6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A young scientist working on an artificial intelligence project is the target of strange gremlin-like creatures, who are out to kill him and thus terminate his research. By coincidence, in one of the rooms he uses, there's a mysterious case containing the puppets of the "puppet master". When the puppets are brought to life, they help destroy the creatures.
Starring: Michael Shamus Wiles, Gordon Currie, Chandra West, Ash Adams, Teresa HillHorror | 100% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Most every studio has a signature franchise. For the longest time, Star Wars and 20th Century Fox were inseparable; think of one and immediately think of the other. That was certainly the granddaddy of them all, but franchises like Star Trek, The Fast and the Furious, and Batman have become closely associated with their respective studios as well. For Full Moon Features, a small direct-to-video label that blossomed in the late 1980s/early 1990s in the video cassette rental sector, that franchise is Puppet Master, a name that certainly doesn't carry the clout of Jurassic Park or Lord of the Rings but, amongst genre aficionados, is well adored. As with many franchises, however, the films have gotten progressively worse over the years, with Puppet Master finding its low point with 2010's Axis of Evil. Yet its middle stretch -- which includes Puppet Master 4 -- delivers perfectly serviceable, if not somewhat bland, franchise entires that do a fair job of continuing on with franchise lore and changing things up while maintaining, mostly, a familiar presentation that should please fans.
Puppet Master 4's 1080p transfer is a solid performer. Light grain is consistent, providing a healthy filmic veneer. A bit of noise and a few spots and speckles creep on top, most obviously noted around the 29:30 mark, but the transfer is otherwise in good working order. Textures are naturally sharp and pleasant. Clothing lines and facial features are dense and detailed but the real winners here are the puppets, which reveal plenty of fine little paint and surface details, and the demons, whose rubbery, gory features are very well pronounced. Colors are rich and vibrant. Rick's red shirt pushes a little too much and threatens to bleed from its confines, but the palette is otherwise stable and healthy. Black levels and flesh tones raise no alarms. This is another in a growing list of quality transfers from Full Moon.
Puppet Master 4 features a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. While it performs well enough in the broadest sense, the track fails to produce the sort of crystal-clear results demanding listeners expect. Musical clarity is stymied throughout. It's a bit sharp, absent precision definition, and lacking the sort of heft the deeper notes demand. Spacing is fine, however, and there's a slight drift into the rears. Supportive effects sometimes satisfy, sometimes not. Drifting, cracking thunder (though it's again lacking the more potent heft it deserves) lingers nicely but driving rain comes across as more unrefined than lifelike. Sound movement and placement about the stage is good, however, particularly as Rick's robots scurry about in a few scenes. Dialogue is fairly clear and nicely articulated, but prioritization suffers a bit in places, getting lost in the greater shuffle of music and sound effects.
Puppet Master 4 contains a commentary, a videozone featurette, and assorted trailers for other films in the Puppet Master franchise
and from the greater Full Moon catalogue.
Director Jeff Burr says in his commentary track that Puppet Master 4 is, essentially, the first half of a longer, what he calls single, film with Puppet Master 5, so it's a shame that Full Moon didn't see fit to release it to Blu-ray at the same time. Nevertheless, Puppet Master 4 makes for a decent enough standalone release that sees the puppets transition from villain to hero and battle some gruesome monsters as part of a larger story that's not exactly on the cutting edge of creativity but that gets the job done. Full Moon's Blu-ray, likewise, gets the job done. Video, as always, is a strength while audio struggles under the constraints of a lossy soundtrack. Supplements include a commentary track and a vintage "Videozone" featurette. Recommended.
1994
Puppet Master 6
1998
2003
Puppet Master 2
1990
Puppet Master 7
1999
Puppet Master 3
1991
Puppet Master 11
2017
Puppet Master 9
2010
1989
2012
2018
2018
1972
Late Phases
2014
Limited Edition
1982
Collector's Edition
2003
Collector's Edition
1990
Collector's Edition
1988
Collector's Edition
1985
1989