I have seen only of one of the other Puppetmaster movies and remember that it was about an older man with his killing puppets. So I had no knowledge of the beginning of the old man but this Retro film gave me a feel for the man named Andre Toulon played by Greg Sestero. It was not a movie filled with overwhelming killing like the other film I saw but gave the characters a heart. Toulon was a young man that cared for the downtrodden. A man that was falling in love with a woman named Ilsa who likewise cared for people in need when she helps to save an old man attacked. This old man was Afzel, a sorcerer that stole the secret of life. Afzel is being hunted by servants of Sutekh because of this secret. These servants kill all of the friends and fellow puppeteers of Andre but they live again in the puppets of their own creations. Now it is a battle to the death between the servants of Sutekh and Andre and friends when Ilsa is taken hostage. The ending leaves you wondering why these friends would become so evil later in chronological time?
51 Reviews
Retro Dolls
Vomitron_G1 September 2010
Rather uneventful (in terms of puppet-action) 7th installment of the "Puppet Master" franchise. It lacks the stop-motion action of Dave Allen (involved with the previous movies). It was nice to see the older (retro-)versions of some of the famous puppets these films are known for and it was interesting to learn something about the origin of Andre Toulon's re-animating skills. Most acting felt a bit below par. Only Brigitta Dau was decent enough. As a 'neo' Full Moon movie, this one would pass the test. As a 'horror' movie in general, I'd have to flunk it. Hence my over-all rating. Being that it's part 7 in the "Puppet Master" series, I actually thought it would be worse. And given that it's directed by David DeCoteau, I expected it to even totally suck. You just never really know anything for sure, do you? Or maybe once in a while miracles do happen after all.
A puppet master prequel. A puppet master prequel. A puppet master prequel.
Aaron137512 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
So many puppet master movies and most of them not all that good. Part III was good, so I guess they thought people wanted more stuff set in the past, thus we have Retro Puppet Master which is set even earlier than the third film! Once again Toulon is a good guy, making his homicidal rage and wanting a new body in the first or second film a very distant memory. This one was not as good as part three and whoever thought villains repeating the same line over and over again should be taken out by the puppets!
The story, Toulon is three miles from the Switzerland border, so he decides to tell a story of his first set of puppets when he was apparently living in France with a horrible french accent. Back in those days Cairo and France were tinted blue and a man considered a sorcerer would still the secret to making puppets and an evil deity would send three mummies to get him, though they hire thugs who beat the snot out of the old man, but later he is shown to have no injuries and he passes on his knowledge to Toulon who sort of likes a girl who leads her father's thugs in on them, mummies kill his friends and he must fight the mummies who then capture the girl he has met like two times...
The only thing this film has going for it, you get to see some rather uninspired puppet play and the story is not too bad, just takes too long for things to play out. Seriously, was it necessary to show Toulon injecting each puppet? Usually a Full Moon has no trouble just having a short film, but here it seems like they padded the film out a bit. The new puppets which are the old puppets are a bit uninspired too as they just look like variations of the ones he created later. When he was naming them, I jokingly called the doctor one Dr. Death and by golly that is what he called it!
So it is a bit of a bore this time around with no blood to be found. This puppet master films got a bit too tame in the later stages. The mummies kill people by holding their hands up and saying die, which leaves no mess to worry about anyway. The fights at the end make no sense as Toulon just punches one mummy and the other is mildly stabbed and sliced. Just no bite to this puppet master and the act Toulon and his friends put on was not entertaining in the least as each of their voices had a variation of a french accent going on!
The story, Toulon is three miles from the Switzerland border, so he decides to tell a story of his first set of puppets when he was apparently living in France with a horrible french accent. Back in those days Cairo and France were tinted blue and a man considered a sorcerer would still the secret to making puppets and an evil deity would send three mummies to get him, though they hire thugs who beat the snot out of the old man, but later he is shown to have no injuries and he passes on his knowledge to Toulon who sort of likes a girl who leads her father's thugs in on them, mummies kill his friends and he must fight the mummies who then capture the girl he has met like two times...
The only thing this film has going for it, you get to see some rather uninspired puppet play and the story is not too bad, just takes too long for things to play out. Seriously, was it necessary to show Toulon injecting each puppet? Usually a Full Moon has no trouble just having a short film, but here it seems like they padded the film out a bit. The new puppets which are the old puppets are a bit uninspired too as they just look like variations of the ones he created later. When he was naming them, I jokingly called the doctor one Dr. Death and by golly that is what he called it!
So it is a bit of a bore this time around with no blood to be found. This puppet master films got a bit too tame in the later stages. The mummies kill people by holding their hands up and saying die, which leaves no mess to worry about anyway. The fights at the end make no sense as Toulon just punches one mummy and the other is mildly stabbed and sliced. Just no bite to this puppet master and the act Toulon and his friends put on was not entertaining in the least as each of their voices had a variation of a french accent going on!
