听 Joe Dante brings some of his deliciously dark touches from "Gremlins" and "Gremlins 2" to the live action/animated comedy adventure that is "Small Soldiers". The marriage of humour and special effects is great and works beautifully on DVD.
The picture quality is bright and clear throughout. Despite the sharpness of the image, it doesn't ruin the CGI effects which remain fluid and retain depth.
The 5.1 score is a very busy affair indeed. Jerry Goldsmith provides another rousing orchestral score that magnifies powerfully before you. The rear speakers get plenty of effects to distract you as chaos breaks out on the screen.
The special features are quite easy going as they don't swamp the viewer with detail on the CGI effects. Apart from the behind-the-scenes featurette, the other extras concentrate on the human talent involved. Best of all is a five-minute 'blooper reel' which is dominated by a highly infectious Jay Mohr, as he fumbles take after take with bouts of the giggles. Clever animated menus wrap up the other titbits like cast and crew biographies and filmographies, and some brief production notes.
Chapters: 16
Region: 2
Ratio: 2.35:1 (Anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Extra Features: Scene selection, deleted scenes and effects, blooper reel, behind-the-scenes featurette, trailer, production notes, cast and crew biographies and filmographies, animated menus, multiple languages, subtitles, English for the hearing impaired.
