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Buena Vista Home Video Puppet Masters, The

Donald Sutherland (Actor), Eric Thal (Actor), Stuart Orme (Director) Rated:
R
Format: DVD
4.3 out of 5 stars 166 ratings
IMDb5.9/10.0
$9.25 with 23 percent savings
Typical price: $11.97
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Genre Mystery & Thrillers, Action & Adventure
Format Widescreen
Contributor Will Patton, Donald Sutherland, Keith David, Eric Thal, Stuart Orme
Language English
Runtime 109 minutes

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Product Description

Here's the edge-of-your-seat thriller that delivers unrelenting suspense and nonstop action! Donald Sutherland (DISCLOSURE, BACKDRAFT) leads a team of top-level government agents who make a chilling discovery: extraterrestrial beings have landed and are quickly taking control of the residents of a small midwestern town -- manipulating their bodies and minds like puppets! Faced with an escalating crisis as the creatures multiply and spread, the team must somehow eliminate the seemingly unstoppable aliens. With riveting special effects and heart-stopping action, THE PUPPET MASTERS is sure to thrill you!

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.35:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.75 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches; 3.84 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ MFR786936188363#VG
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Stuart Orme
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Widescreen
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 109 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2002
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Donald Sutherland, Eric Thal, Keith David, Will Patton
  • Language ‏ : ‎ Unqualified
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Walt Disney Video / Mill Creek
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000068MC3
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Best Sellers Rank: #52,675 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 166 ratings

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
166 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this movie entertaining with a great story and good acting. The DVD offers reasonable pricing, and one customer notes that the contemporary vehicles work well in the film. While the movie follows the book loosely, customers find it mainly predictable, and one review mentions it's a bit cheesy in some spots.

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Movie qualityValue for moneyActing qualityPerformanceCheesinessPredictable content
27 customers mention "Movie quality"23 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy this movie, describing it as a great sci-fi film with a fantastic plot.

"...My dad made me read it when i was 10. Fantastic book. The movie? well what's not to like?..." Read more

"The book is vastly better. This is yet another film that does not do the grand master of science fiction justice. Many opportunities were missed...." Read more

"It was an adequate movie but a lot of the book was left out." Read more

"Great classic movie." Read more

4 customers mention "Value for money"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the movie reasonably priced.

"Value is good, movie is not my type. However, the one who likes these movies was very excited about it." Read more

"...On the one hand, it tells a moderately interesting story on a shoestring budget and pulls it off, on the other, it shamelessly exploits every..." Read more

"...Reasonable price too and got it faster than even the time listed was shown!" Read more

"reasonable price and on-time delivery" Read more

3 customers mention "Acting quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers praise the acting in the movie.

"...His son(EricThal) co- leads the investigation. Superb acting all around..." Read more

"...The three main characters were well done, especially the 'old man' played by Donald Sutherland...." Read more

"...Donald Sutherland gives another fine performance and all the acting is really good. Lots of action through the whole movie. I loved it." Read more

3 customers mention "Performance"3 positive0 negative

Customers give positive feedback about the movie's performance, with one customer noting that the contemporary vehicles worked well in the film.

"...cars in the book but the use of helicopters and other contemporary vehicles worked well. I think this is a rousing good time movie." Read more

"...Donald Sutherland gives another fine performance and all the acting is really good. Lots of action through the whole movie. I loved it." Read more

"EVERYTHING WAS EXCELLENT" Read more

3 customers mention "Cheesiness"0 positive3 negative

Customers find the movie cheesy in some spots.

"...from the idea of an alien symbiosis, and so comes off as a relic and ridiculous...." Read more

"...Love the storyline, bit cheesy in some spots, predictable in others, but hey...it's a great movie just the same...." Read more

"...Maybe it was meant to be campy and silly, but I don't think that was the director's intent. If you get the chance, watch it and see what you think." Read more

3 customers mention "Predictable content"0 positive3 negative

Customers find the movie's content predictable.

