Review: Puppet Master 3 (1991)
Starring: Guy Rolfe, Sarah Douglas, Walter Gotell, Ian Abercrombie, Kristopher Logan, Aron Eisenberg, Matthew Faison and Richard Lynch
Writting: Charles Band, C. Courtney Joyner and David Schmoeller
Tensions are high, solutions are needed. The makers of the first two Puppet Master films want to go in a new direction, they want the puppets to actually become the protagonists and yet still do their gruesome killing. What could they possibly do? Well have the puppets kill Nazi's is a pretty good idea. So we come to Puppet Master 3 were Andre Toulan is not an evil man, but one who has had his love killed by Nazi's and is set on having his revenge. Revenge with puppets.
Puppet Master 3 is the movie I always wanted from the franchise back when William Hickey gave a stellar performance as Andre Toulan in the first movie. Taking that character who seemed good and fatherly and giving him center stage really worked. Of course to do this the makers of this film had to make a prequel back in Nazi occupied Germany, but this let the puppets continue their killing but against antagonists who no one should really be cheering for.
Guy Rolfe is Andre Toulan in this film and in a few scenes really captures the warmth of the puppeteer. A man who wanted to entertain children and people, a man who used the animation spell on the puppets not for evil but to increase the wonder of his puppet act. Seeing such a kind soul break at his tragedy and turn killer really creates a dynamic impetus that propels the movie along unlike the other two. Also having such a presence in the film helps humanize the puppets even more.
Oh and while we are on the puppets, we are introduced to a new member of the group Six-Shooter as well as given a lot more background on how the puppets were made. This extension of the lore is all a way to make the killer puppets a bit more friendly so we don't feel bad for cheering their murderous ways. And boy howdy do they have murderous ways, it's almost like because they are the good guys in this film, they turned the violence up a notch.
Big props needs to be given to both Richard Lynch as Major Kraus and Ian Abercrombie as Dr Hess. Kraus is the big bad Nazi that Toulan needs to be kill, while Dr Hess is the German scientist who wants Toulan's secrets but also might be slightly sympathetic to the puppeteer. Along with Guy Rolfe this has to be the best acted Puppet Master film so far. They really elevate the material and turn this into a genuinely good movie.
With a well paced plot, great acting and of course the puppets, Puppet Master 3 knocks it out of the park. We have the promise of one scene in the first movie fulfilled and it is everything I wanted. This feels like a very definite high point in the franchise. I would recommend watching this movie even if you haven't watched the first two.
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