Puppet Master: Axis of Evil (2010 Video) User Reviews

Not good but could've been worse

[quridley · 5/10 · 4 June 2017]

David DeCoteau is a talented microbudget horror director and he's directed some of the better, more artful Puppet Master films. Parts 3, 6 and 7 are some of the most competently directed, serious and beautifully shot Full Moon films. "Axis of Evil" fits in with them, but its the weakest of his efforts through no fault of his own.

The problem with Pt 9 (since Charles Band disgustingly counts a "Best of" tape as Pt 8) is that its a much, much cheaper rehash of 7 which was a rehash of 3. The plot follows a young man fighting the Nazis in a dark urban setting, losing his loved ones and then getting revenge. Pt 3 is a good film but remaking it twice is twice too many. Worst of all is that the puppets have less to do with the story and they look shabbier in each film. Lets face it: the puppets are the stars.

Its gorgeously shot, directed as well as a fast and cheap horror film can be and you have to admire the craftsmanship of a movie filmed for peanuts, but its not entertaining or original enough. This is the 1st of a trilogy and so you don't receive any closure but you do feel a rage at the cynical money-grubbing quality of Full Moon's lesser films. What a waste of DeCoteau and a modest Puppet Master premise.

History lesson fail!

[udar55 · 3/10 · 30 July 2010]

The tenth (!) entry in Charles Band's long running series is really rough and cheap stuff, but actually better than the last few sequels (which says a lot). The film opens by incorporating the original's 1939 prologue where the puppet master Andre Toulon (William Hickey) kills himself at the Bodega Bay Inn. New footage has limping Danny Coogan (Levi Fiehler) stumbling onto the scene just as the two Nazis who ransacked Toulon's room are leaving. Danny was apparently friends with Toulon and knows where the hidden puppets are and takes them. He returns home to Chinatown in LA and is upset that he can't join the war effort to take on the "Japs and Krauts" (heh, heh...more on that in a bit). But he soon finds he can do his part stateside when he discovers one of the Nazis working undercover at a local munitions factory.

This series has been running for 20+ years and I think it pretty much sum up producer Band's career during that time period. The first three are decent little movies with the proper exploitation elements. Then Band opted to do them on the cheap and each successive film got more and more cut-rate until you finally had the obligatory clip show with 15 new minutes of footage entry (PUPPET MASTER: LEGACY). This one tries to bring it back to the level of the first three by continuing the storyline set up in part III's Germany set sequel. Unfortunately, Band is still cutting corners and has found some new money mark in China where the film was shot for pennies, er, yuan. You get some of the worst sets you'll ever seen (where the camera actually exposes the tops on several occasions) and you can see the same extras over and over in the exterior shots. Director David DeCoteau did three previous entries and really seems to be trying but the film is just sort of there. He fails to bring the exploitation factor as there is no stop motion (actually there hasn't been since part V, I believe), no nudity and very little gore. He did find some good leads with the exception of the girl who plays the Japanese spy, who turns in one of the worst performances I've seen in a while.

And now for the biggie! I'll admit I admire them taking it back to 1939 and using that as a launching point but - MY GOD - do you really have a lead character spend the whole film talking about how he wishes he could enlist into the service to go overseas and fight the "Japs and Krauts" IN 1939!?! There are constant references to America kids fighting overseas. HISTORY LESSON FAIL! Even worse, later a character makes a reference to Pearl Harbor! I'm amazed that no one who read the script said, "Uh, we might have a continuity problem here." The funny thing is there is a "making of" video on the disc and DeCoteau says the film is set in 1941 (even though characters reference Danny's work at the hotel and discovery of Toulon's body being "a few weeks ago").

