Released today 28 years ago all the way back in 1998. Can't believe this movie is nearly 30 by now. A major childhood favorite from back in the day and it still holds up great. Imagine a hybridization of Toy Story and Gremlins, with some touches of The Terminator and Child's Play mixed in there. It has much of the same spirit as Joe Dante's Gremlins films, with the mixture of being equal parts comical yet dark. It was both of it's time and ahead of it in many ways and in some ways feels more relevant now in regards to things like AI and the weaponization of technology. The scenario depicted in this film suddenly doesn't feel so implausible or far-fetched, anymore. It's also got a strong satirical streak in regards to it's criticisms of corporate greed and apathy, the military industrial complex and the misuse of technology. It's definitely quite sophisticated for a kids' film and isn't just merely a film about toys fighting each other.

I still have quite a few of the action figures and some of the other merchandise, including the PS1 game, the novelization, the movie scrapbook on the production and there's also the Top Secret Dossier book which has canonical in-universe information. It's a shame it didn't do better back then during it's box office run, which I suspect was probably due to being released in the middle of a packed Summer season (one mere week after Armageddon) and likely also perhaps being somewhat mismarketed; it looked too violent and intense for children but at the same time too silly and childish for teens and adults, so thus didn't really find an audience at the time. But like so many other films, over the years it's rightfully been re-appraised and gained a following and has gotten the recognition and respect it truly deserves. One of my favorite 90s films and one of the films that defined the decade for me.

Happy 28th Anniversary, Small Soldiers. Released Today In 1998