"...This movie was enjoyable, though mainly predictable. It is not a great movie by any stretch...." Read more

"...Love the storyline, bit cheesy in some spots, predictable in others, but hey...it's a great movie just the same...." Read more

"A good movie but Loosly follows the Book..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • gtamburo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great find
    Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    I love this movie
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  • cookieman108
    4.0 out of 5 stars "Say goodbye to your son, Andrew."
    Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    It's probably worthwhile to mention that I have not had an opportunity to read the source material, in this case a novel by Robert A. Heinlein published in the early 1950s, that the film The Puppet Masters (1994) was based on, so I can't speak towards what made it into the movie and what didn't...co-written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio (both of whom worked on films like Small Soldiers, Shrek, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl), and David S. Goyer (Dark City, Blade, Batman Begins) and directed by Stuart Orme, the film stars Donald Sutherland (Animal House, Space Cowboys, Cold Mountain), Eric Thal (A Stranger Among Us, Six Degrees of Separation), and Julie Warner (Doc Hollywood, Tommy Boy). Also appearing is Keith David (They Live, The Quick and the Dead), Will Patton (Armageddon, Remember the Titans), Richard Belzer ("Homicide: Life on the Street"), and Yaphet Kotto (Truck Turner, Alien).

    The film begins as we witness a strange phenomenon in the sky in a small, midwestern town, drawing the attention of a number of slack jawed yokels. Shortly afterwards some gooberment people show up, namely Andrew Nivens (Sutherland), head of a secret agency called the Office of Scientific Intelligence, his son Sam Nivens (Thal), an agent of the aforementioned group, Dr. Mary Sefton, an exobiologist on loan from NASA, and some scrub agent played by Belzer. The cursory investigation turns up some interesting things, the main thing being that people in Iowa seem especially strong and exhibit violent tendencies. Well, it turns out some wee, flat, cartilaginous, fish-like, intelligent, parasitic aliens have come to our little corner of the universe, latching onto the backs of humans, giving them complete control over the actions of their hosts. The trio manages to capture one of the buggers and return with it to Washington for further investigation. The big question now seems to be exactly what do these visitors want? Now I'm no rocket scientist, but I'd guess it would be something along the lines of planetary conquest...and sure enough, various plans come to light, one involving an attempt on `assimilating' the big cheese hisself (I'm speaking of the President of these here United States). As Mary and her team work desperately to better understand the creatures (and uncover exploitable weaknesses), the gooberment deploys the army to contain the sinister invasion, but these efforts are in vain as the aliens seem to be multiplying at an exponential rate, eventually taking over the great metropolis that is Des Moines, Iowa...quoting a line from another film (specifically 1986 feature Aliens), "I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit"...ultimately events occur, someone within the group is `taken', and a rescue is attempted as agents try to infiltrate the hive. Is the human race destined to become soulless automaton hosts for mini-stingrays from outer space? Perhaps, but would that really be so bad? I mean think about it...how swell it would be to have something else making all your decisions for you, alleviating you of all responsibility? Freewill is over-rated anyhow...I say acquiesce to your slimy, alien masters and enjoy the ride...

    As I've said, I haven't read the original source material for this film, so I can't say what was kept and what was changed, but I did enjoy this movie. It starts quick out of the gate and maintains a brisk pace throughout, keeping its focus well. I thought most all the performers did well and I appreciated the chemistry, especially between Thal and Warner's characters. I will say their burgeoning relationship seemed to come on a bit quick, but given their relative appeal, it wasn't completely unbelievable that they should have the primal desire to shag each other. I was slightly disappointed that Warner's character devolved a little as the film carried on, appearing less of a character and more of a classic, sci-fi stereotype (the female in distress needing rescuing), but she does gain some strength again near the end. I really like Sutherland's character, a suave, no nonsense, intelligent, and pragmatic individual willing to sacrifice much in the line of duty. Thal did well in the role of Sam, a character who seemed to get the beating about once every ten minutes throughout the film (the aliens, in controlling their hosts, also imbued them chemically with strength beyond that of normal). If he wasn't getting slapped around or kicked in the head, he was being thrown down the stairs...he did manage to get in a few good licks, though, along with showing us the splendor of his nekkid hindquarters, which I really didn't need to see (I'm sure many a female viewer appreciated it), but whatever. It would have been nice to see a little skin from Ms. Warner if only to offset the visual of a nekkid Eric Thal, but if you want that, you'll have to catch it in one of her other films, a feature titled Doc Hollywood (1991). My favorite scene occurs near the end, as we see our protagonists racing to catch a helicopter, trying to stay ahead of some alien controlled hosts intent on doing them great, bodily harm...as the helicopter, which landed on a rooftop, begins to move off the roof, one doofus makes a leaping effort to grab onto the landing gear, missing it by a mile...it just seemed funny seeing this valiant effort fail miserably, as if the alien completely underestimated its hosts abilities, and paid the ultimate price. I thought the parasitic creatures looked pretty cool, although I didn't understand why in various scenes people were asked to take their shirts off so that the unaffected humans could see if there was an alien on their backs (other than a chance to get see people without their shirts on). Given the size of the creatures, one could have easily determined this with a simple pat down. The biggest bone to pick for me was the ending, something another reviewer has already brought up...I don't want to give anything away, but essentially we see everyone relaxing under the belief the threat is over, but it really isn't, which results in a climatic aerial sequence. While exciting, it felt tacked on and unnecessary, adding very little to the overall production other than an over-the-top ending. Oh well, that's Hollywood for you...other than a few aspects, overall I thought this feature, albeit by the numbers, relatively well written and just a whole lot of fun.

