The problem with Legacy isn't the fact that it the majority of it shows all the past movies with a very small subplot. The problem is that it was horribly edited and with a better storyline could have meshed the current situation with Peter and the previous story lines so much better. I'm actually kind of a fan of the idea to playback all the memories but the wrong scenes were shown and it didn't flow. It's not a good movie at all, the eighty percent of old scenes were boring and the new twenty percent were highlighted with a couple of horrible acting and more questions than answers. The lady agent is just horrendous and her story is completely far-fetched and laughable. I'd stay away from the movie or else just fast forward through the past events and check out the terribly cheesy plot that comes in and trickles out every so often. Since this is chronologically the last movie in the series I'm looking forward to the possibility of a franchise rejuvenation in the near future.
23 Reviews
"Dozens have tried and dozens have died"
hwg1957-102-2657047 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Definitely the worst Puppetmaster movie (so far) consisting as it does of shedloads of footage from the previous films in the franchise linked by a two person drama that doesn't make sense. The two actors in the framing story are quite underwhelming. Kate Orsini's attempts to be ruthless and cold come off as laughable and Jacob Witkin as Weiss is forgettable. He has a nice beard though. It tries to bring the previous seven movies into a coherent narrative which is impossible as there was poor continuity in the series anyway. Of the series so far the first and third films are superior to the rest. This one is a completely unnecessary movie.
The tagline 'Now the legacy can be told' is never fulfilled.
The tagline 'Now the legacy can be told' is never fulfilled.
Puppet Master supercut
BandSAboutMovies17 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Directed by Charles Band and written by C. Courtney Joyner and David Schmoeller, the eighth Puppet Master movie takes us back to the Bodega Bay Inn where rogue agent Maclain (Kate Orsini) is reading the diary of André Toulon. I should write she was, as it soons goes up in flames.
In the basement, she finds Eric Weiss (Jacob Witkin) talking to Blade, Pinhead, Jester, Tunneler and Six-Shooter. She threatens him but he refuses to share the secrets of Toulon, but does play a recording from him.
Through flashbacks - and by that I mean footage from the older movies - we learn that Weiss is really Peter Hertz, the boy who Toulon saved from the Nazis in Puppet Master III. Then, the war between the puppets and the totems of Sutek in Puppet Master 4 and 5, as well as the events of Puppet Master 2 are remembered.
This is the final appearance of the original puppets created by David Allen and Dennis Gordon. They were sold at an auction one year after this movie.
Full Moon, I have to tell you, there are so many of your movies I've started and realized that I've seen before but you've repackaged them. There are only thirty minutes of new footage in this one. It's like a Puppet Master supercut. The greatest hits, sold by K-Tel?
In the basement, she finds Eric Weiss (Jacob Witkin) talking to Blade, Pinhead, Jester, Tunneler and Six-Shooter. She threatens him but he refuses to share the secrets of Toulon, but does play a recording from him.
Through flashbacks - and by that I mean footage from the older movies - we learn that Weiss is really Peter Hertz, the boy who Toulon saved from the Nazis in Puppet Master III. Then, the war between the puppets and the totems of Sutek in Puppet Master 4 and 5, as well as the events of Puppet Master 2 are remembered.
This is the final appearance of the original puppets created by David Allen and Dennis Gordon. They were sold at an auction one year after this movie.
Full Moon, I have to tell you, there are so many of your movies I've started and realized that I've seen before but you've repackaged them. There are only thirty minutes of new footage in this one. It's like a Puppet Master supercut. The greatest hits, sold by K-Tel?
A cheap, sloppy mess, "Puppet Master: The Legacy" is the second-worst entry in the series, and a fundamentally flawed, "clip-show" of a film with no originality...
TedStixonAKAMaximumMadness16 February 2012
I'm thrown for a loop trying to think of how to write a review for Charles Band's 2003 film "Puppet Master: The Legacy." I actually, honestly cannot think of a way to summarize it. I grew up watching copies of the earlier "Puppet Master" movies behind my parent's backs (they didn't approve of the gore until I was a teenager), so when I recently got the "Puppet Master" box-set as a nostalgic gift from my father, I popped this one in, thinking it would be an interesting film.
Oh... my... god.
Words cannot describe this movie.
"Puppet Master: The Legacy" is essentially a 15-minute long short film, that is padded with about an hour of footage from the previous films, as a character explains the plot of the series to another person. Yup, that's right... this is the horror movie equivalent of a sitcom clip-show. You know? Those lame episodes where the producers would run out of money and just string together a series of clips from prior episodes, with a lame bookend scene of the characters recalling the old clips? This movie is one of those!
And what makes it even sadder- the "story" that is used to string together the clips is one of the most poorly written, insanely plotted and hilariously cheaply-shot "plots" I've ever seen.
