6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.2 |
During World War II, a disabled American teenager enlists the help of living puppets to defeat a joint German-Japanese plot to destroy an American bomb factory.
Starring: Levi Fiehler, Jenna Gallaher, Taylor M. Graham, Tom Sandoval, Jerry Hoffman (II)Horror | 100% |
Thriller | 23% |
Sci-Fi | 3% |
Video codec: MPEG-2
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 1.0 | |
Video | 2.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
A guy like you should be off fighting in the War, not playing with stupid puppets.
Killer puppets, Nazis, and Japanese Samurai go together like, well, um, actually, they don't go
together, except in the fictional world of Charles Band's Puppetmaster series of films. Now
the tenth (yes, tenth) film in the series, Puppet Master: Axis of Evil is finally here in all its
direct-to-Blu-ray glory, and, drumroll, it's easily one of the worst films of the year. Did anyone
really expect anything more from a cheap Horror series on its tenth try? Poor production values,
bad
continuity, historical inaccuracies, abysmal acting, a script in complete shambles, no suspense, little
gore, and an awfully repetitive feel that sees the characters basically saying the same five or six
things throughout the entire movie all converge to make Axis of Evil one of the longest
81-minute films in the history of the medium. Fortunately, however, the movie is one of those in
the mold of Cyclops whereby it's
just so godawful that it's almost fun to sit through and laugh at the misery playing out on-screen.
That is, until, the hero whines about his bum leg keeping him out of the War for about the ten
bazillionth time.
We demand a better release!
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil comes to Blu-ray with an infuriatingly inconsistent 1080p, 2.40:1-framed transfer. Oddly enough, the movie has been encoded with the old MPEG-2 codec. The film begins with some flashback footage from the first movie that's as inconsistently messy here as it is on that film's Blu-ray release. It's worth pointing out that Axis of Evil marks the third aspect ratio in which the original film has been presented. Originally unleashed on low-def home video in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Puppet Master's Blu-ray release grants it a proper 16x9 presentation, but the clips seen in Axis of Evil squish it down to fit inside the 2.40:1 window. Poor Puppetmaster. Nevertheless, on to Axis of Evil. As the newest film in the series, Axis of Evil features a glossy, fresh appearance. Fine detail can be rather striking at times -- several close-ups border on the breathtaking -- and colors are usually stable. Unfortunately, the pleasantries end there. Axis of Evil is home to what is quite possibly the worst banding yet seen on a Blu-ray release; it's a constant visual distraction and, frankly, makes the entire transfer one of the ugliest on the marketplace. Additionally, blocking is visible in almost every background throughout the movie. Blacks appear washed out, but flesh tones never stray too far from a natural appearance. Axis of Evil has its moments, but behind a few really nicely-detailed images lie a plethora of issues that remain throughout the entire picture and drag it down several notches from where it should probably be.
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil inexplicably debuts on Blu-ray with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. A brand-new movie -- even a direct-to-video release -- can't at least offer the 5.1 mix advertised on the back of the packaging? Fortunately, Full Moon's 2.0 presentation fares far better than that found on Puppetmaster. It's infinitely more clean and clear, enjoying a much wider range and far greater clarity. It feels energetic at times and while it lacks far behind the best soundtracks, it never really struggles to accomplish anything that's asked of it. Sound effects are usually punchy, and dialogue is consistently strong, even if the actors sound like robots. Puppet Master: Axis of Evil could use a better sound presentation, but at least what's here isn't a total loss -- not by a longshot.
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil strings along a couple of extras, including one -- No Strings Attached: The Making of the Original 'Puppet Master' (480p, 7:19) -- that's also included on the original Puppetmaster's Blu-ray release. As to exclusive Axis of Evil content, there's not much. The highlight is a collection of 13 "Vidcasts" from China entitled The Making of Evil (1080p, 1:15:18). This is a strong collection of shorts that take viewers onto the set and behind-the-scenes for some raw footage that showcases all it takes to bring a Puppetmaster film to life. Also included are 480p/1080p trailers for nine of the Puppetmaster films.
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil is a terrible movie. There's really no way around, and other than a few decent enough shots courtesy of Director David DeCoteau, the film falls flat with every frame. It's a victim of a bloated runtime (even at an otherwise subcompact 81 minutes), a transparent plot, abysmal acting, little gore, inaccuracies galore, and a lack of puppets. The latter of that list is, maybe, the worst offender of them all, considering that the movie is called Puppet Master and all. Oh well, it's unreasonable to expect anything other than the worst from the tenth film in a dried-up Horror franchise that was never much to begin with anyway, but Axis of Evil is proof-positive that there's nowhere else for the series to go. So what if it ended with a cliffhanger? Just let the series fade quietly into the night. Full Moon's Blu-ray release features an infuriating transfer that looks very good in places but is plagued by an incredible amount of banding and other eyesores. The audio track is inexplicably a two-channel lossy presentation, leaving the extras as the highlight of the package. Die hard Puppetmaster fans should rent before buying, and for everyone else, the recommendation should be clear: skip it.
2003
Puppet Master 6
1998
Puppet Master 11
2017
1994
1993
Puppet Master 2
1990
Puppet Master 3
1991
Puppet Master 7
1999
1989
2012
Collector's Edition
2019
1981
2016
Remastered
1992
1959
2018
2017
2001
2013
2013