    The picture, presented in widescreen (2.35:1), enhanced for 16X9 TVs, looks very sharp and clean, and the Dolby Digital Surround Sound audio comes through clearly. There are no special features included, but there are English subtitles.

    Cookieman108
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars So happy
    Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    One of my favorite old movies. I was excited to find it
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  • Blues Boy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book. The movie
    Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Based upon the Heinlein novel of the same name written in 1951. My dad made me read it when i was 10. Fantastic book. The movie? well what's not to like? Due to differences of opinion between the script writers, don't remember their names, a few things from the book never made it to the screen. Happens a lot but some movies overcome that and this one does. Sutherland has always been a favorite of mine since The Dirty Dozen. He excels here as the no nonsense 'old man' leading a team of government officials on the trail of an alien invader. His son(EricThal) co- leads the investigation. Superb acting all around (Thal's and Warner's performances of being possessed by the alien are darn good) even a cameo from comedian Richard Belzer wasn't to stilted.
    What the heck, I bought it. (along with Sutherlands Invasion of the body Snatchers but I didn't buy that at Amazon, so no review)
    2 people found this helpful
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  • alex llopart
    5.0 out of 5 stars Look around you.. this could be happening right now…
    Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Robert Heinlein is a genius… or a cruel parasitic satirist who was puppet ing Robert as he revealed future events his parasites species would perpetrate upon our planet… and the most hilarious thing is this is how we technically tell you our true intentions in a cruelly mocking manner…
    One person found this helpful
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  • Mark K. Rempel
    3.0 out of 5 stars Relic of Cold War paranoia made too late
    Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This late entry to the paranoid the enemy within aspect of science fiction films is an anachronism in that it is based on a book that started the alien symbiotic-parasite phenomena in science fiction back in 1951, but then was copied by other films such as Fiend Without a Face, The Brain Eaters, and many others. It was until 1994 that a film was titled The Puppet Masters was made and credit given to Robert A. Heinlein, after all those other unauthorized rip offs. It has been decades since I read the novel, but I remember that the Nivens family of the scientist intelligence division had an incestuous relationship, and they were a twisted, perverse type of family that were in a position to save the world from aliens. This survives in the film in the father-son relationship tension, but in the book the Mary character was a sister, not someone brought in from NASA. The Walt Disney Company had delete the incest factor of the heroes, but heroes with problems of their own often make more interesting characters. By 1994 the idea of the enemy within had been film too often for it to be an interesting idea. Also the idea of Communism as a beatific hive-mind commune (which is what the aliens wanted to create) as something evil is too late. I suspect Heinlein hated the hippie ideology of communes and all is one thinking. For this film (the book more so) emphasizes the libertarian hyper-individualism that is so American. This film itself is an exercise in paranoia, that our individuality is taken from us and we join a telepathic collective, and such an idea is evil. The film stretches out too long, is violent, militaristic, and casually destructive, all hallmarks of a Hollywood action film. It tries to make a horror film from the idea of an alien symbiosis, and so comes off as a relic and ridiculous. But then, there are right-wingers who think communes are evil and wicked. A horror film for the hyper- individualists, a joke for those who lived through the hippie times of the sixties.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Matt
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great Old SciFi
    Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Great old movie. Updated body snatchers film with all the hokey action ane critters to make it a good watch.
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  • J M Strasser
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good SciFi
    Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This is a modern day adaption of one of my favorite Heilein novels. It is about an invasion where the aliens ride on our backs and take over our minds completely. The three main characters were well done, especially the 'old man' played by Donald Sutherland. I liked the flying cars in the book but the use of helicopters and other contemporary vehicles worked well. I think this is a rousing good time movie.
    2 people found this helpful
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