‘Small’ Battle Wins Some Hearts, Minds

In “Small Soldiers,” two suburban teens and their families battle a platoon of toy soldiers that are animated by a defective Department of Defense microchip and programmed to destroy. (Rated PG-13)

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Noisy, dark and explosive, this summer movie, like the foot-high toys marketed by the fictional Globotech, seems designed to use “advanced battlefield technology” to create a “consumer product for the whole family.”

Young viewers had mixed reactions to the film. Some toddlers cried and had to leave the theater; older teens expected more action, but school-aged kids, girls as well as boys, were delighted. Parents were mostly resigned to the violence and the idea that somewhere out there, small soldiers are lurking in a Happy Meal.

“It reminded me a lot of ‘Toy Story,’ ” said Tara Thomas, 8, of Tustin. “I liked ‘Small Soldiers’ the best, though.”

Far beyond those plastic green guys in “Toy Story,” these soldiers make up the Commando Elite, fully functional, square-jawed, cigar-chomping Marines who talk in war-movie cliches and dream of spending a three-day pass with the Barbies.

Led by Maj. Chip Hazard (voice of Tommy Lee Jones), they are programmed to learn new ways of accomplishing their goal--vaporization of the sweet-natured Gorgonites, a rival set of sci-fi mutant toys that are programmed to hide.

Brothers John and Alexander Zechiel, 11 and 9, of Lake Forest said they liked the action but thought the movie relied too heavily on special effects.

For most school-aged kids, however, that was the best part. Jason Rausavljevich, 11, Richy Jackson, 12, and Tim Smith, 10, of Irvine appreciated the animation that had the toys crawling up a moving bike wheel and fashioning weapons from household items such as corncob holders and flaming tennis balls.

Richy didn’t mind the romantic subplot between Alan, the misbehaving son of a toy-store owner, and Christy, the boy-crazy neighbor, but said their smooch brought a big “ewwwww” from his friends.

A few, like Brent Andrews, 16, of Fountain Valley, expected more action. But his brother Travis, 13, argued otherwise. “It was funny, and it had a lot of action. I liked how they fought each other.”

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PARENTS’ PERSPECTIVE: David Zechiel laughed out loud at one line in the movie, when Christy is using her baton to fend off her Barbies, who complain about her “Baton” Death March. “A lot of those jokes were inside jokes and over the kids’ heads,” he said. “Every single line was a parody or a cliche from another movie. I don’t know if the movie’s got a target audience. I don’t know who they’re going for.”

Robin Thomas was taken aback by some of the soldier talk but said most of the language went over her girls’ heads. “They didn’t even ask what it meant.” Basically, she said, “it was cute.”