What the hell is up
Cin-3813 May 2001
AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHEN DOES THE HURTING STOP? That's what I said somewhere between the beginning and that other part of the movie that really sucked. This film nearly sapped all the life out of me and I have sat through some really bad movies. Coming from a true Puppet Master fan, I would expect to hear myself say this, but it's true. The plot is inane, the special effects awful, the sound track the most benawl, infernal tootling I have ever heard. Oh! I almost forgot about the acting, it was so bad that I forgot it was there at all, nuff said. The only redeeming factor in the film is the puppets themselves they truly are the stars and could out-act all but Guy Rolfe himself(he is the puppetmaster)and although you can see their wires and strings, they carry me throughout the painful start to finish of Retro-Puppet Master. In closing, PM7 is recomended for true fanatics who happen to be masochists.
Roach
Roach
Why did they make this non violent?!
Lando_Hass23 April 2002
Retro Puppet Master is complete and utter CRAP.In particular,the puppets look stupid,and crappy.The acting was unforgivable and the story was rancid.This movie goes back into the the past,where the dolls where first created,thats not Puppet Master.Retro Puppet Master is rated PG-13,the first Puppet Master to be rated PG-13.The movie contains no horror,or suspense.The fact that this movie was a Puppet Master film boggles the mind,because this installment doesnt have the buckets of blood,good acting,or any entertaiment like the previous movies did.Dont see this movie,dont rent it,and dont even watch it f its on TV,because this film is stale,not violent,and completely crappy.2 out of 10.As a Puppet Master fan,I am disappointed...seriously.
Bad, even for a B-movie.
paulclaassen17 June 2018
The film follows on Puppet Master 3, but is actually also intended as the first film in the franchise, as it takes us back to 1902 when Andre Toulon learnt the secret to bringing the puppets to life. The majority of the film is set in 1902.
Bad acting. Bad accents. Silly dialogue. Silly plot. Very poor effects - even for a B-movie, and the puppets are stocky and lifeless. This was annoyingly bad on every level. It is also a vessel for religious mockery. You won't miss anything by not watching this installment.
Bad acting. Bad accents. Silly dialogue. Silly plot. Very poor effects - even for a B-movie, and the puppets are stocky and lifeless. This was annoyingly bad on every level. It is also a vessel for religious mockery. You won't miss anything by not watching this installment.
Feels like a Theatre play
AngelHonesty4 November 2022
If you've seen the Puppet Master movies and enjoy them, then yes, watch this one too. But if you are an average person who has never seen any Puppet Master movies, then I will warn you. This movie as a stand alone is terrible. Nothing about it is scary in any way. There's no gore, no blood, no heart pounding moments. You can tell it's all staged and the acting is very B rated. All in all it feels more like a play that was acted out in the theatre, then a well acted film. The story is super cheesy and cliche. But as a fan of the Puppet Master movies, it was nice to see where it all started. I was happy for an origin story.
Blade save me!!!
sleepholymtn22 February 2020
They just keep getting worse.
poolandrews12 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Retro Puppet Master starts in Kolewige during 1944 where puppet master Andre Toulon (Guy Rolfe) & his living puppets plan to escape Germany, hold up in an Inn puppet master Toulon reminisces about his early life & the point at which he learned the secret of giving life to dead objects way back in 1902 in Paris when his younger self (Greg Sestero) ran the Theate Magique. He describes the fateful night when he met a 3000 year old Egyptian sorcerer named Afzel (Jack Donner) & the eventual love of hi life the young & beautiful Ilsa (Brigitta Dau). He tells the story of how Afzel passed the gift of life to himself & gave life to his own wooden puppets that were part of the Theatre Magique show. However the gift of life was also a curse as the ancient God Sutek whom the secret was stolen from in the first place by Afzel wants it back & everyone who has learnt it dead...
As of late I have been on a bit of a Puppet Master bender as being a big fan of the first three I decided to watch the rest of the franchise & as such I have seen Puppet Master 4 (1993), Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter (1994), Curse of the Puppet Master (1998) & now Retro Puppet Master in the space of a couple of weeks & boy was it tough to get through them all, especially this one as it's the worse of the series so far. Retro Puppet Master feels like a cross between Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge (1991) with it's period setting & Puppet Master 4 & Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter with Sutek trying to kill everyone associated with his stolen life giving secret. There's not much continuity here either, again there's none of the green serum featured in the earlier films & despite Andre Toulon committing suicide in 1939 at the start of the original Puppetmaster (1989) he is seen alive & well during 1944 in this. The majority of the story is told as a flashback & concentrates on Andre Toulon himself rather than the puppets, the film focuses on his relationship with Ilsa & him learning the secret of life & it's all rather dull & tedious stuff to be honest. Even at only 80 odd minutes Retro Puppet Master feels long & padded with no real pace & the no central concept as the plot never really settles down & generally hops around a lot. Then of course there's the baffling decision to totally redesign the puppets which I found incredible, I mean why would the makers take the one basic thing that made the Puppet Master films so memorable & completely do away with it? The puppets are seen briefly at the start & the end but otherwise we get these rubbishy looking wooden caricatures that are nowhere near as cool as their modern re-workings. It's never even explained why these puppets were used rather than the ones all Puppet Master fans have come to love although one suspects that Full Moon was hoping to make yet another sequel which dealt with that very question.
