Plot: What’s it about?
The Regis School is home to those students who couldn’t be handled elsewhere, to the extent where it is often dubbed The Rejects School. Even so, the headmaster (Denholm Elliot) and its dean of students Parker (Louis Gossett, Jr.) remain upbeat and even in the face of potential disaster, attempt to find a bright side. But within the school, one band of teens is considered the worst of the worst, kids with real potential and no drive to use it, a bunch of spoiled young brats who simply aren’t used to having to adhere to the rules. When a renegade group of terrorists overtake the school however, those troublemakers put their rebellion against authority to good use and devise a plan, one to retake the school from the crooks. With Billy (Sean Astin) and Joey (Will Wheaton) in the lead, the group begins to put together and impressive plan, one that could land them in hero status, or could have them killed in the process. The terrorists seek a ton of ransom cash to free the rich kids, but with this band on the prowl, it won’t be an easy score. But if the kids should miss one head count or show any signs of anything abnormal, their plan will backfire. Can these troublemakers do something right for a change, or will be yet another failure?
Toy Soldiers is no masterpiece or even a good movie, but it has some good elements and is lots of fun to watch. It has an 80s texture to it, with a bunch of bratty kids taking on bad guys and that’s good, since it holds appeal with fans of that era. The cast is better than you might think for this kind of movie, with Sean Astin (The Fellowship of the Ring), Will Wheaton (Stand by Me), Keith Coogan (Adventures in Babysitting), Denholm Elliot (Raiders of the Lost Ark), R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket), and Louis Gossett Jr. (Iron Eagle) all on deck, though performances aren’t all that impressive. The pace is quick though, with some humor, action, and drama all woven in, making it a more than enjoyable experience. But while the movie is fun and has a solid fanbase out there, Columbia’s disc is lackluster and isn’t worth a look. As they sometimes do, they’ve neglected the film’s audience and issued a full frame version, without a widescreen option. This is inexcusable and since the laserdisc is widescreen, Columbia has no valid excuses to mention. I wanted to recommend this release, but thanks to Columbia’s total lack of effort, this one is better suited to sit on the store shelves, instead of the ones in your home.
Video: How does it look?
Toy Soldiers is presented in a full frame transfer. This is a real shame, as even the laserdisc was widescreen and while a new anamorphic edition was expected, a simple widescreen port would have been better than this trash. The technical merits are decent, with solid color and contrast representation, but for a recent film like this from a major studio, I see no reason why a widescreen edition couldn’t be used. We know it exists, since the laserdisc was widescreen, but once again, we’ve been told our money is no good by Columbia, who continues to issue movies in full frame only and lose out on potential profits.
Audio: How does it sound?
This isn’t really an audio intense motion picture, save a handful of sequences, so the included 2.0 surround track is more than adequate for the film’s needs. I found no real issues with this mix, as the elements all come across in fine form, but some might be let down with the lack of surround use found here. But since the movie doesn’t always call for it, I don’t see the point in complaining about it at all. The music is quite good for a low budget production and this mix, sounds very good overall. I also heard no trouble signs from the sound effects or dialogue, which come through very well in this mix. This disc also includes subtitles in English and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc contains no bonus materials.