"Puppet Master: Axis of Evil" is a surprising and very watchable direct-to-DVD sequel, and should not be missed by fans A bad movie, but a fun one as well

[TedStixonAKAMaximumMadness · 4/10 · 6 March 2012]

Director David Decoteau's ("Puppet Master III", "Curse of the Puppet Master" and "Retro Puppet Master") 2010 direct-to-DVD prequel "Puppet Master: Axis of Evil" is quite a surprise. It's not a good movie by any means, don't get me wrong. It's really bad at times, but it's also highly enjoyable as a cheap horror film and has some good fun moments, and it is a definite step up after the abysmal, cheap clip-show of a film the prior entry ("Legacy") was.

The films starts off with an extremely well-done retcon of the original "Puppet Master" film's prologue, almost seamlessly mixing old archival footage and new footage- Danny Coogan (Levi Fletcher), a young man whom wants to fight in World War II but can't due to a bad limp, stumbles into the room of the puppet master Andre Toulon (William Hickey in archival footage) just moments after he killed himself. Danny had been shown Toulon's puppets before, and is able to recover them from their hiding place in the wall, vowing to take care of them and keep them safe from the Nazis Max and Klaus who had been sent to retrieve them for Hitler. (Max and Klaus are played by Tom Sandoval and Aaron Riber) Danny returns home to Los Angeles China-Town district where his mother and older brother (about to depart for the war) live, and where his girlfriend Beth (Jenna Gallaher) works. However, Max and Klaus track down Danny's address and begrudgingly unite with a Japanese spy and her associates to retrieve the puppets for the Axis, and to blow up the factory where Beth works, which may or may not be home to a new secret Allied weapon.

I will give credit where credit is due- there are a lot of good, fun moments in this direct-to-DVD film. Some of the ret-con work in the beginning is highly impressive (it matches perfectly except for slight differences in the lighting), the characters though underdeveloped and poorly acted are likable, and there's even some good unintentional social commentary. (Including a good jab at American ignorance in that our Japanese villainess is able to hide out in plain sight in China-Town because Americans are too ignorant to be able to tell Chinese and Japanese apart.) It's also just good to see the puppets in action again as a fan of earlier installments in the series.

However, when this film falls apart and times, it really falls apart. For one, it's 81 minutes long, but nearly ten minutes of that footage includes the opening and closing credits, and a large portion of archival footage from the original film, so the film is really only about 71 minutes of new footage. And it just isn't enough time to develop the sort-of story the director and writer are going for. You can tell that a lot of scenes must have been cut for budget and time reasons (too much is implied through dialog when it should have been shown on screen, and the film takes place in the same few locations from scene to scene), and it hurts the film. What makes this even stranger is that it's not a fast film, per say, it's actually a slower-moving film editing-wise, which makes it seem even shorter than it already is. It really could have benefited from another 10 minutes of footage.

Two, this is not really a well-made movie. It feels far too low-budget. The puppet effects are all very bland and basic and look arguably worse than they did in earlier films. The production design is very cheap. The acting isn't the greatest (the actors are charming, but just can't act). It just reeks of "low budget direct-to-DVD."

Those complains being said, this is still a watchable film. It's one of the weaker entries in the series (to be honest, the series has gotten a lot worse since the third film), but is still mildly entertaining. I'd give it a just under-average 4 out of 10. If you're a fan of the earlier films, pick up the box set of all nine official entries and give this one a watch. It's worth seeing for the fans.

The Puppets return to tackle the Nazis in Axis of Evil

[rgblakey · 24 October 2012]

The Puppet Master series has been running strong since 1989. Throughout the series it has taken the storyline in all sorts of directions creating a chronological history that can be confusing. While Puppet Master: Axis of Evil is the ninth official film in the series, it actually is third in chronological order for the series itself. With varying stories and evolution to the characters, can Axis of Evil bring something new to the story and continue to evolve these beloved horror icons and a deliver another stepping stone for the future of these characters?

