By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
Before watching Puppet Master: Axis Termination, getting caught up is a must! It will help those who have not seen the films in a while to make sense out of the introduction, and remember who the major players are for this conclusion to this trilogy.
Although many years have passed in the real world (the last film was released in 2012), the wait for the conclusion to this subset of films is worthwhile. Crowdfunding was required to help get this final chapter off the ground. Charles Band wrote and directed this piece. His pulp style narrative is tinged with a taste for the mystic arts. I became a die-hard fan of this series because of the loose Ancient Egyptian connections. The god Sutekh (Set) holds the secrets to the reanimation process which gives life to Blade and his team. Of course, the Nazis want it! This connection may well come into play with the conclusion. However, “War Toys” is part one and it’s a 30 minute tease. This segment will release September 15th, with the next pieces to come on the 22nd and 29th.
Just when I thought the story would continue with Danny and Beth as the human \protagonists, the shift is sudden. This franchise has always been about the puppets, and their requirement to serve a master. Whomever they serve dictates how good or evil these they are. I had hoped for the couple to have a happy ending but in horror movies, including this one which is vaguely not, everyone knows the chances of that happening are slim.
In act one, Dr. Ivan (enigmatically played by George Appleby) claims the company of dolls as his own and has the help of the military, his daughter Elisa (Tania Fox) and a Voodoo priestess Ms Veil (Alynxia America) to deal with the Nazi threat. His intentions are not clearly laid out. A soldier gets assigned to watch over this team, and I’m not quite comprehending his importance. I’m crossing my fingers in hopes that all the forces (Allied and Nazis) will have to contend with Sutekh if they are to truly discover the secret of the re-animation formula.
Just them alone can put a close to this trilogy. While the films have been quite loose in terms of being interconnecting, at least the comic book from Action Labs have gone down a far more sinister route. Sadly, the last two issues were never released. Comic book retail outlet owners believe low sales is what finally killed it and the publisher quietly said “other factors” also came into play. Thankfully, fans can have a fun-filled Puppet Master feast when the final issues come out, starting October 18th, just in time for Halloween!
A feature-length cut will be offered on the El Rey network, with DVD and Blu-ray dates to be announced at a later date.
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