Action Man-type figures fitted with deadly microprocessors go on menacing manoeuvres in this Gremlins-meets-Toy Story war fantasy from director Joe Dante, which takes a long time setting up its simple premise but is worth the wait.
When an overeager toy designer installs state-of-the-art military microchips into a line of action figures, the result is a battle royal between the testosterone-dripping soldiers of Commando Elite – led by Major Chip Hazard (voiced by Tommy Lee Jones) – and the peaceful mutant Gorgonites – led by Archer (voiced by Frank Langella).
The problem is that the battleground is the suburban household of young Alan Abernathy (Gregory Smith), the teen son of a small-town Ohio toy store owner.
The movie’s slick professionalism and technical brilliance keep the awkward mixture of mirth and mayhem from becoming too uncomfortable an experience.
Crafty nods to classic war films such as Patton(1970), the creepy Gwendy doll sequence and the GI Joes being voiced by the likes of Tommy Lee Jones, Ernest Borgnine and Bruce Dern also help maintain the interest for adults as well as youngsters.
Yet this mix of technology-run-amok and children’s nightmare sometimes takes belief a bridge too far.
Christy Fimple
Kirsten Dunst Alan Abernathy
Gregory Smith Gil Mars
Denis Leary Major Chip Hazard
Tommy Lee Jones Archer
Frank Langella Kip Killagin
Ernest Borgnine Butch Meathook
Jim Brown Link Static
Bruce Dern Brick Bazooka
George Kennedy Nick Nitro
Clint Walker Slamfist/Scratch-It
Christopher Guest Insaniac/Freakenstein
Michael McKean Punch-It
Harry Shearer Ocula
Jim Cummings Gwendy doll
Sarah Michelle Gellar Gwendy doll
Christina Ricci Phil Fimple
Phil Hartman Larry Benson
Jay Mohr Irene Abernathy
Ann Magnuson Irwin Wayfair
David Cross Stuart Abernathy
Kevin Dunn Marion Fimple
Wendy Schaal Joe
Dick Miller
Director
Joe Dante
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The problem is that the battleground is the suburban household of young Alan Abernathy (Gregory Smith), the teen son of a small-town Ohio toy store owner.