The abundance of old footage actually serves two purposes, to actually be fair. One- for the reason I stated above, to give the producers fodder to release a new DVD of this awful clip-show, and Two- to try and fix a few continuity problems that existed within the series. This film does this by making the overall plot even MORE confused and convoluted (so now the first film is technically the third film, and the second film is technically the eighth film?), and by flat-out disrespecting characters and ideas from previous entries. (Including a moment where the main character from the fourth and fifth film is killed by a single line of dialog- our villain says: "Oh, I uh... killed him." and that's it. So disrespectful to the fans.)
The plot of the new footage is this- a man named Eric Weiss (unknown actor who we'll never hear from again) is captured by some rogue agent chick named Maclain (unknown actress who we'll never hear from again) who forces him to tell her the story of the puppets from the movies. That's it. It's stupid.
The kicker is that the new footage doesn't even try to LOOK good. It's some of the laziest, cheapest footage I've ever seen. It looks like it was filmed on an 80's VHS camcorder, the lighting is abysmal, there is no real set-decoration or design to speak of, and the acting is hilariously bad.
As a fan of the series, this film just felt like a cheap, cash-grabbing insult. This is a 1 out of 10, plain and simple. (Yet somehow isn't as bad as the pain-inducing "Puppet Master VS Demonic Toys." Saw that once about five years ago, and it still makes me angry.)
Oh... my... god.
Words cannot describe this movie.
"Puppet Master: The Legacy" is essentially a 15-minute long short film, that is padded with about an hour of footage from the previous films, as a character explains the plot of the series to another person. Yup, that's right... this is the horror movie equivalent of a sitcom clip-show. You know? Those lame episodes where the producers would run out of money and just string together a series of clips from prior episodes, with a lame bookend scene of the characters recalling the old clips? This movie is one of those!
And what makes it even sadder- the "story" that is used to string together the clips is one of the most poorly written, insanely plotted and hilariously cheaply-shot "plots" I've ever seen.
The abundance of old footage actually serves two purposes, to actually be fair. One- for the reason I stated above, to give the producers fodder to release a new DVD of this awful clip-show, and Two- to try and fix a few continuity problems that existed within the series. This film does this by making the overall plot even MORE confused and convoluted (so now the first film is technically the third film, and the second film is technically the eighth film?), and by flat-out disrespecting characters and ideas from previous entries. (Including a moment where the main character from the fourth and fifth film is killed by a single line of dialog- our villain says: "Oh, I uh... killed him." and that's it. So disrespectful to the fans.)
The plot of the new footage is this- a man named Eric Weiss (unknown actor who we'll never hear from again) is captured by some rogue agent chick named Maclain (unknown actress who we'll never hear from again) who forces him to tell her the story of the puppets from the movies. That's it. It's stupid.
The kicker is that the new footage doesn't even try to LOOK good. It's some of the laziest, cheapest footage I've ever seen. It looks like it was filmed on an 80's VHS camcorder, the lighting is abysmal, there is no real set-decoration or design to speak of, and the acting is hilariously bad.
As a fan of the series, this film just felt like a cheap, cash-grabbing insult. This is a 1 out of 10, plain and simple. (Yet somehow isn't as bad as the pain-inducing "Puppet Master VS Demonic Toys." Saw that once about five years ago, and it still makes me angry.)
A lazy clip show
schwarzmatthias-373748 August 2017
Puppet Master - The Legacy is basically a clip show of the previous movies which came before, so if you have seem them, you can skip this and don't miss anything new, except maybe 5-10 minutes of two people talking in a cellar. Everything else is really just one big lazy as can get clip show so many series and sitcoms are doing to fill an episode to save money.
But even if you haven't seen the previous movies, I wouldn't recommend it. Because it is not doing a too good job retelling the story. Thought it at least tries to gather the loose threads and tries to explain a few plot holes. I think it only points them out even more so.
I actually stopped watching the films after this, and I liked the first three or five, they weren't very good, but charming and had some good stop motion animation, but they were getting worse, and this one is really one of the worst and laziest movies I ever saw. The charm and puppeteering art of the Puppet Master movies is not to be found in "The Legacy".
But even if you haven't seen the previous movies, I wouldn't recommend it. Because it is not doing a too good job retelling the story. Thought it at least tries to gather the loose threads and tries to explain a few plot holes. I think it only points them out even more so.
I actually stopped watching the films after this, and I liked the first three or five, they weren't very good, but charming and had some good stop motion animation, but they were getting worse, and this one is really one of the worst and laziest movies I ever saw. The charm and puppeteering art of the Puppet Master movies is not to be found in "The Legacy".
A rip off!
Hockhult8 October 2011
This is a 70 or 80 min clip show depending on what version you got. There are hardly any new material and just of a man remembering the old movies.
The result is a complete mess of clips without proper story line. The whole point of this movie must be to get some fast money from the fans of the series without making any effort.
