I love Charles Band and Full Moon Entertainment. Not only has the independent film house managed to survive the fall of the video store, but the company is still relevant and continues to release new films, primarily on its streaming service, but physical media as well. They do what they can to save pennies without compromising their identity, and they release new and old films onto physical media. Full Moon has been steadily releasing some of their classics to 4K media using the latest technology. The latest release is arguably the best film in the Puppet Master series, Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge, and quite possibly their best 4K release as well.
During World War II in Berlin, Andre Toulon (Guy Rolfe) is a local puppeteer who puts on these puppet shows lampooning Hitler. He’s bravely making fun of the Nazis while the rest of the country is living in fear of what will come next. It doesn’t take long before news gets out that his puppets have a life of their own. A couple of members of the Gestapo show up to take care of the problem, including Major Kraus (Richard Lynch), who kills Toulon’s wife, Elsa (Sarah Douglas), and takes Toulon and his puppets captive. Torn with grief, Toulon and his minions do whatever they need to escape and get revenge.
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Puppet Master III is a prequel to the first two films and somehow is far superior. As much as I enjoyed those, this film has a dramatic catalyst that pushes the puppets and Toulon into good guy territory in a way. Sure, it’s a bit of a grey area, so maybe the term anti-heroes is more sufficient. All your favorite puppets are here, and this is the introduction of Six Shooter.
There’s plenty of blood and violence in the movie though the horror elements tend to be a bit downplayed, turning it into more of an action or revenge film. It’s definitely my favorite of the series. Scripted by C. Courtney Joyner and directed by David DeCoteau, it’s a rare instance of a sequel besting the previous entries.
Now Full Moon has brought their Puppet Master masterpiece to 4K Ultra and is their best-looking release in that format to date. The picture is crisp, and the colors pop in a way I’d never noticed before. The audio felt a little muffled, but I feel it would have been much more effective on the proper surround setup.
The disc includes classic special features like a commentary from David DeCoteau and C. Courtney Joyner, a behind-the-scenes featurette, the original Videozone for the film, trailers, and a vintage Puppet Master action figure commercial. Full Moon has stepped up their game regarding the quality of the disc, and it makes sense since Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge is, in a way, a cult masterpiece.
Check it out on the official website here.
