I’ve never been a huge fan of the “Puppet Master” series, but even it deserves better than this barely watchable entry. The well-animated, rather spooky opening credits and their effective score suggest that directors Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund are aiming for something higher than the franchise’s previous movies, but soon enough it all goes to pot. Lead Thomas Lennon’s low-key delivery makes his dialogue all but unintelligible thanks to poor sound quality, while the production values are nearly non-existent. The movie’s middle part is a nearly plotless series of barely introduced characters being offed in various admittedly inventive but cheap-looking and unpleasant ways, and it all results in groan-inducing tedium and impatient sighs.
Rating: ★ (out of 5)
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