There is just nothing here for anyone. I you have watched or planed to watch the other movies in the series. Skip this one. I you never seem a Puppet Master movie go see another one.
I would recommend Puppet master or Puppet Master 3 - Toulon's Revenge as a starting point for this series.
The result is a complete mess of clips without proper story line. The whole point of this movie must be to get some fast money from the fans of the series without making any effort.
There is just nothing here for anyone. I you have watched or planed to watch the other movies in the series. Skip this one. I you never seem a Puppet Master movie go see another one.
I would recommend Puppet master or Puppet Master 3 - Toulon's Revenge as a starting point for this series.
Generally awful around the board
kannibalcorpsegrinder21 October 2018
Attempting to acquire the truth about the puppets, an agent interrogates one of the last known survivors of the legendary puppet masters' work and learns of their grisly history as to how they came into being as well as their history together, ultimately forcing a final showdown with them.
This was one of the worst films ever made. This is essentially a clip show of everything we've seen for the series up until the present, attempting to retcon the franchise into a cohesive storyline which is the only apparent purpose of this one. Including the information about the backstory of the franchise to tell the origins of what happened before, placing everything in its state of the franchise by zipping around to the various films. However, not only is that obvious about the film is simply clips due to the transparent quality of the source material of the clips which dips in and out of quality so obvious that there's never any doubt where the material came from and is set up so clumsily that it never escapes the obvious usage of these scenes. There was quite an odd tone to this one as well due to the different types of films being covered which not only gives this quite a cheap look but also wildly chaotic and disjointed tone that really doesn't make much sense as there's no real connection to how this one goes back and forth between any of the films, and with a lame final stinger it makes no sense as for what the legacy actually is since everything is wrapped up in such a lame manner. Despite it being constant puppet action and a fast-paced story, overall there's little need to watch this one at all.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Language.
This was one of the worst films ever made. This is essentially a clip show of everything we've seen for the series up until the present, attempting to retcon the franchise into a cohesive storyline which is the only apparent purpose of this one. Including the information about the backstory of the franchise to tell the origins of what happened before, placing everything in its state of the franchise by zipping around to the various films. However, not only is that obvious about the film is simply clips due to the transparent quality of the source material of the clips which dips in and out of quality so obvious that there's never any doubt where the material came from and is set up so clumsily that it never escapes the obvious usage of these scenes. There was quite an odd tone to this one as well due to the different types of films being covered which not only gives this quite a cheap look but also wildly chaotic and disjointed tone that really doesn't make much sense as there's no real connection to how this one goes back and forth between any of the films, and with a lame final stinger it makes no sense as for what the legacy actually is since everything is wrapped up in such a lame manner. Despite it being constant puppet action and a fast-paced story, overall there's little need to watch this one at all.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Language.
Cheap Excuse for a Movie
Michael_Elliott10 October 2011
Puppet Master: The Legacy (2003)
1/2 (out of 4)
Ultra-cheap eighth entry in the series starts off with a woman taking Eric Weiss (the boy from PUPPET MASTER III) hostage and demanding him to tell her the secrets of the puppets. From this point on we start a whole string of flash backs to earlier films in the series with constant "looks" at the present time as the woman becomes more and more demanding. It turns out that SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT 2 isn't the cheapest horror film ever made. No, that honor goes to this installment, which runs 74-minutes and being generous I'd say that at least sixty-minutes are nothing more than clips from the previous seven movies. Die-hard fans might enjoy seeing a cut down version of the previous movies with a few new scenes added in but to me this is about as cheap as you can get and I really see no reason to applaud the cheapness of a film like this. The only reason I could see this film being important is for those people who aren't really interested in the series but want to see what "story" all of the movies told. Instead of seeing the previous seven movies you could just watch this thing and get the general idea of what the series was about. Unlike watching the previous seven movies in order, this one here would at least allow you to see the "story" in chronological order. Since the series jumped around so much none of them were in order so the clips here are as followed: RETRO, PM3, PM, PM2, PM4, PM5 and then CURSE. The new footage isn't all that well shot but the two actors aren't that bad. THE LEGACY is an ultra-cheap film that's only purpose was to milk an already dead series. With that said, two more films would follow so I'm guessing this at least made the company some money.
1/2 (out of 4)
Ultra-cheap eighth entry in the series starts off with a woman taking Eric Weiss (the boy from PUPPET MASTER III) hostage and demanding him to tell her the secrets of the puppets. From this point on we start a whole string of flash backs to earlier films in the series with constant "looks" at the present time as the woman becomes more and more demanding. It turns out that SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT 2 isn't the cheapest horror film ever made. No, that honor goes to this installment, which runs 74-minutes and being generous I'd say that at least sixty-minutes are nothing more than clips from the previous seven movies. Die-hard fans might enjoy seeing a cut down version of the previous movies with a few new scenes added in but to me this is about as cheap as you can get and I really see no reason to applaud the cheapness of a film like this. The only reason I could see this film being important is for those people who aren't really interested in the series but want to see what "story" all of the movies told. Instead of seeing the previous seven movies you could just watch this thing and get the general idea of what the series was about. Unlike watching the previous seven movies in order, this one here would at least allow you to see the "story" in chronological order. Since the series jumped around so much none of them were in order so the clips here are as followed: RETRO, PM3, PM, PM2, PM4, PM5 and then CURSE. The new footage isn't all that well shot but the two actors aren't that bad. THE LEGACY is an ultra-cheap film that's only purpose was to milk an already dead series. With that said, two more films would follow so I'm guessing this at least made the company some money.
