6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
When missile technology is used to enhance toy action figures, it quickly goes wrong as the toys spring to life and start taking their battle directives seriously.
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Gregory Smith (I), Jay Mohr, Phil Hartman, Kevin DunnComedy | 100% |
Family | 96% |
Imaginary | 43% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A few years ago Skylanders (followed by Disney Infinity and LEGO Dimensions) promised that its toys would "come to life" by placing them on a portal connected to a video game console. Doing so would instantly make that figure -- Spyro the Dragon in the case of Skylanders and Buzz Lightyear and LEGO Batman in the other games, respectively -- appear in the game world. That was many years after Small Soldiers had a similar idea, but rather than the toys come alive in a video game, the film sees them come to life in the real world, interacting with real people and objects in both mischievous and consequentially dangerous ways. The film, from Director Joe Dante (Gremlins, Matinee), is a fun and imaginative, if not otherwise rote, picture that looks at what might happen if every kid's dream came true, that their toys would suddenly find life and cause trouble in the real world.
It's not been easy to find a poor Paramount Blu-ray of late, and Small Soldiers is certainly no exception. While the image is not the beneficiary of a full restoration, as is the case with many of its Paramount Presents titles, the studio has here issued a fundamentally sound presentation that does the movie proud. A light grain structure is in evidence and serves duty to render the picture faithfully filmic for the duration. The film is a little soft by its nature but finds sufficiently complex facial details and plenty of textures on the toys. Location details satisfy, particularly the densely packed toy shop where much of the story takes place. Color output is not so vibrant as to dazzle. It can even look slightly depressed at times, not to mention a bit on the warm side, but essential tones are certainly bold enough and there's a fair sense of tonal nuance at work. Flesh tones are reflective of any given lighting condition and satisfy on a scene-by-scene basis. Black levels are fair, certainly not the epitome of perfect but working well enough in nighttime exteriors and low light interiors to get the job done. Some banding accompanies the opening title and the odd splotch and speckle appear from time to time, but these issues are relatively minor. This is not the most abundantly colorful and razor-sharp picture in existence, but it appears to be a rather faithful recreation of the picture's film source.
Small Soldiers delivers a fairly big DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The soundtrack is of a good foundational quality. Musial fidelity is strong. Spacing and detail are excellent, particularly as lighter score flows across the front and more intense beats spill through the backs for added immersion. The track finds fun, amplified movement for its action scenes, such as when one of the troops propels himself onto Alan's bike in chapter six. Various scenes throughout the film see the Commando Elites flinging and flying and spinning and performing various actions that frequently translate well to Blu-ray, and combined with some additional sound elements, like a whirring garbage disposal or revving power tools, the net effect is quite involved and fun. A few lighter atmospheric helps fill in the background. Dialogue is clear and center focused start to finish. Like the video this is hardly the pinnacle of cinema or Blu-ray audio but listeners should find an agreeable presentation overall.
This long-awaited Blu-ray release of Small Soldiers includes a featurette, a blooper reel, and a trailer. No DVD or digital copies are included with
purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.
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 Puppet Master 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.
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