The
Puppet Masters (1994)
Directed
by Stuart Orme
Starring
Donald Sutherland, Eric Thal, Julie Warner, & Keith David
An
unknown object enters the atmosphere and lands in Iowa. Led by a man
named Andrew, the government’s secret science directorate sends their leader’s
son Will and a NASA scientist named Mary to investigate the area of impact. What
they find is the start of a covert invasion by mind controlling alien
parasites. Quarantine quickly proves untenable as the meat puppets of the alien
force spread their parasitic control and capture more people for transport. With
everything spiraling out of control, Andrew, Will, and Mary become Earth’s best
hope against these puppeteers from space.
The Puppet Masters
surprised me for a number of reasons. It’s the only movie adaption of Robert
Heinlein’s story and not another remake or variant of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The director, Stuart Orme, made his
feature debut with this. His experience directing mainly comes from television
episodes and various TV movies. It also surprised me because I had never heard
of it until I was putting together my movie schedule for the month. Thankfully,
the movie is good and effectively frightening.
It’s
not entirely faithful to the source novel, but that’s not a detriment. Replacing
the futuristic setting with the world of today (circa 1994) doesn’t harm the
narrative. Fans of the novel might take issue with the film’s changed ending,
which is not as dire. There’s still that tense feeling of an unwinnable situation
until the last few minutes, but it is swept away in ridiculous fist fight in a
helicopter and a happy ending.
The
action is all handled very well; not a misstep in any fight or explosion. Those
looking for some good set pieces and satisfying alien blasting will not be
disappointed. The alien slugs themselves are creepy and appropriately gross. The
practical creature effects look good with only a few exceptions where their age
is showing. Even the early CGI isn’t too bothersome, so there’s not a lot that
will pull you out of the movie.
Eric
Thal and Julie Warner are both equally bland, playing their respective roles
with the personalities of vanilla wafers. The only time they show any actual
emotion or nuance is when they’re being controlled by back dwelling alien
stingrays. In fact, a lot of people go straight to chewing scenery when their
character is under an alien control. Sutherland fairs a little better, playing Andrew
as tactical and coldly authoritative. The sheer number of seasoned character
actors in this movie is staggering. On the supporting side, Keith David and Will
Patton both put some effort into their roles and turn in some enjoyable
performances.
The Puppet Masters
is a surprisingly fun movie with good direction and plenty of well-staged
action. The lead actors are outshined by a supporting cast that appears far happier
to be there. Nonetheless, it’s entertaining and charming in a scrappy, mid 90s sci-fi
kind of way.
8 out of 10