If a poor story & a complete lack of our favourite puppets wasn't bad enough Full Moon decided to go with a PG-13 rating for this making Retro Puppet Master the only Puppet Master film not rated 'R' in the US (obviously other countries have their own film ratings systems) & therefore there's not a single drop of blood in the entire film, the puppets don't kill anyone, there's no swearing & no nudity either. This is tamer than tame kids stuff all the way. Besides the puppets themselves being rubbish the special effect are the wost of the series too, there's no stop motion animation at all in this one, no CGI computer effects (surely in 1999 CGI was cheap enough?) & all the effects are of the stiff rod puppet type effects. I mean whenever you see a puppet 'walk' the camera is always positioned above it's wait so it's legs don't have to be shown & there's obviously some production assistant just pushing the thing along, that's as complex & state of the art as the special effects get.
The one positive thing that Retro Puppet Master does have going for it is that it looks rather nice, the period production design, costumes & props are actually quite impressive & it's a fairly handsome film to watch at times. Apparently filmed in Bucharest in Romania which doubles up quite nicely for turn of the last century Paris. The acting here is awful & maybe the worst of the series.
Retro Puppet Master is more or less the final Puppet Master film as the next one Puppet Master: The Legacy (2004) basically edits together footage from the previous seven films & it's a pretty crappy way to round the series off which started so well with three excellent & distinctive little killer puppet flicks. Don't bother with this, just watch one of the first three again & just remember the good times... The killer puppets would return in the terrible spin-off flick Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys (2004).
As of late I have been on a bit of a Puppet Master bender as being a big fan of the first three I decided to watch the rest of the franchise & as such I have seen Puppet Master 4 (1993), Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter (1994), Curse of the Puppet Master (1998) & now Retro Puppet Master in the space of a couple of weeks & boy was it tough to get through them all, especially this one as it's the worse of the series so far. Retro Puppet Master feels like a cross between Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge (1991) with it's period setting & Puppet Master 4 & Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter with Sutek trying to kill everyone associated with his stolen life giving secret. There's not much continuity here either, again there's none of the green serum featured in the earlier films & despite Andre Toulon committing suicide in 1939 at the start of the original Puppetmaster (1989) he is seen alive & well during 1944 in this. The majority of the story is told as a flashback & concentrates on Andre Toulon himself rather than the puppets, the film focuses on his relationship with Ilsa & him learning the secret of life & it's all rather dull & tedious stuff to be honest. Even at only 80 odd minutes Retro Puppet Master feels long & padded with no real pace & the no central concept as the plot never really settles down & generally hops around a lot. Then of course there's the baffling decision to totally redesign the puppets which I found incredible, I mean why would the makers take the one basic thing that made the Puppet Master films so memorable & completely do away with it? The puppets are seen briefly at the start & the end but otherwise we get these rubbishy looking wooden caricatures that are nowhere near as cool as their modern re-workings. It's never even explained why these puppets were used rather than the ones all Puppet Master fans have come to love although one suspects that Full Moon was hoping to make yet another sequel which dealt with that very question.
If a poor story & a complete lack of our favourite puppets wasn't bad enough Full Moon decided to go with a PG-13 rating for this making Retro Puppet Master the only Puppet Master film not rated 'R' in the US (obviously other countries have their own film ratings systems) & therefore there's not a single drop of blood in the entire film, the puppets don't kill anyone, there's no swearing & no nudity either. This is tamer than tame kids stuff all the way. Besides the puppets themselves being rubbish the special effect are the wost of the series too, there's no stop motion animation at all in this one, no CGI computer effects (surely in 1999 CGI was cheap enough?) & all the effects are of the stiff rod puppet type effects. I mean whenever you see a puppet 'walk' the camera is always positioned above it's wait so it's legs don't have to be shown & there's obviously some production assistant just pushing the thing along, that's as complex & state of the art as the special effects get.
The one positive thing that Retro Puppet Master does have going for it is that it looks rather nice, the period production design, costumes & props are actually quite impressive & it's a fairly handsome film to watch at times. Apparently filmed in Bucharest in Romania which doubles up quite nicely for turn of the last century Paris. The acting here is awful & maybe the worst of the series.
Retro Puppet Master is more or less the final Puppet Master film as the next one Puppet Master: The Legacy (2004) basically edits together footage from the previous seven films & it's a pretty crappy way to round the series off which started so well with three excellent & distinctive little killer puppet flicks. Don't bother with this, just watch one of the first three again & just remember the good times... The killer puppets would return in the terrible spin-off flick Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys (2004).
A reason to sell more toys? YOU BETCHA! (minor spoilers)
bigdaddycool18 June 2000
Warning: Spoilers
You know, I'm sure the boys were sitting around the office one day and said, "HOW CAN WE MAKE MORE MONEY?" They had made every possible variant of toy they could make with their current characters. So they decide, let's steal the star wars idea, A PREQUEL, and we can make up all new characters, and sell them as toys. Incidently something they did in puppet master 3, but who cares? Anyway they pick a point in time before the first movie when Toulon is still alive, he and the puppets are sitting around, and a wooden head roll on the floor and the puppets want to know if that is a dead family member or something, it doesn't matter. So the tale of the puppet master ancestry begins. It's long, it's boring, no body cares.
The funniest part is, they tell the origin of these new characters in the movie, but give no clues of their fate. SO GUESS WHAT, once the revenue from the new toys pays off, they can fundsa new (and 4th straight rotten) sequel, called "PUPPET MASTER 8 THE SEQUEL TO THE PREQUEL OF THE FATE OF THE DEAD RETRO PUPPETS!" hold your breath!
The funniest part is, they tell the origin of these new characters in the movie, but give no clues of their fate. SO GUESS WHAT, once the revenue from the new toys pays off, they can fundsa new (and 4th straight rotten) sequel, called "PUPPET MASTER 8 THE SEQUEL TO THE PREQUEL OF THE FATE OF THE DEAD RETRO PUPPETS!" hold your breath!
2nd best of the franchise...
baconfats24 May 2006
Six-shooter, Tunnel Sergeant, Dr. Death, Pinhead, Cyclops, and Blade help the young Andre Toulon take out Sutek's Egyption henchman in the best sequel this series has seen.
Retro Puppet Master is atmospheric with many sets, quality acting and some fun puppet FX. What it lacks in gore, it makes up for with an interesting well-paced plot.
Best Quote: Dr. Death: "Don't you know, my friends? Smell the sulfur, see the smoke..."
This is easily the best Dave DeCoteau film I've seen. The actors do a more-than-credible job: Jack Donner as "Azfel" turns in an inspired performance, and the young Toulon does well with the puppets. Oh, and the ring-needle is cool.
John Massari's score is a nice symphonic take on the original Puppet Master tunes by Richard Band, keeping the movie playful and eerie. It's rare for a Full Moon score to actually add something to a film, and this one does.
Unfortunately, Dave Allen didn't seem to be affordable enough for Band and Co. in the late-90's and beyond, so all of the puppet action is done rod and string. There's no stop motion such as the famous and funny scene in the original where Pinhead's looking for his pinhead. And, of course, as with all of the Full Moon fare of this time period, RPM was shot in and around Castel Studios in Bucharest, so most of the bit parts were cast to Romanians: hearing their "Parisian" accents was a bit annoying.
All in all, this is probably one of the top-10 Full Moon films. It's certainly the most inventive of the Puppet Master sequels.
Retro Puppet Master is atmospheric with many sets, quality acting and some fun puppet FX. What it lacks in gore, it makes up for with an interesting well-paced plot.
Best Quote: Dr. Death: "Don't you know, my friends? Smell the sulfur, see the smoke..."
This is easily the best Dave DeCoteau film I've seen. The actors do a more-than-credible job: Jack Donner as "Azfel" turns in an inspired performance, and the young Toulon does well with the puppets. Oh, and the ring-needle is cool.
John Massari's score is a nice symphonic take on the original Puppet Master tunes by Richard Band, keeping the movie playful and eerie. It's rare for a Full Moon score to actually add something to a film, and this one does.
Unfortunately, Dave Allen didn't seem to be affordable enough for Band and Co. in the late-90's and beyond, so all of the puppet action is done rod and string. There's no stop motion such as the famous and funny scene in the original where Pinhead's looking for his pinhead. And, of course, as with all of the Full Moon fare of this time period, RPM was shot in and around Castel Studios in Bucharest, so most of the bit parts were cast to Romanians: hearing their "Parisian" accents was a bit annoying.
All in all, this is probably one of the top-10 Full Moon films. It's certainly the most inventive of the Puppet Master sequels.
The late, great Guy Rolfe's final movie
crawlfan-122 April 2006
This is where it was said that the Puppet Master series begins, but it has also been the last Puppet Master movie made before "Puppet Master: The Legacy", so in a way you can say that it acts as a beginning and an end to Full Moon's brilliant movie series. The puppets all have a new (or since this movie has the word "retro" in the title, I suppose it's an old) look to them, but not all of them do. The ones that were left out were Torch, Jester and Leech Woman (thank God). This movie relates mostly to the storyline of Puppet Master #4 and #5. There were some scenes in this movie that I found to carry on and have less action then they deserved, such as random fight scenes. If you're ever planning on watching the Puppet Master movies, watch this one first. This was actually the last Puppet Master film that Guy Rolfe starred in, which really is a shame; he portrayed the role of Andre Toulon better than any of the previous actors. Guy Rolfe passed away in the year 2003, so that means that if any more Puppet Master movies are made (other than "Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys"),an other actor will have to play as Toulon. Let's hope that person is as good as Guy Rolfe, although that will be impossible.
Profoundly dumb.
bcmcd24 July 2002
I have never seen a movie so bad. It's not even entertaining enough to be a drinking game.
It's SO bad, I don't even want to talk about it... and that's the whole point of this, isn't it? PLEASE. Don't bother to see this movie. 'Nuf said.
It's SO bad, I don't even want to talk about it... and that's the whole point of this, isn't it? PLEASE. Don't bother to see this movie. 'Nuf said.
Yuck!
BHorrorWriter2 July 2001
Very disappointing 7th chapter of this slowly dying series. Very evident that the budget was extremely low. This movie was made for one reason and one reason alone. To sell Puppet Master Toys! Fans, such as myself of the series have decided, from what I have read and heard that the only one in the series worse than this is Curse of the Puppetmaster. In turn, turning us away from the series.
