Excellent themes...

Rating: 8/10 (24 October 2004)

I saw this movie as a kid and thought is was funny. As an adult, I really enjoyed the way the movie makes fun of the hysteria of a very scary time. My father was a little kid in Los Angeles during WWII. He said he would have nightmares of Japanese soldiers parachuting into his neighborhood when he was just 6 years old. It was a unique time in our history and despite the fact this movie is a comedy, it really explores how various characters react to that reality. It's a great movie to watch for it's special effects. This movie was made pre-CGI, and makes use of excellent model miniatures and stunt work. That creates a look that you don't really see anymore in films. Even though the models of cities don't look realistic, they create a look that seems like a child's dream like imagination - like when you were a kid playing with toys:
The toys soldiers weren't really soldiers, but your imagination made them so. CGI just looks like a video game, still. It just gives a feeling of nostalgia.