernathy

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Small Soldiers: Official Clip - The Gorgonites Fight Back

1:52

Small Soldiers: Official Clip - Have I Got a Shock for You

1:42

Small Soldiers: Official Clip - Bombshells

2:12

Small Soldiers: Official Clip - Pitching the Real Thing

1:59

Small Soldiers: Official Clip - Activating the Troops

1:35

Small Soldiers: Official Clip - Bicycle Chase

2:12

Small Soldiers: Official Clip - Phil Surrenders

1:43

Small Soldiers: Official Clip - Speech of Speeches

1:02

Small Soldiers: Official Clip - Keeper of Encarta

2:11

Small Soldiers: Official Clip - I Always Hated These Things

1:59

View more videos

95%

93%

Hundreds of Beavers

TRAILER

for Hundreds of Beavers

67%

29%

The Stranger

TRAILER

for The Stranger

50%

92%

The Stolen Valley

TRAILER

for The Stolen Valley

93%

95%

Dune: Part Two

TRAILER

for Dune: Part Two

71%

60%

Immaculate

TRAILER

for Immaculate

82%

75%

In the Land of Saints and Sinners

TRAILER

for In the Land of Saints and Sinners

69%

86%

Sweet Dreams

TRAILER

for Sweet Dreams

56%

84%

DogMan

TRAILER

for DogMan

%

38%

Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer

%

%

An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th

TRAILER

for An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Weekly News Ketchup: Adam Sandler’s "Chuck and Larry," "Delta Farce," Anthony Hopkin’s "Slipstream," and More!

Filmmaker to Wear Multiple Hats on Prehistoric "Erectus"

Courteney Cox to "Zoom" into Superhero Flick

View more photos

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C+

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

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

Rated: 2/4

Apr 12, 2002

Full Review

Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

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.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 14, 2001

Full Review

Justin Harrison

The Spool

Care matters in toymaking. Small Soldiers, all together a solidly good—if uneven—picture, shines in making that argument.

Jul 10, 2023

Full Review

Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

“Small Soldiers” also joins “Godzilla” in another way. They compete now for the worst film of the year with “Godzilla” ahead, but not far enough to out distance the horrid “The Big Hit.”

Rated: 0.5/4

Feb 6, 2023

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Begins cynical and sleek and stays that way — and the subtext here is that militarism disguised as kids’ entertainment can backfire, or open fire on you.

Rated: B

Sep 2, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

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
Executive Producer: Walter F. Parkes
Screenwriter: Gavin Scott, Adam Rifkin, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Distributor: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks SKG
Production Co: Universal Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Amblin Entertainment
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
Sound Mix: SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now