Franchise Review: Puppet Master X: Axis Rising (2012)

 

As they say, all good things must come to an end. My journey through the highs and lows of the Puppet Master series of films will officially be over at the conclusion of this review. It really has been a good time discovering this series on my own, especially because it is a known but not very popular or much talked-about series in the community. I can't say that I enjoyed all the movies (FUCK YOU, LEGACY) but I've enjoyed the series' sense of the fun, the characters, and of course, the puppets.

Puppet Master X: Axis Rising picks us up right after the events of Axis of Evil. Tunneler ends up the hands of another Nazi in town, Kommandant Moebius. He and his sexy Nazi bitch Uschi are forcing an Austrian doctor named Freuhoffer to perfect their resurrection machine which would allow them to create unkillable German soldiers. Danny and Beth get the help of an army sergeant to both rescue Tunneler and stop this nefarious scheme from coming to light.

There is some of the new and some of the old in this final Puppet Master film. All our favorite puppets are back, for one: Blade, Pinhead, Jester, Leech Woman, Tunneler, and Six Shooter all get their chance to shine here in one way or another. Danny and Beth are also back, and the actors playing them have been replaced with newer, but not necessarily better models. It's okay though, because there are plenty of other things to be entertained by in this movie. The new that Axis Rising brings is that of four - count 'em, FOUR - new puppets. Though these newbies play for the other team, some of them are really fun, and it's a bit sad that they only get to be in one movie.

Before we get into the new puppets, though, we gotta talk about some of the human characters. Like I said, the new Danny and Beth are not really as likable as the ones in the previous film because they feel a bit like caricatures of those original people. Sergeant Stone is a bit like a caricature himself, too, but that's mostly because of the actor's look. He's still a fun character and brings in some nice comic relief. Moebius is also quite silly. However, he is not nearly as silly as his female counterpart, the aforementioned sexy Nazi bitch Uschi, who they decided to make the most prominent figure on the cover art. I WONDER WHY. This chick's performance is easily the most ridiculous thing about the movie and you know it from the second she steps on screen. Boobie-revealing white button shirt, army boots with heels, and a some kind of whip or cane that she makes amazing use of by giving the audience all kinds of sexy, dominatrix-y poses. Don't even get me started on her accent. It's terrible, that's all there is to say.

Blade and the other puppets look a little bit different once again but the puppeteering brings out all their different personalities well, and that's something that hasn't been done well for a couple movies now. Now, about those new puppets. Once Freuhoffer examines Tunneler and extracts the serum, he realizes that it will not work on humans. So he nixes the resurrection machine (which was stupid anyway) and quickly becomes an amateur puppet builder, creating Bombshell, Blitzkrieg, Weremacht, and Kamikaze. Bombshell is actually Uschi after Moebius kills her, and she has very powerful little machine guns behind her metal-plated fake boobies. Blitzkrieg looks kinda like Torch, but has a tank for a body and both of his arms are guns. The only thing interesting about Weremacht is that he looks like a werewolf and I don't know what else he does. Kamikaze is a direct insult to every Asian both in his look and in the noises he makes. The bomb on his back serves as an important plot device, so I guess they thought the rest of it was okay. Bombshell and Leech Woman get the best parts in the movie when they have two amazingly hilarious cat fights in the film's conclusion, complete with hair pulling. So, so funny.

Axis Rising follows the trend of the rest of the films by not being all that exciting action-wise. There are a few deaths, but nothing crazy or even bloody at all, but I was okay with that mostly. The movie is kind of cheesy and kind of bad, and I really didn't want or expect anything more. I've come to love that cheesy appeal of the Puppet Master films, which Axis Rising fits into very nicely.


So there you have it, horror fiends! That is the Puppet Master journey from beginning to end! Now I'm off to discover some new horror series.... wonder what I'll pick...

While you're waiting for that, here are the links to all my other Puppet Master reviews, in case you care:
Puppet Master
Puppet Master II
Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge
Puppet Master 4
Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter
Curse of the Puppet Master
Retro Puppet Master
Puppet Master: The Legacy
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil