Stuck in the looming shadow of WWII, a young man who can't serve in the Army finds that his ability to reanimate a set of puppets found in a nearby hotel works wonders with a small collection and allows him to fight the Nazi group trailing him for the secret to the dolls to help save his country.
This was a fun if overall problematic entry. When this one works, it manages to feature some really nice work here setting up this newfound storyline that manages to work through the events of the original. Taking the events from that film and continuing on with the discovery of the dolls from inside the room to the need for carrying on the war effort that he was engaging in which sets the rest of the film in motion. Giving the way it follows through with the discovery of his plans to cripple the Allies, this one brings in plenty of fun to be had with the espionage-filled first half that has the gradual reveal of his mission and how it's all going to play out with the different sides trying to keep their operation clandestine as the back-and-forth makes for the fun to happen in the final half where the puppets can get into the action and really show themselves off. There's a lot to like here as they manage to interfere with the initial planning session that alerts everyone and leading into the big battle later on as they get the rescue mission underway which really ups the action considerably. From letting each puppet have a centerpiece sequence to knock out somebody on the opposing side, having some solid action scenes here to really let this one generate a sense of fun and ending this on a solid note overall. Given that these here are what hold it up, it does manage to feature a few minor flaws to hold it back somewhat. The main issue to be had here is the decidedly one-section work done with the puppets, who are featured here solely for the final half where they launch their rescue attempt on the hideout, leaving the first half to focus exclusively on the espionage angle that doesn't feature the puppets at all. Though this is well-developed in terms of storyline issues, its focus on their relationship woes and where the whole plan is going to go down does hinder the action for a long portion of time letting this one get filled with these elements rather than generating any kind of activity for them to do which is somewhat strange. Likewise, the other big issue here is the overall cheap and flimsy look of the film, from the cramped sets to the lack of atmosphere and a generally overall tone that doesn't really let this one engage in the type of scope its storyline is trying to get out. That is what really lowers this one overall.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Language.
This was a fun if overall problematic entry. When this one works, it manages to feature some really nice work here setting up this newfound storyline that manages to work through the events of the original. Taking the events from that film and continuing on with the discovery of the dolls from inside the room to the need for carrying on the war effort that he was engaging in which sets the rest of the film in motion. Giving the way it follows through with the discovery of his plans to cripple the Allies, this one brings in plenty of fun to be had with the espionage-filled first half that has the gradual reveal of his mission and how it's all going to play out with the different sides trying to keep their operation clandestine as the back-and-forth makes for the fun to happen in the final half where the puppets can get into the action and really show themselves off. There's a lot to like here as they manage to interfere with the initial planning session that alerts everyone and leading into the big battle later on as they get the rescue mission underway which really ups the action considerably. From letting each puppet have a centerpiece sequence to knock out somebody on the opposing side, having some solid action scenes here to really let this one generate a sense of fun and ending this on a solid note overall. Given that these here are what hold it up, it does manage to feature a few minor flaws to hold it back somewhat. The main issue to be had here is the decidedly one-section work done with the puppets, who are featured here solely for the final half where they launch their rescue attempt on the hideout, leaving the first half to focus exclusively on the espionage angle that doesn't feature the puppets at all. Though this is well-developed in terms of storyline issues, its focus on their relationship woes and where the whole plan is going to go down does hinder the action for a long portion of time letting this one get filled with these elements rather than generating any kind of activity for them to do which is somewhat strange. Likewise, the other big issue here is the overall cheap and flimsy look of the film, from the cramped sets to the lack of atmosphere and a generally overall tone that doesn't really let this one engage in the type of scope its storyline is trying to get out. That is what really lowers this one overall.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Language.