Opting to make this a PG-13 film, for whatever reason, did not work in the films favor. The plot seemed almost to be there, but was easily lost in the steady stream of nonsense.
The only film in the series worth watching, also directed by Decoteau is part 3 - Toulon's Revenge.
Granted, I do favor the scenery in the film.
Yuck!
Opting to make this a PG-13 film, for whatever reason, did not work in the films favor. The plot seemed almost to be there, but was easily lost in the steady stream of nonsense.
The only film in the series worth watching, also directed by Decoteau is part 3 - Toulon's Revenge.
Granted, I do favor the scenery in the film.
Yuck!
Watch this on Rifftrax, or skip it entirely.
fedor815 September 2021
Incredibly cheep garbage made fun by the Rifftrax team. Without their commentary it would have been very tough to sit through this crap.
Greg Sestero from "The Room" has the lead, which must be the reason they picked this one, because most PM movies can be spoofed with ease. The fact that Sestero speaks with an idiotic French accent must have been an added bonus to choose this bad sequel as opposed to other bad sequels. This leads me to suspect that the reason he got this role is because he told the casting director that he is a fluent French speaker. (I read most of his autobiography i.e. The book about "The Room".)
The puppets look more horrible than ever, as opposed to horrifying, and the "Egyptian" bad guys are the least ominous supernatural demons in the history of cinema. Based just on this laughable trio I would slap this turkey with a G rating. 3 year-olds would laugh at this movie.
Greg Sestero from "The Room" has the lead, which must be the reason they picked this one, because most PM movies can be spoofed with ease. The fact that Sestero speaks with an idiotic French accent must have been an added bonus to choose this bad sequel as opposed to other bad sequels. This leads me to suspect that the reason he got this role is because he told the casting director that he is a fluent French speaker. (I read most of his autobiography i.e. The book about "The Room".)
The puppets look more horrible than ever, as opposed to horrifying, and the "Egyptian" bad guys are the least ominous supernatural demons in the history of cinema. Based just on this laughable trio I would slap this turkey with a G rating. 3 year-olds would laugh at this movie.
Un-believable!
pettyfog18 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
In the literal sense....
Reminds you of those "cops-and-robber" or cowboys-indians" role-playing games you played with your 8 year old friends.
Tedious and un-inspired, the storyline was obviously written to make bad acting and dialogue seem as part of the plot, but all it does is showcase it. I cant believe John Badham let his name be associated with this piece of crap. This could have been done better by a high school film buff who had been given the camera lighting, filmstock and editing
Destined to be a time-filler on Sci-fi channel, when they've overused everything else from their library, and barely better than the paid programming shill downstream.
Reminds you of those "cops-and-robber" or cowboys-indians" role-playing games you played with your 8 year old friends.
Tedious and un-inspired, the storyline was obviously written to make bad acting and dialogue seem as part of the plot, but all it does is showcase it. I cant believe John Badham let his name be associated with this piece of crap. This could have been done better by a high school film buff who had been given the camera lighting, filmstock and editing
Destined to be a time-filler on Sci-fi channel, when they've overused everything else from their library, and barely better than the paid programming shill downstream.
Depressing to say the least
michael_rosata25 October 2005
This son of a son of a sequel was terrible to say the least. You would think that production would be better 10 years after the original was released, however Retro Puppet Master was not directed by or written by the original writers and contained poor story, lack of any emmontional connection to any characters, and dragged out slowly scene to scene. No build up of strong plot, very weak climax, you will find yourself slowly getting antsy throughout the movie, if you can sit through the whole reel. I never could understand why a horror movie continues making sequels after the release of their "final chapter." I hardly suggest watching this flick, but if you must I wouldn't recommend making anyone else sit through it with you.
Boring
TEAQUIEMORO14 July 2006
This film may have been the first Puppet Master but this sure bored me to death when I saw this stupid movie,I wanted a refund. This was a bad series to the Puppet Master and I'm sure that I am not the only one that thinks this was terrible. To some it was great but, to others it was a ticket to snores-ville and boy are they right. The puppets didn't even do anything nor did they kill people. It should't be seen by people so I'm warning you not to see it. You will be disappointed even to the fans who love Puppet Master, it was a waste of their time and it didn't make so much money.Nobody even got kill but one or two,very pointless.
1/10
1/10
Not as good as the others, not enough action
Mileskolehmainen18 June 2014
Warning: Spoilers
RETRO PUPPET MASTER
🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 2.5
Not terrible, but a bit bland for my taste. It just gets a little boring after a while, there being only TWO puppet attack scenes, and no stop motion, just like part 6. This ended up making the puppets seem inanimate and almost unmoving. The acting is a bit wooden on young Andre Toulon's part sometimes, but the other actors do okay. The mummies are great, though. Very styled. The script is good, despite the not-so-great acting. And the plot is the main problem with this film though. Who's idea was it to have only two puppet attacks. Seriously. The two attack scenes have O.K. Effects, but are muffled by loud music that overrides the sound effects and action. Plus retro pinhead looks pretty bad. Recommended only too hardcore fans of the series, or younger audiences.
🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 2.5
Not terrible, but a bit bland for my taste. It just gets a little boring after a while, there being only TWO puppet attack scenes, and no stop motion, just like part 6. This ended up making the puppets seem inanimate and almost unmoving. The acting is a bit wooden on young Andre Toulon's part sometimes, but the other actors do okay. The mummies are great, though. Very styled. The script is good, despite the not-so-great acting. And the plot is the main problem with this film though. Who's idea was it to have only two puppet attacks. Seriously. The two attack scenes have O.K. Effects, but are muffled by loud music that overrides the sound effects and action. Plus retro pinhead looks pretty bad. Recommended only too hardcore fans of the series, or younger audiences.
who was this movie made for?
grnhair200130 November 2019
Children? No, though there were no bad words, sex, or violence, the puppets were too offputting for little kids. Adults? Not any I hang out with or any I would hang out with. Teens? A friend says yes, that the lead has that Teen Beat cover model look, so...maybe? But teens want more pace, I would think. This movie had none. It hurt to watch.
Everyone
talked
so
s
l
o
w
l
y
and it made no sense. "Here's how you do this. Here's the ring--but you don't need the ring. And here are the three magic words, but you don't need to say them." And yet, we suffered through the ring and magic words six times by my count (said verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry slowly, those words) And there was yellow magic air and purple magic air and yellow magic air was something just clear and then got upgraded to green, but the green magic air never entered the plot and I'm confused.
10 minutes of plot stretched out to what imdb says is 80 minutes but I could have sworn was at least a full day of boredom.
The old guy actor is clearly a good actor. I'm too sad to look up his name and see how far he fell from his best work to this. And the music was decent. That's not enough to elevate it to two stars.
All I can say, is I want my money back, and I watched it for free.
10 minutes of plot stretched out to what imdb says is 80 minutes but I could have sworn was at least a full day of boredom.
The old guy actor is clearly a good actor. I'm too sad to look up his name and see how far he fell from his best work to this. And the music was decent. That's not enough to elevate it to two stars.
All I can say, is I want my money back, and I watched it for free.
Weak entry, could've been better
kannibalcorpsegrinder21 October 2018
Telling a story as an old man, an aging puppet master reveals that he had a small collection of puppets in turn-of-the-century Paris who possessed the power to turn inanimate objects to life and is hunted by the servants of an Egyptian God, forcing him to use what he has to keep them safe.
This is a really decent entry in an already-cheesy series. One of it's better features in here is that cheese which is not quite as bad as the others, since it's a little more serious in tone but still can't escape the cheese. From the puppet performance at the beginning to the scene of the puppets giving him a tattoo to how they react in battle, it still can't avoid doling out the cheese. That also segues into one of the best parts of this one, just like all the other entries in the series which is the efficiency and realism of the puppet effects. These here match up to the high standards of the others, since the dolls move, interact and react to their surroundings with a great sense of realism. Each one is allowed to shine at least once, and they all leave an impression with distinct personalities that can't be ignored and provide some fun. This is most apparent in their resurrection sequence which maintains the same type of mystique and aura that had been previously utilized in the series which gives this a lot to like. The last part of the film that works is the exciting ending, which is where the film really kicks into high-gear as this is packed with non-stop action including the battle on the train, a few tense moments and a great sense of fun, it's a great way to end the film. These here are the film's main points. Even though it's decent, this one does have a few substantial flaws to it. The biggest one here is that it's so tame with its rating. That is incredibly limiting to a film, especially one where it's main appeal is in seeing homicidal puppets in action, so that the rating limitation means that they're handicapped in here and aren't really allowed into the story to do what they're here for. It stops the biggest feature here by forcing other ways to kill, which are done rather lamely by having the creatures merely touch someone or point in their direction, say a spell and then a wave of CGI overcomes the victim and they fall flat. It's a disgrace to see something like that in a film about killer puppets, and with their tools and special powers being the main attraction for these films, to neuter it by having the specific rating is a complete slap to the other entries in the series. The shortness of the film is also a problem, as it's barely over an hour and doesn't leave a lot of time for a whole lot, so this here has a very compacted feeling that can be distracting at times. It's also not helped out by the confusing nature of the story, which is here is completely hard to understand. From the cutting of the story at the end of the old man to the story of the helper which is set in earlier times but still older than the main story to the switch over to the main story, it's quite confusing and doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. All of these here are what really kills the film.
Rated PG-13: Violence and Language.
