Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich

I like campy movies. They're usually humorous. However, this rendition of The Puppet Master is neither campy or humorous. It's horrible. I really don't like the direction they took with this one. I had a nerve and purchased this movie in 4K. Sheesh.

Well, I don't understand the excuse of this reboot for just bad cheap gory scenes, actually more of the same for our current era. Meaning, this movie made now could be interesting to watch in 1989 but definitely NOT NOW!!! Probable not even with a joint you can watch this as entertaining. Watch at your own risk.

Pros: The puppets are evil again. The acting. The script. The special effects. The puppets are evil again.

Cons: Lack of suspense, dread, tension. Overuse of comedy (some of the comedy was great!) The puppeteering was better than in most of the sequels but still not up to the standards of the first two films.

Overall: A well-needed rebirth. The best direction the franchise has headed since the second movie. The new creative team has a lot of enthusiasm and talent. And it shows!

It's not entirely clear to me whether "The Littlest Reich" is a remake of the cult semi-classic "Puppet Masters", or just another 318th-or-so sequel. Let's just agree it's an addition to the long-running franchise, and the greatest addition since 1991 for that matter! It clearly looks like this film was written (S. Craig Zahler) and directed (Sonny Laguna & Tommy Wirklund) by avid fans of the 1989-original and its first couple of sequels, and they were probably very upset with how the series deteriorate afterwards. Let's bring the essence back, is what they must have thought, so "The Littlest Reich" is a straightforward and unhinged gorefest with nasty killer puppets, very imaginative slaughters, odd characters and a whole lot of bad and politically incorrect humor. The movie doesn't have much of a plot (the original didn't either) or any suspense whatsoever, but it's never boring and once the bloody carnage kicks in; - it never stops. We are talking here about a movie in which a cut off head end up in toilets and gets peed on, and an unborn fetus is being transformed into a crawling mini-Hitler; - what else can I say? Maybe one more thing: Udo Kier briefly appears as André Toulon, and the film stars Barbara Crampton who's sixty years old but still sexy!

And I would argue more "fun". That is if you are not looking for morally responsible jokes or are not someone who is easily offended. The jokes are premature I reckon and there is a lot of blood and a lot of nudity. There is also a lot of quite disturbing humor. Now you may not find certain things funny, calling the movie "serious" though would be missing the point entirely (you sure you watched the right Puppet Master movie?).

You don't even have to have seen all the previous entries (something I did) to have fun with this. You may enjoy certain parts more than others, but overall this works as a stand alone. And while the "love story/part" of the movie may be considered serious, it is not as big a part that should make this movie less of a party film. Some attendees at the festival may have gone way off limit with their cheering, but the movie does support that kind of behaviour overall. Not for the squeamish, rather for those who just want to shut off, sit back and enjoy mayhem on screen