THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 28, 1994 TAG: 9410280078
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E11 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: FILM REVIEW
SOURCE: BY ALAN CHANG, TEENOLOGY MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
SEEN AN ALIEN lately? Probably not. But for generations, humans have been both curious and uptight about this topic.
Now, 43 years after Robert A. Heinlein's popular horror novel ``The Puppet Masters'' was published, it is being brought to the big screen.
Heinlein's aliens don't just drop by our planet, kidnap a couple of victims, study them and then throw them back to their ordinary lives. These aliens are like parasites that will do anything to find a healthy human host to embrace with their tentacles. Worse yet, the hosts are totally manipulated by these creatures, becoming their puppets.
The story is set in the small town of Ambrose, Iowa, where an alien nest is planted snugly in the forest. People from town who drop by to see the spectacle get a nasty neck pain when the aliens, which look like sting rays, attach themselves to the back of the human hosts. What is once a quiet town becomes a huge alien civilization.
The movie features three unattractive characters: Andrew Nivens (Donald Sutherland), a stubborn and austere scientific investigator; Andrew's son, Sam (Eric Thal), who has ill feelings toward his father; and the sexy NASA exobiologist Mary Sefton (Julie Warner). When the trio learns about the infestation of aliens, they team up with the government to start an all-out war against the slimy critters.
Although ``The Puppet Masters'' might have been considered a quality horror-sci-fi film 43 years ago, the thrills of an alien invasion really don't appeal to people these days.
Hundreds of horror-science fiction movies have been made, and people are immune to alien scares. This movie fails to develop sufficient tension, and most of the scares are anticipated by the audience. So instead of jumping out of their seats, audience members are busy telling their neighbors, ``See! I told ya that would happen.''
The movie's loose plot and bad acting might have ruined it, but those flaws are obscured by excessive chase scenes and heavy artillery fire. These action sequences are breathtaking, but they are the only good part of the movie.
The film's British director, Stuart Orme, manages to deliver good action and special effects, making this film OK for science fiction fanatics to see. But if you aren't a sci-fi nut, forget it. MEMO: ``The Puppet Masters'' is rated R.
ILLUSTRATION: Alan Chang is a junior at Kempsville High School.
by CNB