Review of Toys (1992) by Miles H — 09 Apr 2008

I can understand why a lot of people loathe this movie. It's trippy and over-the-top while being strikingly relevant as well. If anything, the movie holds up even better today than it probably did in 1992, as far as its themes go.

In any event, Levinson won me over with this one, and frankly, I was surprised by how much I liked this movie. The astoundingly thought out production values are not simply a compensation, as such designs tend to be in many movies.

There's stuff going on here, and it's very interesting stuff. Again, it's important to accept that almost every facet of this movie is highly imaginary and removed, even if it does connect to real life situations and issues.

I'd even call it a surrealist piece. The cast does very well. Williams is the obvious choice for playing a man who will always be a child at heart. Gambon is campy and great as "The General", and LL Cool J has a nice turn as his camo expert son.

I will admit, Cusack annoyed me at times, but for the most part, she makes a nice comic presence. The finale will probably polarize people and some might even call it a contradiction of ideas. I found it to be the only place the movie could go, considering its development, and it's a show stopper.

Too bad the closing scene looks and feels like an FAO Schwartz commercial. That aside, Levinson's work is one I feel truly confident calling visionary and bold.