After his Wife Elsa (Sarah Douglas) is killed by Nazis, Andre Toulon (Guy Rolfe) uses his puppets to enact revenge on them in this Prequel to Puppet Master.
This one is no doubt my favorite of the series. Instead of picking up from Puppet Master II, Full Moon decided to go back and show the events that led up to what was barely touched upon in the original's prologue. I think it was a good move; it freshens things up and gets us away from Bodega Bay. Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge is exactly what the subtitled implies. It's a straight forward revenge story, but one that is very well executed. It also takes place in 1941, meaning they decided to run with the error they made in Puppet Master II regarding the date of Toulon's death.
What makes this film the best of the series in my view is the cast. There really isn't a bad performance in the bunch. From the more supporting roles such as Peter Hertz (Aron Eisenberg) and his Father (Matthew Faison), to the featured, standout performances of Toulon and Major Krauss (Richard Lynch); the cast delivers. Certainly the best cast I've seen so far in a Full Moon film. Some will chuckle at that, but this group of actors, to me, were so far above the usual crop that it was worth mentioning. Perhaps the weakest link was Kristopher Logan as Lt. Stein, and even he wasn't bad. He played a good toady character and had a look that begged for a puppet to maul him horribly.
As I said, Guy Rolfe and Richard Lynch were the strongest. Rolfe was the best Toulon in my view, embodying a nice balance of suave and tragedy. Richard Lynch has played countless villains, and does a really good job with the role of Krauss. He's definitely the most unlikable of the Nazis in this film, and has a significant place in the Puppet Master franchise once all is said and done. I thought Sarah Douglas did pretty well as Elsa in the limited time she had in the film. I've mostly saw her in tough, harder roles over the years, so it was a nice change to see her play something like this.
Ian Abercrombie did a nice job as Dr. Hess, the head of the Dead Corps. project that the German army is working on. Hess is on their side, but doesn't agree with many of their methods. They try to switch his character at some point and make you feel empathy for him, but I don't know if that quite works. The character of General Mueller (Walter Gotell) certainly isn't a likable guy in any sense, but somewhat funny at the same time. You can't help but laugh a bit at an elderly womanizer; or at least I can't.
A lot of new things are happening with the puppets in this film. For the first time we see them working as tools of vengeance against a greater evil, which I didn't like later on in the series, but here thought it worked very well since it involved Toulon's initial struggles with the regime that would ultimately lead to his death. To see that he once put a hurting on these guys, and wasn't just a tired old man that they tracked down to America, was good for the overall story I feel. We get a new six-armed, pistol-packing puppet named Six Shooter. He was pretty cool and a good conception, but I've always found his little laugh to be a bit annoying and off putting. In addition, we get backstories on several of the puppets, including the inspiration for the designs of both Blade and Leech Woman.
It's an interesting entry in the series because to me, it isn't as much of a Horror film as the others. By its very conception, it's more of a Drama. When the puppets go after the German soldiers, you aren't afraid for these guys; you're cheering the puppets on! There are only a couple moments involving progress with the Death Corps. project that I would really categorize as the same kind of Horror seen in the other films. I suppose the element of Horror here is the idea of Toulon being on the run, but he's so well protected that I don't believe it registers much. So again, I don't exactly consider this a Horror film. That sense could possibly disappoint some, so I thought I would address it.
The film was shot right here in the United States on the back lots of Universal, but director David DeCoteau pulls off the feeling of a foreign country well. If you've saw the later films prior to this one (Curse of the Puppet Master, which Decoteau directed and Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys which Joyner wrote), it might be strange looking at the credits and seeing Decoteau's name alongside that of C. Courtney Joyner, and hearing that this film turned out well. But while their later efforts weren't as fruitful, this film was a high water mark for the franchise.
Decoteau is also directing the new film next year which returns somewhat to this material, so I hope some of this film bleeds over there. The film looks appropriate for the time frame in which it's set. It isn't as flashy in look or concept as the previous Puppet Master films, and certainly not the two that follow it. I liked this tone, since it presents as close to a gritty, realistic approach as you can get with this concept.
I think this movie truly works as a Prequel, not just because of the setting, but the ending sets the stage pretty well for the events of the first film. One of the few times Full Moon seemed to care about continuity between their films I guess. This one seems to be a favorite among many fans, and deservedly so. Puppet Master III is the one in the series that I would point to and say it isn't just good for a Full Moon or Puppet Master film; but a good film in general. Well acted and directed; as well as proof that a good cast can make a simple story into something significant.
Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge has been made commercially available only as part of the Puppet Master box set, but at this point you can pick it up individually on ebay or Amazon.
Directed by: David DeCoteau
Starring: Guy Rolfe, Richard Lynch, Ian Abercrombie, Aron Eisenberg
Released by: Full Moon Features
Special Features
- Video Zone - Behind the Scenes of Puppet Master III
- Trailer
- Cast and Crew Filmographies
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