Puppet Master X: Axis Rising

Okay Puppet Master were never exactly good films, but compare the first movie for example to these more recent efforts and there really is a clear deterioration.

Campy, not scary, not funny, not interesting.

The second movie in the Axis trilogy it tells the story of..............every single other Puppet Master movie. More people teaming with the puppets to fight the Germans during world war two.

You'll have literally seen it all before, no originality, no advances in lore or sfx. Just a pitiful recycling of the same ideas they've been peddling since the 1980's.

One thing that did stick out however was the female antagonist, her costume, her awful German accent. Was I supposed to take her seriously? When she came on I questioned whether I'd acquired a porn parody of the film, she was ridiculous.

If you like Puppet Master films and have low expectations then you'll likely enjoy more of the same, because that really is it all is.

The Good:

Follows on well from the previous movie

The Bad:

Recasting

Some questionably bad audio quality

Cringe inducing

Stephanie Sanditz

Puppet Master: Axis Rising (2012), available on Amazon Prime, continues the Axis trilogy in the Puppet Master series. This tenth installment follows the Germans as they create their own puppets to aid their plans for world domination, while a young couple tries to unlock another puppet that might help even the odds. The Germans believe their new kamikaze puppet has the power to defeat the original puppets.

Directed by Charles Band (Trancers), the film stars Jean Louise O'Sullivan (Trophy Heads), Scott King (Yellow Bird), Stephanie Sanditz (Kate & Leopold), and Paul Thomas Arnold (Once Upon a Time at Christmas).

I enjoyed this movie, especially the addition of new puppets, like the werewolf. The storyline is fun and a nice continuation from Axis of Evil. I strongly recommend this for fans of the Puppet Master series and would give it a 5.5/10.

Nazis attempt to create a new army by reanimating corpses, when their plan goes awry they go about using Toulon's Puppet's secret to assist them.

Picking up where Axis of Evil left off producer Charles Band's cult creations return. Mr Puppet Master - Band himself directs this instalment and it shows, Axis Rising feels grander than the last, more film-like with better looking locations and production values, plus there's some noteworthy digital and make up effects. The infamous puppets look more like their original designs especially everyone's favourites Blade, Jester and Pinhead. The outrageous new puppets this time around are more welcome and its a kick to see some 'classic' puppets return.

What Stephanie Sanditz's German accent lacks in consistency she makes up for in screen presence and looks as Uschi, with Sanditz clearly having fun with the dialogue. Oto Brezina as Doctor Freuhoffer is perfect as well as some of the older supporting cast. The leads have been recast with Kip Canyon now playing Danny and Jean Louise O'Sullivan as Beth - while not the calibre of their predecessors they're certainly better than some of the hammy performances on display and solid enough given what has been spawned from essentially a 1989 cult film.

Good B movies are certainly not dead, while suffering from the usual budget restraints as many of its predecessors, to Band's credit Axis Rising flows, looks good, is faster paced and is also slicker than part 9.

What has been consistent throughout the franchise is the great music and Part 10, yes X, is no exception, Robert Douglas and the originals scorer Richard Band delivers a fantastic richer main theme and an excellent amount of stings and cues even if the sound design mix is a little misplaced at times.

Shane Bitterling's writing injects this Puppet Master with a theatrical and campier tone, nevertheless this coupled with Bands on hand touch makes Rising sexier, bloodier and more fun this time around. While lacking the creepy factor of the first and second it's still an event to be had - puppets, Nazis, zombies, experiments, boobs and blood what more do you want?

Blade, Pinhead, Jester, Tunneler, Six Shooter, & Leech Woman are all here! This film also features some new puppets that might excite you. If you are familiar with Full Moon Features then you will know what to expect with production. The same if you are a Puppet Master fan. Writer/director/producer Charles Band (Ghoulies, Terror Vision, Re-Animator) is back again to bring you another Puppet Master titled 'Axis Rising'. I was kind of disappointed by this sequel. Our WWII era heroes from the previous films, Danny & Beth, are back, though played by new actors, & find a post-WWII Nazi plot to create an army of their own evil puppets to do their bidding. Using a Re-Animator like green serum (Sound Familiar?) extracted from our puppet protagonists. Most of the films in this franchise aren't exactly brilliant, this one felt too goofy when compared to the others. I did like it when the franchise introduced a Nazi storyline & had our killer puppet heroes fighting the Axis Powers, but this entry was a little too silly & also continued the recent trend of Full Moon Features including a little casual racism, seen in this film with in addition of an evil Japanese puppet named Kamikaze. In my opinion I thought it was hilarious! However, I do still enjoy watching these little things slaughtering away when it's not CGI, so even though this entry wasn't the best in the trilogy , it did still entertain. If your a Puppet Master fan I highly recommend this.

The movie kinda works. Sure, the recasting is annoying, but the new actors aren't THAT worse. I can even work with the lore, although if you planned a trilogy, please plan it proper, and don't forget where your characters are, or even what characters you have (pointing at Kaaaahn! to start with).

The problem is 20 minutes wasted on pure softporn between the Mad Scientist and Big Boob Bertha, followed with that another 20 minutes ungrounded medal ceremony. If that 40 minutes would be rewritten, I could even go with the nazis staying in chinatown, with an SS-car, guarding their secret door with obvious henchmen. Lesson to be learnt: if you don't have a script, you don't start shooting. Especialy if you're part of a long running franchise.