Good one... but only if you are a fan...
jluis198416 January 2006
The Puppet Master movies were among the best movies ever produced by Full Moon Entertainment in the early 90s. They were about a group of living Puppets who followed the orders of their master, the main concept was that if the master was good, the puppets were good and used their skills for good, but if the master was evil, the puppets were evil killers. The movies were of good quality but when Full Moon's budget started to be lower, the movies' quality went downhill, with bad effects and awful scripts. The Puppet Master series was severely affected by all this. A shame indeed, because from being one of their best series, it ended in the lowest of the low.
To end quickly, the Puppet Master storyline was a chaos with the only things that tied the movies together were the Puppets and its original master, Andre Toulon. The rest of the characters had been forgotten, changed or disappeared with no explanation. So Charles Band, the mind behind most of Full Moon Entertainment successes and failures gives us "Puppet Master: The Legacy" as a way to fix the problems of the series and finally putting an end to his beloved story.
In "Legacy", we find Peter Hertz, the boy who as child during World War II was helped by Andre Toulon and escaped with him from Nazi Germany. Now, named Eric Weiss (played by Jason Witkin), in the present, he has finally discovered the fate of his friend after many years of lost contact. In the Bodega Bay hotel he found Toulon's notes and his beloved Puppets, but he was found by a mysterious woman named Maclain (Kate Orsini) hired to find the Puppets and Toulon's secret.
The movie follows a discussion between the two of them, remembering Toulon and his actions since he learned the secret of life, until his death and rebirth. While Weiss remembers Toulon as a great man whose life was destroyed by the Nazis, Maclain knows him as a mad psycho who enslaved the puppets.
The movie works very well in terms of giving sense to the storyline, trying to fix the enormous plot holes the series had. To do this, the movie uses clips from all the Puppet Master movies, although this has to do more with the fact that it had almost no budget than with a creative decision.
The new material (barely 30 minutes) is well acted, and in fact is better acted than most of the acting in the series. It really shows how hard Band tried to fix his most successful series, as the clips from previous movies are very good edited, and work better than watching the entire awful movies (clips from Parts 4, 5 and Retro Puppet Master for example). We also get to know the fate of characters from all the movies, as they are mentioned in the conversations between Maclain and Weiss.
As a fan, watching the movie was kind of sad, because it was very obvious that this was a desperate attempt to fix a series that has been badly damaged over the years; nevertheless, the effort is very appreciated, because it finally gives a fitting conclusion to Full Moon's best selling movies.
30 minutes and clips of previous movies is not my idea of a good movie, but this movie is definitely a must see for every fan of the Puppet Master series. 6/10
To end quickly, the Puppet Master storyline was a chaos with the only things that tied the movies together were the Puppets and its original master, Andre Toulon. The rest of the characters had been forgotten, changed or disappeared with no explanation. So Charles Band, the mind behind most of Full Moon Entertainment successes and failures gives us "Puppet Master: The Legacy" as a way to fix the problems of the series and finally putting an end to his beloved story.
In "Legacy", we find Peter Hertz, the boy who as child during World War II was helped by Andre Toulon and escaped with him from Nazi Germany. Now, named Eric Weiss (played by Jason Witkin), in the present, he has finally discovered the fate of his friend after many years of lost contact. In the Bodega Bay hotel he found Toulon's notes and his beloved Puppets, but he was found by a mysterious woman named Maclain (Kate Orsini) hired to find the Puppets and Toulon's secret.
The movie follows a discussion between the two of them, remembering Toulon and his actions since he learned the secret of life, until his death and rebirth. While Weiss remembers Toulon as a great man whose life was destroyed by the Nazis, Maclain knows him as a mad psycho who enslaved the puppets.
The movie works very well in terms of giving sense to the storyline, trying to fix the enormous plot holes the series had. To do this, the movie uses clips from all the Puppet Master movies, although this has to do more with the fact that it had almost no budget than with a creative decision.
The new material (barely 30 minutes) is well acted, and in fact is better acted than most of the acting in the series. It really shows how hard Band tried to fix his most successful series, as the clips from previous movies are very good edited, and work better than watching the entire awful movies (clips from Parts 4, 5 and Retro Puppet Master for example). We also get to know the fate of characters from all the movies, as they are mentioned in the conversations between Maclain and Weiss.