This is a really decent entry in an already-cheesy series. One of it's better features in here is that cheese which is not quite as bad as the others, since it's a little more serious in tone but still can't escape the cheese. From the puppet performance at the beginning to the scene of the puppets giving him a tattoo to how they react in battle, it still can't avoid doling out the cheese. That also segues into one of the best parts of this one, just like all the other entries in the series which is the efficiency and realism of the puppet effects. These here match up to the high standards of the others, since the dolls move, interact and react to their surroundings with a great sense of realism. Each one is allowed to shine at least once, and they all leave an impression with distinct personalities that can't be ignored and provide some fun. This is most apparent in their resurrection sequence which maintains the same type of mystique and aura that had been previously utilized in the series which gives this a lot to like. The last part of the film that works is the exciting ending, which is where the film really kicks into high-gear as this is packed with non-stop action including the battle on the train, a few tense moments and a great sense of fun, it's a great way to end the film. These here are the film's main points. Even though it's decent, this one does have a few substantial flaws to it. The biggest one here is that it's so tame with its rating. That is incredibly limiting to a film, especially one where it's main appeal is in seeing homicidal puppets in action, so that the rating limitation means that they're handicapped in here and aren't really allowed into the story to do what they're here for. It stops the biggest feature here by forcing other ways to kill, which are done rather lamely by having the creatures merely touch someone or point in their direction, say a spell and then a wave of CGI overcomes the victim and they fall flat. It's a disgrace to see something like that in a film about killer puppets, and with their tools and special powers being the main attraction for these films, to neuter it by having the specific rating is a complete slap to the other entries in the series. The shortness of the film is also a problem, as it's barely over an hour and doesn't leave a lot of time for a whole lot, so this here has a very compacted feeling that can be distracting at times. It's also not helped out by the confusing nature of the story, which is here is completely hard to understand. From the cutting of the story at the end of the old man to the story of the helper which is set in earlier times but still older than the main story to the switch over to the main story, it's quite confusing and doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. All of these here are what really kills the film.
Rated PG-13: Violence and Language.
Hilarious
CrazedCommando9 December 2004
This is the kind of movie that you rent when you are incredibly tired, or impaired in some other way... The acting in this movie is so bad it seems intentional, and to let you know how bad the special effects are, there is one scene when the puppets are coming alive where you can see most of a hand holding the puppet, moving it about. The movie looked as if it was filmed with a camcorder. When I saw this movie for the first time, a fistfight nearly erupted when my friends and I were calling each other names from this flick, that's how terrible it was. If you enjoy getting mad at movies, I recommend this to you, otherwise, flee as though your very life depended on it.
Not as bad as they say...
jluis19845 November 2006
In 1989, writer Charles Band and director David Schmoeller created "Puppet Master", an inventive horror film about a group of puppets magically brought to life by its maker, Andre Toulon, and took to America during World War II. While the original film and its sequel were basically straightforward slashers, the third film made an important big change in the format, moving away from horror to fantasy and setting the movie in the WWII, explaining how Toulon escaped from the War and moved to America. The following three films in the series had the Puppets as heroes and took place in the present, returning the gore and violence to the series by walking the fine line between horror and fantasy. "Retro Puppet Master", the seventh chapter of the Puppets' saga, takes the series again further into fantasy, telling the story about the origins of Andre Toulon and the Puppet's first adventure.
In turn of the century Paris, young puppeteer Andre Toulon runs a small puppet theater where every night he and his crew make a living. One night after a show, he meets Ilsa, the Swiss Ambassador's daughter who secretly watched his act, however, the circumstances of their meeting are not nice as Ilsa found the body of the mysterious Afzel after he was brutally attacked by a pair of thugs. Andre takes care of the wounded Afzel, who claims to be a 3000 years old sorcerer, but while at first he believes the man is crazy, soon Andre begins to believe, as the dying Afzel tells him the secret that will put Andre in danger for the rest of his life: the ancient gods' secret of giving life to inanimate things.
Ever since it was released, "Retro Puppet Master" became quite a controversial movie among fans of the series, as the screenplay (by Benjamin Carr) is definitely more a fantasy adventure than a horror film, making it receive many critics due to the lack of gore and suspense. Personally, I think the move really helps to the story, as for the first time in years the focus of the film is not on the Puppets, but on the Puppetmaster himself, so the toning down of the horror is a reasonable change. The story is also about how he met his future wife Ilsa, so romance plays a very important part of the story (another difference with the previous installments).
Directed by a long time Full Moon regular, the notorious David DeCoteau, "Retro Puppet Master" is surprisingly a change of tone from the typical late 90s Full Moon releases. It's a lot subtler, and even classier than other DeCoteau films, and is probably his best film in a long time. While the cinematography looks like the average TV movie and the special effects are of a terribly bad quality (due to budgetary constrains), the movie looks very good considering its a period piece, and even the score (by John Massari) fits the new tone of the film as a glove.
Newcomer Greg Sesstero has a big challenge when playing the younger version of a character that basically was created by the great Guy Rolfe (who has a cameo), however, Sestero makes a terrific job and adds a lot of charm to the role. Brigitta Dau makes a good job as Ilsa, and like Sestero often make sup her lack of experience with her charming personality. Jack Donner does a terrific low-key performance as Afzel, but the efforts of these three actors get ruined by the average performance of basically everyone else in the film.
Worth to point out are the terribly bad performances of the three servants (the main villains of the movie), who easily are the worst part of the film. While some of this may not be entirely their fault (as their lines are also the less inspired part of the script), their lack of talent make a bad role atrocious, as it literally kills what could had been a good movie. While I praised Carr's original take on Band's idea, it's safe to point out that his work does not help the film to reach its true potential, as some lines of dialog are simply awful. Many has been written about the simplistic special effects, and while sadly they are not on the level of the previous films (they are of TV Series quality at best), at least there isn't an overuse of them through the movie.
