Retro Puppet Master Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Retro Puppet Master Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 28, 2017

Is there any other movie franchise so intimately and immediately identifiable with its parent studio as Puppet Master is so inexorably tied to Full Moon? One might have made that argument with Star Wars and 20th Century Fox before George Lucas sold the rights to Disney. Perhaps Star Trek and Paramount for sheer volume of material over many, many decades could make a case. But considering a studio not amongst the top in the industry, Puppet Master practically is Full Moon, even as a handful of the studio's other franchises, older and newer alike, are also widely known to and beloved by the studio's legion of fans. But this one is the moneymaker, the fan favorite, the one that seems to live on in terms of both new content and legacy unlike any other. 1999's Retro Puppet Master stands as a sequel/prequel/origins story of sorts that explores how a young puppeteer named Andre’ Toulon came to harness the power of breathing life into his artificial creations and the danger he faced as a result.

Young, handsome magician Andre’ Toulon (Greg Sestero) puts on a puppet show with several of his great creations -- Blade, Pinhead, Six Shooter, Cyclops, Dr. Death, and Drill Sergeant -- but his life, and that of his inanimate puppets, is about to change forever. One of his patrons, the beautiful Elsa (Brigitta Dau), finds a man unconscious in the street. She pleads with Toulon for aid. The man is Afzel (Jack Donner), an ancient Egyptian sorcerer who has come into possession of the secret of life, a secret he gives to Toulon who, in turn, uses it to bring his puppets to life. Soon, Toulon finds himself in conflict with several servants reanimated by the Egyptian god Sutekh who will stop at nothing to retrieve the secret.

Retro Puppet Master seems destined to live on as a niche sort of film, a movie that won't -- and really can't -- draw much interest from those not heavily invested in the franchise, even as it serves as something of an origins story to the universe. The movie feels catered to those with an established familiarity. It's full of little nods and hints that make the movie better as part of a sequence rather than a beginning, much the same way many other prequels have been structured. The movie is well versed in its world, capturing a franchise essence but, more than that, playing on the blend of familiarity meets the unknown, an attractive blend of mystery in a fairly established world where core characters will be instantly recognizable to fans, and more important than that, the various destines that lie ahead of them. That's the draw with any prequel, and that's certainly the draw here. The movie isn't made to create new fans, but to satisfy old fans. It works just fine in that regard, but that also means expectations are crucial before entering the movie.

Retro Puppet Master may be good at telling its origins story and both reinforcing and establishing its world, but it's not exactly accomplished on a grand scale. Full Moon, particularly in its heyday, has always been amongst the very best at squeezing the most from every penny in a budget, of making a movie as polished, professional, and enjoyable as possible under limited constraints. That's still the case here, though it's clear that that financial stretch had to go a little farther. The movie feels a bit cramped and confined, unable to expand but still capable of exploring within its limited confines. Director David DeCoteau, a veteran of the system by the time this film was made, gets the most of what he has on the table. It looks fairly good, it plays well, and he allows story, lore, and the puppets to carry the film. Acting can be a little choppy to downright unforgiving in a few places, but the movie overcomes with that core polish and the lure of the lore it has on offer. The movie makes itself about the who's and the why's and the how's within the Puppet Master universe rather than those same things in the moviemaking arena, drawing attention to all the right areas rather than those that might expose the movie as a lesser whole.

Retro Puppet Master Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While Retro Puppet Master was shot on film, various lower quality and lower definition video shots are interspersed throughout (see screenshot above for an example). Most of them are cutaways of various puppets; the drop in quality is obvious, but not particularly detrimental to the larger image, which ranges from solid to strong. At its best, the image appears gorgeously filmic, retaining a fine, evenly distributed grain structure and showcasing crisp, natural details. Here, facial textures are stout. Environments are well defined, and puppet details are tangible. At times, however, the image loosens up. Grain becomes soupier and clumpier. Definition drops. But when the image is on, which is for the majority of its runtime, this ranks very highly as one of the best looking Blu-ray discs Full Moon has released. Colors are stable, a bit drab by the movie's nature but the palette appears accurate to the source and healthy in presentation. Black levels are fair, not prone to much crush but showing a smattering of artifacts and noise at times. No major signs of print wear are apparent. It's not a perfect image, but it's excellent when it's on, which represents the bulk of the movie's compact 80-minute runtime

Retro Puppet Master Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Retro Puppet Master's lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack does well enough to take listeners through the movie, but it never excels in any one area. Music is adequately wide. Clarity could stand to tighten a bit, and there's not much obvious surround implementation. Action scenes often give way to music, failing to find much balance between the elements, rendering crashes, gunshots, and the like rather puny and drowned out. When the track allows, such elements do offer a satisfying level of authoritative depth and presence, but such is never the dominant presentation. Amongst the highlight sound effects is a heavy, gusting wind that blows through the entirety of the soundstage midway through the film. Dialogue is clear and audible, well prioritized and naturally positioned in the center, but there are times, particularly early in the film, when lip sync might be a hair off and the spoken word definitely sounds detached, unnatural, looped over rather than realistic.

Retro Puppet Master Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Retro Puppet Master contains several supplements, including a commentary track and two hours worth of behind-the-scenes footage. No DVD or digital versions are included.

• Audio Commentary: Director David DeCoteau and Actor Greg Sestero discuss the movie in some detail, including the general shooting process, filming locations, casting, story details, and more. This is a good track that opens up the movie and the process behind making it.
• Videozone (480i, 19:40): Charles Band pitches various products and properties prior to a basic behind-the-scenes piece that explores visual effects, creating new puppets, the film's storyline, sets, cast, characters, performances, and more. About a third of the piece offers a collection of "coming attractions."
• Rare Footage (480i, 2:05:51): Of six-plus hours of found footage in the Full Moon vaults, this is two hours of raw on-set material that takes viewers into the nitty-gritty process of making the film. There's some great stuff in here, a true "fly on the wall" compilation that fans of this film, the franchise, the studio, or moviemaking in general will find to be of tremendous value. It's also available (as a separately listed supplement) with David DeCoteau commentary, offering a completely new perspective on the raw footage. This is new for the Blu-ray release.
• Trailers: Ravenwolf Towers, Killjoy Psycho Circus, Puppet Master 2, Puppet Master 3, Puppet Master X, and Specters.

Retro Puppet Master Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Retro Puppet Master may not have much draw for casual fans without an appreciation for the franchise and, even as an origins story of sorts, a firm grasp of the universe's basics and intricacies alike. For fans, however, it's a real treat, a neat little look back at where and how it all started for Andre' Toulon. The movie certainly isn't perfect, but it's well made for what it is and should please fans. While the audio track is nothing to write home about, the video is (largely) very good and the supplements are small in number but offer plenty, hours upon hours worth of content, for fans to explore. Recommended.