As a fan, watching the movie was kind of sad, because it was very obvious that this was a desperate attempt to fix a series that has been badly damaged over the years; nevertheless, the effort is very appreciated, because it finally gives a fitting conclusion to Full Moon's best selling movies.
30 minutes and clips of previous movies is not my idea of a good movie, but this movie is definitely a must see for every fan of the Puppet Master series. 6/10
decently done clip show-review may contain spoilers
drevil00716 January 2004
Warning: Spoilers
As a fan, I felt it was necessary to view this. Even though I knew it was mainly clips. The problem is instead of answering some questions such as why Toulon was out of character in part 2 and what Curse of the Puppet Master was about. They seemed to always dodge those things. The main problem is the ending, it makes little sense. Hopefully now that Full Moon is back on it's feet the Puppet Master series will return to the glory days of the excellent parts 1-5. Unlike most though, I thought retro puppet master was cute, yet nothing great. My rating-5 out of 10
15 minutes of cash-in
genderarm14 November 2019
Literally 15 minutes of passive exposition and the rest is a bunch of cut scenes from older movies. This was directed by the company owner or something like that. Basically it was an easy money.
I seriously couldn't give this movie anything more than a one. It tries as doing absolutely nothing.
I seriously couldn't give this movie anything more than a one. It tries as doing absolutely nothing.
great!
GodzillaJr12278820 December 2003
This movie is a great way for the series to finally end. Peter (the boy from Puppet Master III) is all grown up and is now the Puppet Master. Well, this girl comes to destroy the puppets and learn Toulon's secrets but instead she listens to the story about the puppets. Most of this movie is footage from Puppet Master II, Puppet Master III, Puppet Master 4, Puppet Master 5, Curse of the Puppet Master, and Retro Puppet Master (sorry... But I guess Paramount wouldn't let them use scenes from 1). Personally I wish Puppet Master Vs. Demonic Toys would finally be made but the way this movie ends they basically say "This is THE final movie in the series..."
It ain't no masterpiece but I quite liked it.
poolandrews23 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Puppet Master: The Legacy features a woman named Macclain (Kate Orsini) who has been hired to discover the secret behind puppet master Andre Toulon's (played by actors Guy Rolfe & William Hickey who is in the film & not just the trailer as the IMDb would have you believe) serum that manages to give life to his inanimate wooden puppets such as Blade, Tunneller, Six Shooter, Torch, Leech Woman, Pinhead & the cool Jester who each become living killing machines ready to protect their creator. Macclain breaks into Toulon's final resting place Bogeda Bay Inn where she finds Toulon's old friend Eric Weiss (Jacob Witkin) & threatens to torture & kill him unless he hands the secret over, as the two argue the truth about Andre Toulon is revealed as his entire life & the events surrounding his killer puppets are told...
Directed by Charles Band under the pseudonym of Robert Talbot Puppet Master: The Legacy is the eighth & to date final film in the Puppet Master franchise that started with the excellent Puppet Master (1989) all those years ago, the series carried on with Puppet Master II (1991), Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge (1991), Puppet Master 4 (1993), Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter (1994), Curse of the Puppet Master (1998) & finally Retro Puppet Master (1999) before this instalment which went straight to video in '03. The script by C. Courtney Joyner under the pseudonym of Gene Yarbrough tries to tell the tale of Andre Toulon in chronological order & make some sense out of it unlike the series as it stands at the moment & is basically an excuse to use as much footage from the previous seven Puppet Master films as possible, Puppet Master: The Legacy features clips from all of the previous entries. It would be interesting to know just how much original footage this contains, at a rough guess I'd say no more than fifteen minutes worth & that's being generous. The clips are reasonably well edited into into a new film, there are a few sudden jumps in logic & location, there are numerous occasions where character's just come & go within the space of a few minutes & it's a bit choppy as you would expect a 70 minute film made up from seven other films would be. I was going to start this comment by saying that I was a fan of the Puppet Master films but then I realised I have only seen the first two which I thought were both great, unfortunately judging by some of the footage from the other sequels the series obviously went downhill in a big way. I must admit I rather liked Puppet Master: The Legacy, they at least keep things moving, the clips used are good, I've only seen the first two so most of the footage was new to me anyway & rather surprisingly the twist ending was rather good, in fact I'd go as far as to say it was pretty clever (hell, I doubt there are many instances in any Puppet Master film you could describe as clever) & was a nice way to round things off.
Director Band doesn't do anything as there's hardly any new footage here, what is here is reasonably well shot & there are some OK shots of the puppets. Various special effect & gore highlights throughout the series are present including face slashing, brain tunnelling, hook impaling, head bashing, shooting, burning, crotch drilling, throat slashing & Leech regurgitating. The puppets themselves are cool & probably the best bunch of killer toys ever to grace the silver screen!
