Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

Dollman vs. Demonic Toys Blu-ray Movie Review

A movie as short its characters.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 3, 2015

"Size matters," some say. "Size doesn't matter," others claim. Take Rudy, for example. Or take Brock Lesnar on the other end of the spectrum. Both are success stories whose sizes -- one small, one large -- helped them achieve fame, but it was ultimately drive and determination, not sheer mass (or lack thereof) that took them to the top. But size does matter in Dollman vs. Demonic Toys, a pint-sized mashup intermixing the worlds of both -- surprise! -- Dollman and Demonic Toys, with a helping of Bad Channels thrown in and unmentioned in the title (and as of time of writing unreleased on Blu-ray; make it happen, Full Moon!). The film is as short as its characters, and it doesn't pack in all that much in its tiny confines. It's an entertaining side note to the aforementioned universes and a natural fit for, and in, the Full Moon universe. It's a shame that Charles Band and company couldn't do much more with it than tackle the most simplistic of mix-and-match ideas and call it a short day.

Lil duo.

Alien cop Brick Bardo (Tim Thomerson) is on his way to the town of Pahoota for a hook-up with fellow pint-sized person Ginger (Melissa Behr). He's a naturally occurring 13-incher while she's been shrunk down to his size in the aftermath of the events depicted in the film Bad Channels. Meanwhile, disgraced cop Judith Grey (Tracy Scoggins) returns to the scene of the crime as depicted in Demonic Toys to further investigate and finds that the living, breathing evil toys are indeed still out for blood and serving their evil master. When she tracks down Bardo and Ginger, she asks for their help in stopping the demonic toys once and for all, a task they of course accept. Can they survive, or will the toys' evil plans remain intact and perhaps even include their new adversaries?

Here's the rundown on the runtime. Dollman vs, Demonic Toys clocks in at the sixty-minute mark. The opening title credits (plus a very brief intro featuring Bardo hitchhiking to Pahoota) run around 4:30. The end credits run about four minutes. There's also a good +/- 10 minutes of various flashbacks to the three films in question, with scenes from Demonic Toys appearing near the start and end and clips from Dollman and Bad Channels filling a few gaps partway through. That leaves the movie, sans credits and sans recycled content, clocking in somewhere in the 40-45 minute range, making it essentially an hourlong network television show length when factoring in commercial breaks. Add a fairly slow pace and it's clear that there just wasn't enough material to extend the movie in any meaningful way, and even as runtime doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things -- moviemaking isn't a race for screen time but rather a push for quality -- it's clear that the filmmakers couldn't find a way to extend the movie beyond the premise of "rehash and reintroduce the characters and set them on a collision course in the warehouse." The movie works well enough for what it is, a lean, to-the-point "vs." film that satisfies requirements but never gets all that creative beyond a few good moments.

Indeed, Dollman vs. Demonic Toys features a few good ideas beyond the obvious intermixing of Full Moon favorite figures of a vertically challenged variety. The movie builds a suitably creepy, if not fairly simple, atmosphere that's very much reminiscent of that seen in the original Demonic Toys. The moody, dark factory, some nods to the occult, and of course the truly eerie walking, talking, slithering, laser-blasting toys themselves are fairly terrifying, particularly the lead toy "Oopsy Daisey," a mean-spirited, foul-mouthed doll that favors some sort of demonic, furrowed brow baby boy bent on having his (and his master's) way with a particularly attractive big-breasted blonde, a Horror staple sort who is seen in various states of dress and undress, including a swimsuit, a robe, and a nurse's uniform; the movie has all the appropriate fetishes covered. New evil doll arrival "Zombietoid" is essentially a large-scale G.I. Joe figure with whom Bardo can spar. The character allows a human to fill in a plastic costume for a more robust fistfight rather than rely on effects like the goofy oversized doll hands that grope the buxom blonde near film's end. The movie gets creative in other ways, including using radio controlled cars in an effort to essentially recreate the old "drawn and quartered" technique for a new generation and on a small scale. The film further features a few good performances, including a solid, if not somewhat safe and routine, effort from Full Moon vet Tim Thomerson in the lead role. Kudos also to Frank Welker for lending a suitably creepy voice to the lead enemy, Baby Oopsie Daisy.

Dollman vs. Demonic Toys Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dollman vs. Demonic Toys' 1080p presentation is largely representative of the typical Full Moon Blu-ray transfer for its "heyday" titles. This is an organic, attractive film-sourced presentation. Light grain remains and details are frequently strong-to-exquisite, particularly evident in facial and clothing close-ups but also little odds and ends like rugged cardboard boxes in the warehouse, evil toy and doll textures, and grimy kitchen surfaces in the space Ginger and Bard share for part of the movie. Colors are attractive and even, not pale but not overly bright, either. Even louder reds and greens are a bit muted by lower lighting conditions in the warehouse. Still, the palette is commendably balanced and consistently so. Flesh tones show no major signs of an unnatural push, but black crush is rather frequent. Additionally, the print shows a bit of wear in spots as speckles and debris sometimes pop up on top. On the whole, however, this is an accomplished transfer from Full Moon.

Dollman vs. Demonic Toys Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dollman vs. Demonic Toys' Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack doesn't fare as well as the video. It's compact and largely takes place in the front-middle with only cursory extensions out to the side, never mind the rear. Clarity satisfies but neither music nor effects prove particularly rigorous. Whether crashing cardboard boxes or gunfire, there's not much difference in terms of volume, presence, and power to any effect. Rolling thunder enjoys a good, clear articulation but again lacks the distinctive space that sets the better tracks apart. Dialogue is at least clear and focused in the middle where it belongs. Listeners won't get much mileage out of this track beyond the basics.

Dollman vs. Demonic Toys Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Dollman vs. Demonic Toys contains an audio commentary and a classic Full Moon "Videozone" featurette, but the real gem here is several hours of raw on-set footage.

• Audio Commentary: Charles Band and Tim Thomerson look at the film and the franchises involved in it, discuss the cast, share tales from the shoot, analyze sets and effects, and more. The track is a little slow at times, and the participants sometimes get caught up watching the film rather than discussing it, but fans should find enough value here to make it worthwhile, particularly considering the ease of access with the 60-minute length.
• Videozone (480i, 8:29): An overview that looks at combining the franchises, returning characters and dolls, effects and stunt work, sets and props, and more.
• Uncut Footage (480i, 3:15:38): Hours of raw footage from the set.
• Original Trailer (480i, 1:39).
• Trailers (1080p): Trophy Heads, Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong, Unlucky Charms, Ooga Booga, Reel Evil, Puppet Master, Puppet Master 2, and Puppet Master 3.

Dollman vs. Demonic Toys Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dollman vs. Demonic Toys is a compact movie that doesn't stretch beyond its limits. Intermixing some of the classic (or at least better known) Full Moon franchises makes a lot of sense, but more attention to detail, a little more fan service beyond plot recaps by way of clips from other films, and something a little more complex might have gone a long way in making this a memorable film rather than just a relatively well-done curiosity that's a nice throw-in but not much of a must-see. Full Moon's Blu-ray does offer solid video, baseline passable audio, and a nice bit of extra content, including that massive on-set feature. Recommended to hardcore Full Moon fans and collectors.