Puppet Master: Axis Rising follows Toulon as he takes shelter at the Bodega Bay Inn in California. When two soldiers are sent to kill him for his secrets, he hides the puppets away and commits suicide in hopes to have his secrets die with him. When an employee discovers his body and the puppets he begins to take care of them eventually discovering their secrets as well as that of the Gestapo's plans to bomb the United States. With the help of puppets he sets out to stop them before they can set their plan in motion. Featuring Blade, Pinhead, Jester, Tunneler, Six Shooter's arms, Shredder Khan, Gengie, and Ninja this latest entry expands on the opening sequence in the original Puppet Master, even using the same footage. There have been some various inconstancies throughout the series, but still always managed to bring it all together fairly well. This connection to the original seems to bring it back on track as though Band is trying to reconnect all those missing pieces in a more cohesive manner. This one takes a little bit longer to get to the fun, but the clear attempt to tell more of an origin story makes it work. This is an entertaining entry into the series, while the acting is not all that great. Over the years, the acting side of it has seemed to go down a bit, but is overshadowed by the sheer fun of the puppets in action.

If you're a true horror fan or just love anything Full Moon puts out, this is a must have version of Puppet Master: Axis of Evil. In addition to the film it includes additional features The Making of Evil, 13 Vidcasts from China, "No Strings Attached" the original making of from the first Puppet Master and includes the trailers from all 9 original Puppet Master films. Don't miss out on Puppet Master: Axis of Evil on Blu-ray available now! For more information or to get a copy, head over to www.fullmoondirect.com

This was AWFUL

[zsbiw · 2/10 · 6 October 2021]

The Puppet Master series was tolerable... until this movie. Even Curse of the Puppet Master, bad as it was, was sort of entertaining to watch.

But this movie... no. The storyline, acting, appearence of the puppets themselves, etc, were truly awful. There is nothing I can think of positive to say about this movie.

I realize the Nazi Germany story is part of the Puppet Master series, but still. The plot here was atrocious.

This is definitely a Puppet Master film I never want to see again. Retro Puppet Master was the last decent Puppet Master film. Everything after Retro Puppet Master isn't worth watching at all.

I would say it's worth it to watch the first 7 Puppet Master movies, but stop there. Just don't watch anything after Retro. Retro and Curse are GREAT compared to this.

Puppet Master Axis of Evil: Flogging a dead horse

[Platypuschow · 3/10 · 16 April 2019]

Axis of Evil is the 10th Puppet Master movie and the first in the Axis trilogy.

It demonstrates yet another franchise that Fullmoon is milking into dust, and it's a shame to see a franchise that's been going since the 80's deteriorate to this level.

Telling yet another story of a keeper of the puppets who uses them to combat the German forces during world war II it's...............there really is no point in me describing it any further as it's the same as the majority of the movies that came before it.

Sadly there hasn't been a decent Puppet Master movie for years, the quality has dipped to a crippling degree. The more they try to add to the Puppet Master lore the more ridiculous it gets and we're at the stage now where the whole thing is hokey and the Puppets take a backseat.

Yes that's right the puppets aren't the stars of the movie at all, they're barely supporting players and our leads/antagonists are unforgivably dull. So if you're expecting more exciting doll vs man encounters/death scenes then you'll be sorely let down by this 10th outing.

There are three more Puppet Master movies after this, and that's assuming it doesn't continue further. Truth be told, it shouldn't.

Stick this one with a fork, it's done.

The Good:

Has a degree of Full Moon charm left

The Bad:

Stock scream

Ropey acting

Oddly boring

Brings nothing new to the table

Quite poor

[weemonk · 3/10 · 11 August 2010]

I remember watching the first Puppet Master film in my teens and thinking it was a pretty good. I remember watching the second and thinking it was pretty poor. I remember watching the third and thinking that, whilst low budget, it was a good film.

I say remember as I'm 31 now and it was quite a while a go. But being the film fanatic that I am, I still remember the puppets and their names.

Even though more Puppet Master films were made, I didn't follow the series after the third one....until I noticed that a new film had been released and that the story would take place early Toulon days - like the third film, which worked - so I thought I'd jump back in and see where the series was up to.

