Puppet Master: Axis Termination

Director - Charles Band (Prehysteria!, Deformed Monsters)
Starring - George Appleby (Game of Thrones, Sherlock), Tonya Kay (Evil Bong 777, Web Cam Girls), and Kevin Scott Allen (Mad Men, Sledge Hammer)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "The bloody conclusion to the "Axis" trilogy"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

   Here it is!  I've been reviewing the Puppet Master series for what feels like forever and now I have reached the end of my voyage.  Here is the 11th and final film in the series and the third film is the new Nazi trilogy.  The series has some ups and downs but the last film was abysmal.  Considering this film took almost 5 years to be made I was hoping it would have went back to the basic but it did not.  It did return to an idea established in the first film but that did not work the same way.  Sadly, the series ended on a negative note.
     This film follows the disabled man and his girlfriend who are killed by the Nazis' new puppet, Bombshell.  The puppets become the property of the U.S. army and a dwarf with special powers is assigned with retrieving the stolen ones from the Nazis.  He is given a military escort and partners with others with the same abilities as him to track them down.  The Nazis have the same idea and bring in two powerful people with mental powers and a showdown of the minds begins.
     With this film a legacy is laid to rest.  Well, laid to rest until Band returns to it later when other ventures don't pan out like they should.  Sadly, Axis Termination is one of the worst films in the series and should be the proper stopping point to further tarnish a saga that is loved the world over.  The acting in this one is a little better than the previous installment which isn't saying much.  I did like the characters a little more than the last few films so that helped tremendously.  Sadly, They still lacked depth and the cast did not go above and beyond to make them unforgettable.  The story for this one continues with the story established two films back and rounds out the Nazi trilogy.  It combines aspects found in the first film with the psychics and so forth which was a fun touch.  With that being said, it fails to fully get the wheels turning and produce a fun film.  Instead, the story takes the backseat to concepts and ideas that are never fully developed.  Finally, The film has several on screen deaths with some decent practical effects and some shoddy computer generated effects.  The two clash giving the film a very cheap look.  Overall, Axis Termination would have been a solid installment but was too ambitious.  The story had a lot going on and failed to mold it altogether for a fun experience.