Small Soldiers Blu-ray Review

Paramount’s Blu-ray release of "Small Soldiers" delivers a competent but unspectacular visual presentation. While the image hasn't undergone a full restoration, it retains a faithful filmic quality characterized by a light grain structure. This presentation captures sufficient facial details and textures, particularly within the densely packed toy shop setting central to the film. The color output is respectable, though not particularly vibrant—occasionally appearing slightly warm and somewhat subdued. Essential tones and flesh colors adjust well to various lighting conditions, delivering an authentic viewing experience.

The film's inherent softness translates into a lack of razor-sharp detail, with softened textures resulting in limited fidelity. However, the organic feel prevails, and uneven moments exhibit crisp encoding that preserves the natural grain quality. Notably, black levels are serviceable, offering acceptable depth in both nighttime exteriors and low-light interiors, despite some minor banding and occasional splotches. Overall, "Small Soldiers" on Blu-ray might not be the most vibrant or detailed viewing experience available, but it stands as a respectable and faithful recreation of its original film source.

"Small Soldiers" offers a robust DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that leverages its technical capabilities aptly to elevate the viewing experience. The musical fidelity, characterized by strong spacing and rich detail, effectively immerses the audience by employing a dynamic balance between lighter scores across the front channels and more intense beats reverberating through the rear. Action sequences, such as a troop’s propulsion onto Alan's bike in chapter six, are rendered with impressive clarity and movement, providing an engaging auditory experience. The film’s scenes involving Commando Elites executing various stunts are further enhanced by well-incorporated sound elements like whirring garbage disposals and revving power tools, establishing a deeply involved and enjoyable soundscape.

Directionality stands out in this DTS-HD track, continually utilizing the soundstage to its fullest extent. Precision in capturing subtle details like distant dogs barking in the rear speakers and the more pronounced sounds of rockets traversing from front to rear showcases the track's wide scope, feeling larger than a typical 5.1 setup. While bass response is somewhat underwhelming, with explosions delivering only mild jolts and the overall soundtrack struggling to create a sense of low-end depth, certain effects, such as flamethrowers firing, do provide some noticeable heft. Dialogue remains clear and center-focused throughout, ensuring that all narrative elements are easily comprehensible. Overall, despite a few minor shortcomings in low-frequency effects, listeners will find the Blu-ray audio presentation of "Small Soldiers" largely satisfying.

The Blu-ray release of "Small Soldiers" offers nostalgic enthusiasts a robust selection of classic extras that enrich the viewing experience. Though some extras are carried over from previous DVD editions, they remain engaging and informative. Notable highlights include an insightful behind-the-scenes featurette detailing the film's mix of practical and digital effects, as well as entertaining bloopers showcasing humorous moments from the set. The inclusion of the theatrical trailer rounds out the selection, providing a glimpse into the film's original promotional efforts. However, the package lacks both DVD and digital copies and does not come with a slipcover.

Extras included in this disc:

• A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Making of Small Soldiers: Insight into cast, puppets, effects, and voice work.
• From the Cutting Room Floor: Bloopers: Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Theatrical Trailer: Original promotional trailer.

"Small Soldiers," directed by Joe Dante, presents a whimsical yet sharp commentary on commercialism and militarism. The film revolves around a new line of interactive toys created by Globotech, where corporate ambition leads to the integration of military-grade chips into action figures. This concept, executed years before the "toys-to-life" video game genre became popular, is full of potential intrigue. The plot follows young Alan Abernathy who discovers these toys are not just for play—they're alive and waging a dangerous war against each other in the real world.

With stars like Gregory Smith as Alan, a small business enthusiast, and the voice talents of Tommy Lee Jones and Frank Langella, the film brings its toy characters to life with a mix of practical effects and CGI. The powerful Commando Elite, led by Major Chip Hazard, clash with the more peaceful Gorgonites. Despite its thrilling premise and engaging physical effects, "Small Soldiers" falls into predictability with its stereotypical characters: the rebellious teen, the pretty girl next door, and the one-dimensional military personas.

Joe Dante's direction ensures that the film balances action and humor, despite its heavy-handed satire of commercialism. Denis Leary delivers a noteworthy performance as Gil Mars, the unsympathetic CEO whose final remark—“This would have made a hell of a commercial”—sums up the movie’s critique perfectly. While some of its satirical elements ring hollow and it tends to stay within a safe narrative formula, "Small Soldiers" still successfully combines intent with major studio needs. Its blend of practical puppetry and computer-generated imagery still holds up well, ensuring that both kids and adults can appreciate its energetic, if inconsistent, execution.

Paramount's Blu-ray release of "Small Soldiers" delivers a solid experience for fans of the film and newcomers alike. The movie encapsulates director Joe Dante's signature blend of dark humor and playful mischief, akin to his previous works. The video presentation offers a definitive upgrade over previous formats, showcasing vibrant colors and sharp details that bring the intricate toy designs to life. The audio track is equally impressive, with clear dialogue and a dynamic range that enhances action sequences.

Special features on this Blu-ray release are minimal, yet they provide some insight into the making of the film. Bonus content includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew, adding value to the overall package. While it might not be feature-rich, the inclusion of these extras is a welcome addition for enthusiasts.

"Small Soldiers" stands as an engaging mix of family-friendly entertainment and darker thematic elements. Drawing comparisons to films like "Puppetmaster" and "Toy Story," it straddles the line between whimsical adventure and cautionary tale on the commercialism of military toys. Paramount's Blu-ray edition does justice to this unique film by delivering quality visuals and sound, making it a recommended purchase for movie collectors.

In conclusion, Small Soldiers was obviously not the first film to bring toys to life. One need only look to Puppetmaster, released in 1990, and of course Pixar's debut film Toy Story which released in 1995 and revolutionized digital animation forever to find but two more examples. Small Soldiers is a blend of these films. It's more like Puppetmaster in that it sees the intersection of living toys and the real world and more like Toy Story in that it's (more or less) a family-friendly affair. Paramount's Blu-ray presentation of Small Soldiers delivers good video and audio and includes a couple of extras. It's a fun movie and a decent Blu-ray that comes recommended.