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.

wes-connors It looks like a UFO has landed in a small Iowa farm town. A top-secret US government investigative team from the "Office of Scientific Central Intelligence" goes out to investigate. The three stars are: limping leader Donald Sutherland (as Andrew Nivens), his handsome son and partner Eric Thal (as Sam Nivens) and sexy alien biologist Julie Warner (as Mary Sefton). They are about to conclude the whole thing was a teenagers' hoax, but Ms. Warner realizes aliens have landed. The reason, according to Warner, is that no males on the scene have noticed her arousing figure or tried to look down her unbuttoned blouse. You can almost hear her say, "Don't look at that alien spaceship, dammit, look down my shirt!"...Now, these aliens attach themselves to your back (your spinal column, specifically) and they multiply quickly. The way to see if someone has been "infected" is to order the person to, "Take off your shirt!" Since this trick works, we're left wondering why most people in the cast are allowed to keep their backs covered. Most viewers would not protest Warner and Mr. Thal acting without their shirts (Thal goes without pants, too). If you don't mind wondering about plot confusions and contrivances like that, you could do worse than Stuart Orme's vision of Robert A. Heinlein's science-fiction novel. Thal and Warner are an attractive couple and Mr. Sutherland is a classic performer who can improve movies by simply being there.****** The Puppet Masters (10/21/94) Stuart Orme ~ Eric Thal, Julie Warner, Donald Sutherland, Keith David

Lucien Lessard Three top level government agents (Donald Sutherland, Eric Thal and Julie Warner) make a disturbing discovery that extraterrestrial beings have landed on earth and they quickly take over control of the residents in a small midwestern town. The agents find out, they can using their bodies and minds like puppets. While the creatures multiply and spread quickly, the agents have to think fast and destroy these seemingly unstoppable aliens.Directed by Stuart Orme (Best known for directing TV Movies or TV Shows) made an entertaining, science-fiction thriller with an amusing performance by Sutherland as the sardonic lead agent. While Thal and Warner certainly do well in their roles. Since this movie has good creature special make-up effects by Three Time Oscar-Winner:Greg Cannom (Blade, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Hannibal). The feature has good production values but somehow director Orme doesn't have much imagination during some of the rather tense sequences and the climax between Sutherland and Thal is a disappointment with cheap visual effects. The movie is certainly on its best in the first two-thirds of the picture.DVD has an fine anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an good Dolby Surround 2.0 Sound. The DVD doesn't have any special features. "The Puppet Masters" came out in October 1994, it quickly became an box office disappointment and the movie had a lot of imitations before. Which the movie took the edge off and it never really caught any fire. Despite it is based on a novel by Robert A. Heinlein (Starship Troopers). Director Orme certainly wasted some talented actors in small roles like Yaphet Kotto, Richard Belzer, Andrew Robinson and Marshall Bell. Although it is nice to see Keith David (Best known for two John Carpenter movies, "The Thing" and "They Live") in a supporting role. Will Patton seems to be having an great time as the odd-ball scientist. Since the script is pretty good. Written by Ted Elliott (Aladdin, Godzilla "1998", Small Soldiers), Terry Rossio (The Pirates of the Caribbean series, Deja Vu, Shrek) and David S. Goyer (The Blade Trilogy, Dark City, Death Warrant). Although their script was heavily re-written by five screenwriters and the director as well."The Puppet Masters" today, it is certainly an curio. Although exciting at times with an nice leading performances by Sutherland, Thal and Warner. Which Sutherland is no stranger to this kind of movie, since he was in the superior remake as the lead actor in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", which it was directed by Philip Kaufman. Perphas some die-hard science fiction fans, it would make an great double feature with "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "The Puppet Masters" for one night viewing. Despite some real flaws and an terrible climax, it is still worth viewing. Panavision. (*** ½/*****).

TahitiLady I may be the only one, but I just watched this movie again tonight and it is completely like the X-Files! Does anyone else see this?I had seen it before, but had not seen the connection. But tonight I noticed it.Even the music is similar...Is this a set up for X Files, or what????As I began to watch it tonight, hubby and I were amazed at how many X-Files references there were - there are all the elements of an X-Files story.We have both read the book - this has little if any resemblance to the book, but if you listen to the characters, and watch the way the story plays out - it is TOTALLY X-Files!