"Retro Puppet Master" has received a lot of what I think is an undeserved bash through the years, however, it's safe to say that it's one of the best film sin the series. While it certainly could had been a lot better, it really shows that Band was concerned in saving his beloved franchise (he would do a better job in "Legacy"), and DeCoteau's direction is remarkably effective (almost reminiscent of his better earlier work). While many fans don't like the change to fantasy, I think it was what this particular chapter needed. Watch it with an open mind and low expectations, and you'll be rewarded.
6/10
In turn of the century Paris, young puppeteer Andre Toulon runs a small puppet theater where every night he and his crew make a living. One night after a show, he meets Ilsa, the Swiss Ambassador's daughter who secretly watched his act, however, the circumstances of their meeting are not nice as Ilsa found the body of the mysterious Afzel after he was brutally attacked by a pair of thugs. Andre takes care of the wounded Afzel, who claims to be a 3000 years old sorcerer, but while at first he believes the man is crazy, soon Andre begins to believe, as the dying Afzel tells him the secret that will put Andre in danger for the rest of his life: the ancient gods' secret of giving life to inanimate things.
Ever since it was released, "Retro Puppet Master" became quite a controversial movie among fans of the series, as the screenplay (by Benjamin Carr) is definitely more a fantasy adventure than a horror film, making it receive many critics due to the lack of gore and suspense. Personally, I think the move really helps to the story, as for the first time in years the focus of the film is not on the Puppets, but on the Puppetmaster himself, so the toning down of the horror is a reasonable change. The story is also about how he met his future wife Ilsa, so romance plays a very important part of the story (another difference with the previous installments).
Directed by a long time Full Moon regular, the notorious David DeCoteau, "Retro Puppet Master" is surprisingly a change of tone from the typical late 90s Full Moon releases. It's a lot subtler, and even classier than other DeCoteau films, and is probably his best film in a long time. While the cinematography looks like the average TV movie and the special effects are of a terribly bad quality (due to budgetary constrains), the movie looks very good considering its a period piece, and even the score (by John Massari) fits the new tone of the film as a glove.
Newcomer Greg Sesstero has a big challenge when playing the younger version of a character that basically was created by the great Guy Rolfe (who has a cameo), however, Sestero makes a terrific job and adds a lot of charm to the role. Brigitta Dau makes a good job as Ilsa, and like Sestero often make sup her lack of experience with her charming personality. Jack Donner does a terrific low-key performance as Afzel, but the efforts of these three actors get ruined by the average performance of basically everyone else in the film.
Worth to point out are the terribly bad performances of the three servants (the main villains of the movie), who easily are the worst part of the film. While some of this may not be entirely their fault (as their lines are also the less inspired part of the script), their lack of talent make a bad role atrocious, as it literally kills what could had been a good movie. While I praised Carr's original take on Band's idea, it's safe to point out that his work does not help the film to reach its true potential, as some lines of dialog are simply awful. Many has been written about the simplistic special effects, and while sadly they are not on the level of the previous films (they are of TV Series quality at best), at least there isn't an overuse of them through the movie.
"Retro Puppet Master" has received a lot of what I think is an undeserved bash through the years, however, it's safe to say that it's one of the best film sin the series. While it certainly could had been a lot better, it really shows that Band was concerned in saving his beloved franchise (he would do a better job in "Legacy"), and DeCoteau's direction is remarkably effective (almost reminiscent of his better earlier work). While many fans don't like the change to fantasy, I think it was what this particular chapter needed. Watch it with an open mind and low expectations, and you'll be rewarded.
6/10
Very slow movie and never really goes on to the next stage.
atinder31 December 2012
This is the seventh movie in the series, however this was a prequel to 1991's Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge, Which was also prequel to the first movie.
Sutekh has given life to three of his oldest servants and who start killing people, just by saying die.
I found that really silly, how people are killed off in this movie, Servants say Die, then they just drop dead.
This was very slow, it's stay one stage,never seem go up., it's felt like one very long scene.
The acting was very wooden, the whole movie was very flat.
It's very weak on the gore and toys didn't even attack, until the near the end however we do find out, why the puppet start to Kill.
3 out of 10.
PS - Woo hoo, this will by 200th movie, that I haved reviewed in 2012! Won't be the last.
Sutekh has given life to three of his oldest servants and who start killing people, just by saying die.
I found that really silly, how people are killed off in this movie, Servants say Die, then they just drop dead.
This was very slow, it's stay one stage,never seem go up., it's felt like one very long scene.
The acting was very wooden, the whole movie was very flat.
It's very weak on the gore and toys didn't even attack, until the near the end however we do find out, why the puppet start to Kill.
3 out of 10.
PS - Woo hoo, this will by 200th movie, that I haved reviewed in 2012! Won't be the last.
RETRO PANTSMASTER!!!!
crow-2417 September 2000
What the hell were they thinking??? every single sequal to the original(and best) Puppet Master,has simply failed to please (with perhaps no.3 as an exception).As every year passes,the special effects have kept looking worse and worse,and now this franchise has very little to offer.How many times do they want to tell us the history of the puppets or their master???. bad camera work,bad effects,terrible editing,and.......there isn't a word to describe the acting.So I won't say one.
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