Unfortunately, by the 10th instalment filming is on a micro budget and it shows! I liked the story and thought it was engaging enough. I looked past some of the shoddy acting and poor performances.....but the thing I just couldn't forgive was the lack of budget given towards the puppets! It was poor and disgraceful. At no point did you feel that Blade (my favourite since the first) and co. were alive. There wasn't the slightest effort made at all. If you were to make a home movie about puppets that are alive, the best you'd be able to do to make it look convincing is move the puppet with your hand so the camera can not see - this is exactly what happened in this film. No attempt at animatronics or stop motion capture.

The original Puppet Master was made in 1989 - all these years later, it still outclasses this instalment in every department.

The good thing that did come out of this film is that my interest is rekindled and I've obtained Puppet Master 1-9 which I'm going to watch!

EDIT - Just watch 1-4 as the series goes down hill from 5 onwards :)

Quite nice at some moments but not really interesting

[alexfromhorn · 4/10 · 17 July 2010]

It's a B Movie, probably even less. It has some funny moments, but it is boring. Music was OK. About the sound effects, I realized that some were from the Computer game Gothic 1 or 2, especially that one scream sound was just stolen from the game - which somehow speaks for itself. The story was incredibly lame. The villains were strange and incapable of anything. The acting was so bad that it hurt my ears, especially the Japanese woman was capable of doing this... I had trouble taking the Nazis seriously - it was all in all more of a comedy. I liked the puppets, nice and mysterious but even those couldn't help this movie out of the horrible script. Most of the situations and almost the whole plot didn't make that much sense. I'm sorry to tell you this but it is not a movie to appreciate. It was simply ridiculous at all. After watching it I had a big question mark standing on my head: Why Nazis? They didn't do anything Nazi-like, besides hailing each other about 2 times in the whole movie - that's all and they still name it "Axis of Evil" ... At least it had some kind of atmosphere that let me watch it until the end.

Not Good, But Not the Worst Actually

[gavin6942 · 5/10 · 19 May 2011]

In a Stateside hotel during the height of World War II, young Danny Coogan (Levi Fiehler) dreams of joining the war effort.

This film, coming in at barely 80 minutes, reused footage from previous films. So that makes this a total of 60 minutes, maybe? I cannot blame them. They needed to use a dead actor, so the footage had to be old, and it ties the story together more fluidly.

What is up with the young Nazis? Is it just me, or does the idea of two young (under 30) Nazis being the only force to infiltrate the American war effort seem silly? Jenna Gallagher was decent as Beth, and fairly attractive. The real mystery is why Full Moon regular Robin Sydney did not get the part (or any part) in this movie. She never fails to entertain and it would be nice to see her in this series.

But the real issue with this film is the anachronisms: the movie takes place in 1939, but the U.S. did not enter WWII until the Japanese attack on December 7th, 1941. So why are we fighting in France and Japan already? The concentration camp Auschwitz is mentioned, but the camp was build two years after the events depicted in this movie. The female Japanese agent mentions Kamikaze attacks, but no Kamikaze units existed until 1944.

The USA flag hanging on the wall in Danny's room has 50 stars on it, but the USA only had 48 states so there would only have been 48 stars on it (1 for each state). It was not until August 21, 1959 when Hawaii became the 50th state that 50 stars appeared on the flag.

This film needs work!

"Maybe you'd pay more attention to me, if I was made of wood. Like Pinocchio, huh"?

[lost-in-limbo · 2/10 · 24 February 2019]

I seem to be taking my time watching these PUPPET MASTER sequels. After my friend awhile back lent me LEGACY, it hit rock bottom. Somewhat improved with RETRO, but it didn't have much to beat. Anyway, after sitting through AXIS OF EVIL, ending on a cliffhanger. I'm in no rush to move onto the next one. So it looks like I'll stick with my PUPPET MASTER viewing trend.

