Returning home from college, a student and her father bring a local sculptor to work for them in their museum that houses a special group of puppets yet when he becomes implicated in a series of murders around town they recruit the puppets to put an end to the danger.
There's some good stuff here that really helps the film. One of the better features here is the fact that there's a return to the original puppets after introducing either new ones or different designs for the classics. This is something to appreciate, and it gives the film a more natural slot with the rest of the series pitted back with its familiar assortment of puppets who get to engage in their familiar antics. The stronger rating definitely comes into play here, making it much more graphic and violent by really letting loose at times with some solid action scenes throughout. The initial scenes of them conducting their revenge during a raging thunderstorm as they sneak around makes for a solid Gothic set-piece before unleashing the nice gore, the revenge section at the end which is justified due to the murders in the museum and comes off as wholly satisfying considering. Likewise, there's also the fun to be had of the storyline about his slowly bring corrupted towards becoming a puppet, from the rather freaky dreams of him slowly being turned into a human puppet with the broken wooden legs or the chest cavity made of clock parts that goes hand-in-hand with the revelation to be found in the second half. Coupled with the great puppet work here, this one wasn't as bad as it easily could've been. There are a few problems with this one that does manage to keep it down. The main issue is the fact that their relationship with the dolls being in their possession makes no sense, as this one has no scene of the elder passing on the secrets to the next generation or even give any knowledge they know how the dolls came to life to begin with. There's more emphasis on getting the structure right, meaning that it has more significance than the formula which brings them to life, a stark contrast from the others and something that should've been addressed. There's also how easily the newcomer takes to the revelation that they're alive, merely acknowledging it and then dismissing it, getting to the main crux of the story easier but also pointing out the flaw in the pacing. As is usual, the short time means that it plays cruel tricks on the pacing, as the police investigations with the friends, the first dinnertime meal and the scene in the postal office go on for too long to beat a simple idea to death, but there's the ending, which just comes out of nowhere and then it's over, when it should've been stretched out a little more. These here hold the film down.
Rated R: Graphic Violence and Language.
There's some good stuff here that really helps the film. One of the better features here is the fact that there's a return to the original puppets after introducing either new ones or different designs for the classics. This is something to appreciate, and it gives the film a more natural slot with the rest of the series pitted back with its familiar assortment of puppets who get to engage in their familiar antics. The stronger rating definitely comes into play here, making it much more graphic and violent by really letting loose at times with some solid action scenes throughout. The initial scenes of them conducting their revenge during a raging thunderstorm as they sneak around makes for a solid Gothic set-piece before unleashing the nice gore, the revenge section at the end which is justified due to the murders in the museum and comes off as wholly satisfying considering. Likewise, there's also the fun to be had of the storyline about his slowly bring corrupted towards becoming a puppet, from the rather freaky dreams of him slowly being turned into a human puppet with the broken wooden legs or the chest cavity made of clock parts that goes hand-in-hand with the revelation to be found in the second half. Coupled with the great puppet work here, this one wasn't as bad as it easily could've been. There are a few problems with this one that does manage to keep it down. The main issue is the fact that their relationship with the dolls being in their possession makes no sense, as this one has no scene of the elder passing on the secrets to the next generation or even give any knowledge they know how the dolls came to life to begin with. There's more emphasis on getting the structure right, meaning that it has more significance than the formula which brings them to life, a stark contrast from the others and something that should've been addressed. There's also how easily the newcomer takes to the revelation that they're alive, merely acknowledging it and then dismissing it, getting to the main crux of the story easier but also pointing out the flaw in the pacing. As is usual, the short time means that it plays cruel tricks on the pacing, as the police investigations with the friends, the first dinnertime meal and the scene in the postal office go on for too long to beat a simple idea to death, but there's the ending, which just comes out of nowhere and then it's over, when it should've been stretched out a little more. These here hold the film down.
Rated R: Graphic Violence and Language.