VividSimon Simply Perfect

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

bowmanblue 'The Puppet Masters' is famous for... well, not much really. It kind of slipped under the mainstream consciousness in the wake of the (far superior) X-files and the general craze that aliens were about to knock on our door with ray-guns blazing. However, just because it tries to be every (alien-related) X-files episode in one go doesn't actually mean it's a bad film. Especially the opening anyway.It starts off pretty damn good... an alien 'something' crashes in a small American town and we join a quartet of government agents sent in to investigate. And, one of said agents is the wonderfully-dry Donald Sutherland, who cares about nothing more than thwarting the plans of those extraterrestrial nasties at all costs (and no matter who he has to whack with his walking stick to do so). Naturally, they soon find that this is no hoax and the whole world is under attack from leaping jellyfish-like space monsters who want nothing more than to insert their slimy tongues into the backs of our necks and ride our collective bodies like race of particularly docile broncos.However, once this is unveiled the agents leave small town America and go back to their base to study the creatures and work out a plan of counter-attack. This is where the film kind of slows down a bit, which is a shame as it comes about an eighth of the way through the film and we still have practically an hour and a half left of run-time.What follows becomes a lot less tense and far more predictable. Donald Sutherland is sadly too old to really be the true 'hero' of the film and we're left with his far less charismatic on-screen son to fight the good fight. Don't expect any Independence Day aerial dogfights either. The aliens are barely seen and there isn't a lot of action in it. Overall it comes across as a bit of a 'made-for-TV' movie.However, just because the film trails off early doesn't mean that I can bring myself to hate it. The Puppet Masters has always been a bit of a 'guilty pleasure' film of mine. It's cheesy and low budget and desperately wants to be a big budget A-list film, only it doesn't have the star power or money behind it to make it so.If you like your alien invasion movies (or are stuck in a perpetual time warp where you're in the nineties and still believe Area 51 holds the bodies of the Roswell aliens) then this one isn't so bad. I think one of the reasons it never did that well at the Box Office is because most people may resent paying full price for it. However, in this age of internet websites which stream movies like this as part of a package, it's definitely one to add to your watchlist if you fancy something that won't stretch your mental powers too much.Mulder and Scully were obviously on holiday when this alien invasion occurred.

Leofwine_draca Don't be surprised if you get a feeling of déjà vu while watching this alien invasion thriller, as it's a film which takes bits and pieces from lots of other films along the way to form one loud, unoriginal whole. Saying that, it's still a fairly exciting movie with an above average cast, but the feeling of "been there, done that" which hangs over it stops the film from ever rising above the norm for the '90s. THE PUPPET MASTERS is a lightweight, popcorn film at best, offering up a few thrills along the way but nothing of substance...INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, a blindingly obvious influence here, this isn't. Instead it plays more like Abel Ferrara's BODY SNATCHERS remake - shallow, lightweight and pretty much pointless.It's actually pretty good to begin with, but soon the air of paranoia and oppressive atmosphere is dropped in favour of all-out action and clichéd situations. Funnily enough, the film is best when imitating INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, but when it turns into a low budget ALIENS wannabe towards the end, it loses all credibility. My hopes for a subtle, chilling flick were dashed twenty minutes in when we get our first exposure to the aliens, after its host is shot dead and the flying creature leaps on to a window. These aliens resemble giant, slimy slugs, and the influence of the facehugger creatures from ALIEN is also clear. Granted, the special effects are decent, but I would have preferred the creature as something a little more than slime and tentacles.From this point on, our heroes are pursued by unstoppable alien-influenced killers, and the scene is set for a great many entertaining fights and plenty of violent action. Things move sluggishly from one set piece to another, until the uninspired showdown which sees two of our armed heroes storming the alien base, making their way through lots and lots of slime and gooey stuff and saving the day. This is where the film resembles ALIENS the most, and the design of the two nests is almost identical. The saving grace of this part is the nifty entrance to the "nest", done with the aid of a simple yet effective computer graphic.Donald Sutherland takes the lead, and having previously starred in an alien invasion movie in the '70s he knows exactly what to do. Sutherland is fine in this kind of authorative role, although he isn't exactly stretched, instead content to fall back on the smirking persona he so often employs in his '90s films. Eric Thal is the muscular leading man, displaying little acting skill or ability, instead yet another wooden leading man. Julie Warner is the glamorous, predictable love interest, who finds a simple reason to gratuitously walk around in her underwear. Criminally, poor Keith David, who starts off as a solid action man at first, becomes a rampaging alien takeover, yet another case of the black guy getting it in a film of this kind. On the other hand, Yaphet Kotto is wasted, given only a few scenes and minimal dialogue. I will be fair and say that the supporting actors and actresses are all fine, though.The atmosphere of this film is close to that of THE X-FILES, and the television series and this film do share a lot in common, from the male/female partnership right down to the tagline. Although it could have been potentially interesting, THE PUPPET MASTERS is spoilt by pedestrian, workmanlike direction from Stuart Orme, which gives it a kind of television movie ambiance. It's a shame, as I usually really enjoy films of this sort...sadly, it's just a case of a cheap '90s cash-in on some classic movies.

Heathcliff Probably produced following the smash success of The X Files, The Puppet Masters is a pretty solid slice of alien invasion pulp fiction. The casting is good, with Eric Thal and Julie Warner proving to be charming enough stand-ins for Mulder and Scully. Elsewhere, sci-fi genre fans may appreciate the appearances of Yaphet Kotto (Alien), Keith David (The Thing) and of course the great Donald Sutherland (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers).Behind the camera, it's an unusually British affair with director Stuart Orme, cinematographer Clive Tickner, and composer Colin Towns all heralding from the UK. They do nice work - Orme provides a tense and pacey first half, Tickner's very fine work lends a stylish visual sheen, and Towns' music is lushly complex.However, although it starts out well, the flick loses some energy and traction around the middle and doesn't get it back. Its potential begins to slip away and I'm not quite sure why. Maybe budget/script cuts. The last third in particular, with its under-powered action set-pieces and somewhat perfunctory ending, suggests that the film had hit the glass ceiling of its production resources... or perhaps even its creators' full interest.Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable sci-fi thriller for a good part of its running time. Might make a nice viewing companion with The Hidden (1987) or certainly any number of old X Files episodes!

Raul Faust "The Puppet Masters" is a film that in it's first minutes promises to be an interesting and entertaining alien film that will scare you. After 30 minutes, you may change your mind.The beginning is smart, we have action in the first five minutes of running. It's difficult to watch a movie when there are 35345839465 characters, names and names of organizations; I felt very confused and got lost in the mystery many times. Directing is a strong thing, it doesn't seem to be an independent picture. Along with good directing, we have a smart background sound, building a suspenseful atmosphere. Also, this film is very different from most out there, and I can't explain why. It just feels very original and clever-- which, even thought, disappoints. Maybe if they put more story, less action and less screen time, it wouldn't have become this boring. See this only if you like action pictures with lack of story and you will probably enjoy it.