At least for this outing, leech woman gets to live up to her name (after bit of a hiatus being a passenger), vomiting up a leech (a budget thing I guess being only one) to inflict a brutal death. Actually there was too little puppet action, possibly contributed to its lack of effects. Just looking at the raggedy ninja puppet, yeah, tells the story. Everything bare minimum. Everything. Made in China. What David DeCoteau presented for the majority of the film is a boringly wooden, and overly stagey tale of espionage involving a crippled young American man doing his best to serve his country by trying to prevent Nazi/and Japanese spies planning to bomb an American manufacturing plant in a Chinese town during WW2. In doing so, this story element saps the puppet fun right out of it.

Not the best or the worst in the series

[atinder · 5/10 · 31 March 2018]

Finally saw this last night , after Avoiding it for so long.

I thought it was a lot better then I thought it was going to be.

I didn't find it boring at all, the movie had a decent flow, I liked how they connected to the frist movie.

I enjoyed all the Puppet scence, some nice kills.

5 out of 10 I think this one better sequel since the curse!

What Just Happened?

[jamesbourke59 · 1/10 · 2 October 2010]

Oh for the glory days to return! Alas notions of such high calibre and more importantly high concept ideas forever emerging from within out with the doors of full moon seem but a distant memory.

The gradual decay with their output over the last few years has been seriously evident with the likes of Gingerdead Man and such like. Ofocurse many with disagree, but as I have been a slave to the Ryhthm of the works of Charles Band, I believe I have seen the best of what the legendary man has produced and it's safe to say that Puppetmaster - Axis Of Evil most certainly is not high calibre nor is it a startling concept.

Longtime cohort David Decouteau has never been one to be adventurous when calling the shots as a director, just look at his Rapid Heart movies, just get the camera in focus and let the pretty things do their thing, and once again he shows a distinct lack of flair, but that being said, we do get a few visual set pieces, but these are primarily establishing shots.

As for the acting, aside from the main players, Levi Fiehler essaying the role of Danny Coogan our on screen protagonist and his on screen love interest Beth, played by the very fetching Jenna Gallacher, the minor parts afforded screen time do not acquit themselves with any glory, the presence of Ada Chao as Ozu really is a curious one, now as to whether or not the actress in question could actually speak English doesn't bother me one bit, however the delivery of her lines and facial movements really made me question her actual acting ability.

Of course the major crime committed on screen, or should that be off screen, was the lack of necessary puppets, if you take away the opening prologue, which was comprised of both new and old footage, which I'll be honest did click together really quite well, but I won't get too carried away with anymore plaudits, because none exist.

As for that ending, I don't really feel like I want another helping of the same old thing, if you get to the ending and feel like I did, What just happened. If the rumour's are to be believed, and Full Moon will now be shifting their brand of band over to China, and as cheaply as these movies can be made, should we be shocked if Charles Band delivers another Puppetmaster movie, I will not be surprised, maybe he should take them into outer space, it worked for Leprechaun.

Let's hear it for Puppetmaster in the Year 3000, then again let's not.

A major dud, without hesitation - 1/10

The puppets are lifeless and the film riddled with plot flaws.

[paulclaassen · 2/10 · 16 June 2018]

Back to 1939 we go, with starts off with footage from the beginning of 1989's original film, where Andre Toulin committed suicide. The film follows what happens immediately thereafter, with a young man, Danny, finding the puppets and taking them under his wing. There's nothing great about the dialogue or acting, or story for that matter, but it was an interesting enough continuation of the story. We have two Nazi spies posing as Americans (but they don't even have German accents, so they're not credible Germans either) who work together with a Japanese woman, who is also after the serum that brings the puppets to life. There's a lot of back stabbing and double crossing here, but there are just way too many conveniences and plot flaws. Also, why did Danny trust the puppets so easily into helping him, and how did he know they would or even could, as he knew nothing about them? And why did the puppets trust him in return? The puppets look rather lifeless.

Enjoyable enough franchise entry

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 6/10 · 21 October 2018]

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.

