“Small Soldiers” – It’s no secret that “Small Soldiers” is a big-budget toy commercial; the makers of the film have said as much. But that didn’t stop them from making a quality picture, as you might expect with “Gremlins” director Joe Dante at the helm. Stan Winston Studios no doubt had fun making this movie, and the fun transfers to the audience. The special effects are flawless; the action figures in action look exactly like you would expect. Not only that, but the toy characters – the good-guy Gorgonites and the bad-guy Commando Elite – have more personality than the humans. They also spend a lot of time one screen, giving the audience their money’s worth. The end result is a movie that’s fun to watch. Heck, it’s the best toy commercial I’ve ever seen. A
– John Hansen, NDSU Spectrum, Sept. 1, 1998