The budget stretched to one room, some scientific lab equipment & the services of two actors, that's all there is to Puppet Master: The Legacy. These parts look fine even though the digital video used looks odd whenever it uses clips from the first two films which actually had budgets & were obviously shot on 35mm film. The distinctive, sinister & rather good Puppet Master theme music is used throughout. The acting was alright.
Puppet Master: The Legacy isn't for everyone that's for sure as most of it is just footage taken from the other Puppet Master films. However I quite liked it as I really like the first two in the series, the killer puppets themselves have real character & personality & are some of the best & most memorable seen in this type of film & if you like the Puppet Master series & know what your getting yourself into then I'd say it's worth watching but probably not worth buying as you'd only want to watch it once. As if that wasn't enough the murderous Puppet Master dolls returned in the made-for-TV film Puppet Master Vs Demonic Toys (2004) which sounds, erm, interesting.
Directed by Charles Band under the pseudonym of Robert Talbot Puppet Master: The Legacy is the eighth & to date final film in the Puppet Master franchise that started with the excellent Puppet Master (1989) all those years ago, the series carried on with Puppet Master II (1991), Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge (1991), Puppet Master 4 (1993), Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter (1994), Curse of the Puppet Master (1998) & finally Retro Puppet Master (1999) before this instalment which went straight to video in '03. The script by C. Courtney Joyner under the pseudonym of Gene Yarbrough tries to tell the tale of Andre Toulon in chronological order & make some sense out of it unlike the series as it stands at the moment & is basically an excuse to use as much footage from the previous seven Puppet Master films as possible, Puppet Master: The Legacy features clips from all of the previous entries. It would be interesting to know just how much original footage this contains, at a rough guess I'd say no more than fifteen minutes worth & that's being generous. The clips are reasonably well edited into into a new film, there are a few sudden jumps in logic & location, there are numerous occasions where character's just come & go within the space of a few minutes & it's a bit choppy as you would expect a 70 minute film made up from seven other films would be. I was going to start this comment by saying that I was a fan of the Puppet Master films but then I realised I have only seen the first two which I thought were both great, unfortunately judging by some of the footage from the other sequels the series obviously went downhill in a big way. I must admit I rather liked Puppet Master: The Legacy, they at least keep things moving, the clips used are good, I've only seen the first two so most of the footage was new to me anyway & rather surprisingly the twist ending was rather good, in fact I'd go as far as to say it was pretty clever (hell, I doubt there are many instances in any Puppet Master film you could describe as clever) & was a nice way to round things off.
Director Band doesn't do anything as there's hardly any new footage here, what is here is reasonably well shot & there are some OK shots of the puppets. Various special effect & gore highlights throughout the series are present including face slashing, brain tunnelling, hook impaling, head bashing, shooting, burning, crotch drilling, throat slashing & Leech regurgitating. The puppets themselves are cool & probably the best bunch of killer toys ever to grace the silver screen!
The budget stretched to one room, some scientific lab equipment & the services of two actors, that's all there is to Puppet Master: The Legacy. These parts look fine even though the digital video used looks odd whenever it uses clips from the first two films which actually had budgets & were obviously shot on 35mm film. The distinctive, sinister & rather good Puppet Master theme music is used throughout. The acting was alright.
Puppet Master: The Legacy isn't for everyone that's for sure as most of it is just footage taken from the other Puppet Master films. However I quite liked it as I really like the first two in the series, the killer puppets themselves have real character & personality & are some of the best & most memorable seen in this type of film & if you like the Puppet Master series & know what your getting yourself into then I'd say it's worth watching but probably not worth buying as you'd only want to watch it once. As if that wasn't enough the murderous Puppet Master dolls returned in the made-for-TV film Puppet Master Vs Demonic Toys (2004) which sounds, erm, interesting.
Flashback movie.
atinder12 November 2013
Puppet Master: The Legacy (2004)
I don't think I ever seen a series, well they only added 5 news scenes, into one movie and runs old flashbacks.
Well I have only seen half of this movie, I could it not find it on DVD, Youtube had it but half the part was taken down.
The only thing I can say about this.
If I saw this first , there would be no need to see the previous movies.
This movie added nothing new to the series at all, it just show you want you already knew.
I going to give this 1 out of 10
I don't think I ever seen a series, well they only added 5 news scenes, into one movie and runs old flashbacks.
Well I have only seen half of this movie, I could it not find it on DVD, Youtube had it but half the part was taken down.
The only thing I can say about this.
If I saw this first , there would be no need to see the previous movies.
This movie added nothing new to the series at all, it just show you want you already knew.