Puppet master axis of evil axis of evil 😈

[jeffreyc-32567 · 8/10 · 11 August 2019]

Puppet master axis of evil 😈 watched last night. I found it to be a very good film and quite enjoyed the action. The puppets work well in the film i have all the puppet master films in my collection. I have another one to watch tonight should be interesting.

Better Than I Expected

[henrys-88548 · 6/10 · 26 October 2020]

The idea of the puppets fighting Nazis has limited appeal to me. I'd prefer they be Nazis like in the most recent installment. Makes them much more evil and interesting. Regardless, the film is enjoyable as long as you don't have high expectations. For people complaining the film is "RRAACCIISSTT!" My God, this was WWII. What amazes me is how social justice warriors are apparently more offended by Americans calling Germans "krauts" than actual concentration camps or the atrocities committed by the Japanese. Who cares about a nickname given to the enemy during a time of war.

Leech woman gives it 2 stars

[Rodriigo · 1/10 · 21 June 2012]

First of all, this movie was an extreme lazy attempt by Full moon. Many fans were so excited but let down extremely. The plot is boring, and the acting is so poor it makes you cringe. Worst of all, the puppets looks have been changed which is a major no no. For instance, Tunneler's face looks awful and leech woman is now a midget who looks like a cheap Barbie doll.

The puppets don't even move nor interact as much, unlike Puppet Master 3. It looks like the film crew just grabbed the puppets and bobbed them up and down.

Above all, the 2 stars is for bringing back leech woman (fan favorite) and actually making her fight for once. However, it would be nice to see more of her interacting with the other puppets and Danni.

Cut the strings, there's no horror attached

[amesmonde · 14 February 2011]

Set in 1939 after the events of the first Puppet Master just as Toulon commits suicide, the owners nephew of the Bodega Bay Hotel, a cripple Danny 'befriends' Toulon's living deadly Puppets.   He takes them to Chinatown but soon gets caught up in a Nazi/Japanese WW2 bomb plot and it is up to Danny and the Puppets to stop this sabotage.

Firstly, despite the intention of a theatrical run of the first film, all have been direct to video releases, this is a pity because there is a real following for these movies and the puppet characters, possibly with a larger budget it may have had more success. Sadly, Axis of Evil again suffers from that DTV feel and sits above Retro and is on par with the third instalment.

There appears to be an effort made with the set production, acting and script (racist comments and historical inaccuracies aside). The introduction of yet another new puppet despite being story hook is unnecessary and considering it is unrated there is a distinct lack of blood. David DeCoteau's direction at times is stilted and as stiff as the puppets (who look slightly different from the original designs) giving it a TV soap opera feel. Adding smoke, darkly painted walls and combining it with back lighting doesn't guarantee atmosphere. Nevertheless, creator/producer Charles Band's brother composer Richard Band crafts another great score, however, the mix is intrusive at times. Actors Fiehler, Erica Shaffer and Levi Fiehler are notable and it nice to see William Hickey (1927-1997) even if it is reused footage.

As a longtime fan of Puppet Master, it's great to see Blade, Jester, Pinhead, Tunneller, Leech Woman and gang but it's execution at times leaves it void of tension and horror. Overall, it's good fun but a missed opportunity that leaves the viewer short changed, which is a crying shame given the potential and cult following.

Axis of Evil? Axis of S***.

[ctdudeuk · 3/10 · 12 August 2010]

You don't pick up a Puppet Master movie expecting a masterpiece, or some sort of groundbreaking classic. All the same, I'd been looking forward to this one for a while. The WWII setting had worked wonderfully in Puppet Master 3 (in my opinion the best installment of the series) and I was hoping lightning would strike twice with 'Axis Of Evil'.

The first half is flawed, but watchable. Some dodgy acting, yes, but with these kind of movies that's almost part of the fun. The lighting is nice and moody, it's pretty well shot, even if the dialog resembles some sort of uncomfortable 40's racist propaganda movie. To the historical inaccuracy that others have mentioned - yes, it's pretty jaw-dropping that such an obvious mistake slipped in to the final cut. We're not talking about Arthurian legend or Biblical times - this is recent history, and anyone who made it through high school should be well aware of the time line of events.

It makes me wonder what the scenario is that caused this glaring error. Did no one involved with the film know anything about WWII? Were they aware of the mistake and just didn't think it mattered? Did they think Puppet Master fans were too stupid to notice? Whatever...it certainly doesn't show the production in a favorable light.

And yet for all these errors, I'd be willing to overlook them if there was some decent action with Blade & co. It is the fan's love for those little buggers that has sustained this franchise, and they deserve treating with respect.

Well, unfortunately the (very brief) moments in which the puppets do appear are the worst parts of the movie. The movement, the execution...it's all just embarrassingly bad. Literally. When Blade 'runs' across the screen, I guarantee you will actually squirm with embarrassment. I sure did. It simply looks terrible - like a home movie a kid made of his toys moving around his bedroom. It completely kills what little tension has been built up over the preceding 80 minutes.

I'm aware that this movie was probably made on a shoestring. Nevertheless, job #1 when making any Puppet Master movie should be making the puppets look (and move) great, and giving them some exciting stuff to do. Hire the cheapest actors you can find, film the movie outside your local mall, no one cares, just make the damn puppets look good.

Well, they didn't and they don't. Axis of Evil is a very poor movie, and moreover, it's very poor Puppet Master.

after the long wait, i was disappointed

[Quetzulcoatl · 2/10 · 20 August 2010]

Sadly, this new puppetmaster offering sux, fit only for real Charles Band fanatics, once again, Charles Band has shown he has lost his touch, and is in it for the money only, half of this film is old s**t, prolly culled from the cutting room floor.

The characters are cheesy enough, BUT, the plot is thinner than even Charles Band can do, the acting stilted and forced, the only bright spot is the new puppet, and he is not given a proper intro and little to no investment for the viewer to either like or dislike the character the last 4 or 5 movies have shown me that Charles Band has lost it, and shoulda retired the franchise before Retro Puppetmaster long live Blade! (my fave puppet) and yes, i am a puppetmaster fan.

this latest attempt just fails as miserably as the last 4 or 5

Puppet Master Axis of Evil

[skybrick736 · 3/10 · 14 June 2014]

I loved a couple ideas of this film, first being it shows the aftermath of Toulon's suicide. The story takes place immediately after as a young wood carver named Danny Coogan tries to stop the Nazi's from stealing Toulon's elixir of life. The second aspect I enjoyed is that the Nazi's are yet again the main antagonist during the World War II era. That being said the movie is tough to watch at times being awful and a little dull. There is some very wood acting in this movie too, almost like the puppets themselves. Check the movie out if you're a die-hard fan of the franchise and to view the new ninja puppet. There are some cool scenes and I like the concept but overall its low score is received for bad writing, directing and acting.

Is the movie exceptional? Nah. But the puppets are as fun as ever.

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 18 May 2021]

The Puppet Master Axis of Evil is available on Amazon Prime for $3.99 and is the first of the Axis of Evil Trilogy when Full Moon relaunched the series in 2010. The storyline focuses on a family during World War 1 where two brothers want to go war but one cannot due to issues with his leg. He is an artist of sorts and as he sees his brother off to war he and his girlfriend uncover a German plan in a local factory right under their noses. They'll need some help from some unexpected Nazi hating puppets. The storyline for this is fairly in-line with the middle movies (3-5) in the original Puppet Master series. The characters are worth following but the best parts of the film is use of the original puppets brought back to life with their devious ways and kill scenes you still cheer for every time. Is the movie exceptional? Nah. But the puppets are as fun as ever. I'd give this a 5.5/10.

