The Puppet Masters

Adaptation of one of the most fundamental and famous novels by Robert A. Heinlein, a renowned sci-fi classic, unfortunately did not turn out great. It completely lacks the atmosphere to a desperate extent. Heinlein wrote his novel during the Cold War period as a certain parallel to the hysteria of the spy mania, and the novel can be seen as a kind of allegory of the witch hunt. So much more could have been extracted from this premise, and even some cheap yet professionally made B-movies based on this comparison turned out better. The main characters lack charisma, and the biggest star here is Donald Sutherland, who by the way is not that dazzling of an actor. In terms of screenplay, direction, and acting performances, it's a tasteless and uninspiring affair, which is most boring of all. However, Greg Cannom's tricks are decent. Overall impression: 50%. (18/06/2006)

With a threat that does not express real danger, unnecessarily exaggerated extraterrestrial atmosphere, cliché conversations in tense moments, and a few good ideas that, however, come from the original, a good and suspenseful adaptation cannot be made. Sutherland is just a one-eyed among the blind. (31/07/2007)