I going to give this 1 out of 10
This isn't a bad movie but also is a waste of time for someone who already has seen the first 7 films
kevin_robbins18 May 2021
Puppet Master 8 is on Amazon Prime for $3.99 and that price is a crime. I wouldn't say that about any of the Puppet Master films but this one. This film was an excuse for Full Moon Features to take the storyline in the first 7 movies and deliver the big storyline in a linear fashion instead of jumping around. This movie is about 1 hour and 20 minutes and probably has 10-15 minutes of total new footage, tops, and this movie is made up of bits and pieces of the first 7 movies telling the tale from
beginning to end. Overall this isn't a bad movie but also is a waste of time for someone who already has seen those 7 films. I'd give this a 5/10 and would only watch if you're a diehard Puppet Master fan.
Wow. Just wow...
paul_haakonsen23 April 2023
The 2003 movie titled "Puppet Master: The Legacy" actually had me excited to sit down and watch it, as I saw that the movie was directed by Charles Band. So I figured that finally they wised up and brought back the original man to get the franchise back on track.
Talk about a rude awakening. "Puppet Master: The Legacy" was a horrible sell out movie. It was nothing more than 15 minutes of new footage of the boy, Peter Hertz, from the third movie having grown up and was now re-telling the story of Andre Toulon. And get this, everything else, the remaining 65 minutes of the movie was just showing footage from the previous movies. This was the lousiest cash-in ever put to screen. And what a slap to the face of the audience that director Charles Band would put his name to that stunt.
Do yourself a favor and skip out on watching "Puppet Master: The Legacy", because it was nothing more than just recapping the storylines from the previous movies in the franchise. So this abysmal train wreck of a movie hardly could be called a movie at all.
This 2003 movie is definitely the point where the "Puppet Master" franchise hit rock bottom. I feel so cheated and conned out of my time and effort actually sitting through this dumpster fire of a movie.
My rating of "Puppet Master: The Legacy" lands on a generous one out of ten stars, but I don't think that would come as a surprise.
Talk about a rude awakening. "Puppet Master: The Legacy" was a horrible sell out movie. It was nothing more than 15 minutes of new footage of the boy, Peter Hertz, from the third movie having grown up and was now re-telling the story of Andre Toulon. And get this, everything else, the remaining 65 minutes of the movie was just showing footage from the previous movies. This was the lousiest cash-in ever put to screen. And what a slap to the face of the audience that director Charles Band would put his name to that stunt.
Do yourself a favor and skip out on watching "Puppet Master: The Legacy", because it was nothing more than just recapping the storylines from the previous movies in the franchise. So this abysmal train wreck of a movie hardly could be called a movie at all.
This 2003 movie is definitely the point where the "Puppet Master" franchise hit rock bottom. I feel so cheated and conned out of my time and effort actually sitting through this dumpster fire of a movie.
My rating of "Puppet Master: The Legacy" lands on a generous one out of ten stars, but I don't think that would come as a surprise.
Highlights (?)
kosmasp3 August 2018
Remember when I said 6/7 may be the weakest entries to the franchise/series of the Puppet Master? I was talking about actual movies, that bring you something new. This is just a rehash of old highlights thrown in together. This could be a DVD/Blu Ray Extra, though bloated a bit, of best kills and all that. It has about 90 % of old clips narrated by someone who is being held at gun point because ... well that would be a spoiler.
Not that it does matter in the end of course. Because this is just a cash in. On the other hand, maybe this is sufficient and you don't need to watch all the previous entries to get you up to speed before the next three installments formed a trilogy that could've been shortened and was too long for it's own good and also kind of feels like a cash in? Then again, I'll be awaiting entry number 12 now, which is supposed to be really good fun
Not that it does matter in the end of course. Because this is just a cash in. On the other hand, maybe this is sufficient and you don't need to watch all the previous entries to get you up to speed before the next three installments formed a trilogy that could've been shortened and was too long for it's own good and also kind of feels like a cash in? Then again, I'll be awaiting entry number 12 now, which is supposed to be really good fun
A chance for redemption? Maybe.... but....
phoenixyk18 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The start of the movie looks very promising... But do not be fooled...
While this movie was released in 2003, much of the visuals are taken from another two movies in the series.
So, nothing unusual there you might say... Well, yes there is when they did not get released until 5 years LATER!!! Yes, one was released in 2008 and the other in 2012.
The best guess possible is that production problems struck but the studio still had to put out a film as per contract, so a Quick story was put together to try and plug the gaps until the later films would eventually be realised.
As such, this film is one giant Spoiler!!!
What makes me think that the Later movies were in production but put on hold? Well, having watched them in chronological order - Some "Post Production" effects are missing from some of the cobbled together scenes, as well as some small dialogue changes.
Compared to the last movie, the editing is far, far better... So even though this is just a "Greatest hits and those yet to come" episode in the franchise, it works out OK!
Sadly, its not a story as such... Continuity wise its hard to know where this actually fits in the series as once again it seems to ignore events of previous films in the franchise... But at least its not as badly edited as Curse of the Puppet Master.
Random Irritations:
The stolen scene from one of the old Sinbad Movies...