Bad Nazi Puppets

[kosmasp · 4/10 · 4 August 2018]

Well I'm not just talking about the humans in this (although some have the emotional range of puppets). So have a plot where our good guys are trying to overcome the bad guys. There is a Japanese character in here and also a Ninja puppet. If that already made your day and you are easily satisfied you will have a lot of fun.

Actually as always good puppetry, although not as impressive as it once was. Technology has advanced and all that. And this also marks the first part of a trilogy that is connected. So Part 9-11 is like a big movie ... sort of.

As if people back during WW2 did not have it bad enough, they have to deal with Puppets too. On a more serious note though, while I guess it was up to the viewer to decide in some of the previous entries if the Puppets had good or bad intentions (appointing them a moral label/compass so to speak). A theme that was a subject in Part 8 which obviously was more a best of thing.

Whatever the case, it's Puppets against Nazis and it's a trilogy and the acting is really bad, but it's also sort of fun. Especially if you watched a few of them and don't mind all the plot holes and the inconsistencies (I didn't care and didn't notice most of them until I watched a Youtube Video named Horror Timelines) ... so there you go, and if you are a completionist like me, you'll watch it too no matter what.

underrated and scary.

[jacobjohntaylor1 · 9/10 · 2 March 2017]

This a very scary movie. It a very good prequel. It has a great story line. It also has great acting. It also has great special effects. It is very scary. It not 4.4. This is a 9. It a great horror film. It is very scary. It is better. A Nightmare on elm street. And that is not easy to do. This is better then The Shinning. It very scary. If it does not scary you know movie will. See this movie. It so scary. I got 4.4 from people who do not know a good horror movie. See this movie. It is one of the scariest movies of all time. See it. It will scary you. If you like good horror stories you will like this movie.

I'd rather be watching "BloodRayne: Deliverance"!

[Angeeel · 3/10 · 31 August 2011]

Okay... So this is, by far, not the worst Puppetmaster movie I've ever seen. The worst one was, and still is, Puppetmaster... ehhmm.. 5? "Curse of the Puppet Master". That one was also directed by David DeCoteau! I've said it before, I'll say it again: David DeCoteau sucks! "Curse of the Puppetmaster" was an insult to the series!

But "Axis of Evil" is just... bad. As pretty much any DeCoteau movie; it's bland and boring. The actors are awkward in their parts, the plot holes are all over the place and DeCoteau used the footage from the very first movie. For that I just want to slap him and go "No! Just.. no! You do not deserve to use that stock footage!"

On the other hand, the... Japanese woman's (I can't remember her name. That's how memorable her character was.) performance brings out the giggles in me every time she's on screen! Danny's Oscar-clip-crying-moment made me laugh so bad I had to pause the movie 'cause I couldn't focus. It was so hilarious I had to re-watch it over and over again! Jenna Gallaher's (Beth) acting went from decent to bad to horrible to just so bad it's funny in under 45 minutes. Taylor M. Graham's (Don) acting... how hard is it to play an asshole? Seriously? If you can't play a part that demands you to be all around annoying, then you might want to consider a career-change!

And the biggest plot hole of them all, for me personally is: If Danny took the puppets to L.A., how in the firetrucking ("Firetruck" starts with the letter "F" and ends with "uck". You figure it out!) hell did they get back to the inn for the second movie?!? I mean come on! Establish that! Have Danny take them or something! Anything! Don't just leave it with a "To be continued" ending! I forbid you to make sequels! I forbid you, damn it!!!

This movie is bad. It's just bad. Danny's crying, Japanese woman's and Beth's acting makes it all worth while though, so... a 3/10 just for that!

Seriously, if you've seen all of the sequels up to this one then there's nothing I can say that will make you not watch it. You, like me, just want to get it over with. But if you've never seen any Puppetmaster movies: Go away! Save yourself! Go watch... Go watch "House of the Dead"! Because.. seriously.. some of these sequels make Uwe Boll look good!

And lets all pray for no more sequels, shall we?