Some of the cobbled together Post Production scenes give a little too much away about the inner workings of the film... You can actually hear the small explosive charge used to shatter a window!!!
A scene boarding a train taken from another entirely different Movie.
Random Superb Moments:
Revisiting the far superior Puppet Master 3: Toulon's Revenge
So, this is rightfully the LAST in the series, regardless of what the Wiki says...
To relive the best moments and get a final great twist is good... Could have been a bit better and, who knows, there may even be yet one final sequel.
While this movie was released in 2003, much of the visuals are taken from another two movies in the series.
So, nothing unusual there you might say... Well, yes there is when they did not get released until 5 years LATER!!! Yes, one was released in 2008 and the other in 2012.
The best guess possible is that production problems struck but the studio still had to put out a film as per contract, so a Quick story was put together to try and plug the gaps until the later films would eventually be realised.
As such, this film is one giant Spoiler!!!
What makes me think that the Later movies were in production but put on hold? Well, having watched them in chronological order - Some "Post Production" effects are missing from some of the cobbled together scenes, as well as some small dialogue changes.
Compared to the last movie, the editing is far, far better... So even though this is just a "Greatest hits and those yet to come" episode in the franchise, it works out OK!
Sadly, its not a story as such... Continuity wise its hard to know where this actually fits in the series as once again it seems to ignore events of previous films in the franchise... But at least its not as badly edited as Curse of the Puppet Master.
Random Irritations:
The stolen scene from one of the old Sinbad Movies...
Some of the cobbled together Post Production scenes give a little too much away about the inner workings of the film... You can actually hear the small explosive charge used to shatter a window!!!
A scene boarding a train taken from another entirely different Movie.
Random Superb Moments:
Revisiting the far superior Puppet Master 3: Toulon's Revenge
So, this is rightfully the LAST in the series, regardless of what the Wiki says...
To relive the best moments and get a final great twist is good... Could have been a bit better and, who knows, there may even be yet one final sequel.
This is not a film. It is clips from previous films, and doesn't even include the original
fywhocares29 July 2022
When you look at the average score for this movie, you need to remember who has actually reviewed it. We are the people who watched SEVEN Puppet Master films, and then went 'you know what? I want to watch another Puppet Master film'. The bar for us to review this is set exceptionally low.
So why is it so badly reviewed? Because it's not even a film. It's a handful of scenes, abysmally acted and shot, cut together with clips from the previous films. It's a clip show, but they don't even include clips from the actual original film. There literally isn't even a film here to review.
So why is it so badly reviewed? Because it's not even a film. It's a handful of scenes, abysmally acted and shot, cut together with clips from the previous films. It's a clip show, but they don't even include clips from the actual original film. There literally isn't even a film here to review.
Puppet Master: the Legacy: The Strings Have Been Dropped For This One
jrtedrick11 October 2012
I am being honest when I say that I enjoy the Puppet Master films. They have and always will hold a place in my imagination. But this crock of a movie is certainly NOT the zenith of this series. In fact, if Puppet Master 3 was the zenith, then this film is the nadir. First note that I did not put a note above saying that this review contains spoilers. In fact, it does not contain spoilers. But that is not because I want to guard you from having your experience ruined. It is because there is literally nothing to spoil about this "movie". I used quotations because The Legacy isn't really a movie, per se, but a series of clips of stock footage from previous films framed by 25 minutes of new footage to form a pointless new story. I am a forgiving critic, usually able to appreciate the effort put into a movie, but this one has no effort to speak of. It is a celluloid, parasitic byproduct designed to leech money from fans. If this were a TV special on SYFY channel, I could forgive it, because it does recap the series with some competence for those who are too lethargic to watch the real movies. But if you're one of those sloths, then I pity you, because this Puppet Master is not seeing the series at its best. This is seeing schlock money-grubbing at its worst. I hope I don't have to say such unkind words of these puppets again.
Not Bad For The Series
TEAQUIEMORO14 July 2006
It was an excellent piece to the puppet series because this film showed all of the series, from one to seven. And this was about one woman trying to stop the new puppet master because I would have never guessed that the puppets would be in pain. Plus it showed some of the puppet master series that I didn't see and I what to see it so badly like part two. It showed an appearance of Torch which can turn things and humans, which is cool, and showed the return of the puppet master from part one. It also showed little aliens from part 4 that was also cool, it showed other people episodes that might be good to them and it did.So thanks to this Puppet Master is going to be a big hit.
Barely Anything More Then A Recap
Grojniar3 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I don't really count this as a movie, more of a recap of the past movies. Nonetheless I do love recaps so I enjoyed this. The downside of this movie mainly being a recap of the past movies means I don't really have much to say about it. The writing was okay but everything that wasn't commentary on past events felt dull and uninteresting. The small amount of story they did try to have just wasn't good. The atmosphere matched that of listening to a story by a fireplace almost which was nice.
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