Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys (2004) - Hey, it could be worse!

I used to really enjoy the 'Puppet Master' films in the early nineties.  They were about a gang of six horrific toys which came alive and basically killed people.  They were hardly high-brow and I haven't seen any of them in a while, so I can't really say how this entry enters the continuity (or if it even does!).  We meet an eccentric, but very familiar-looking father with his daughter (who just so happens is capable of hacking into secure companies' online files - and therefore should have a strong future ahead of herself in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as they all seem to do that sort of thing there with the greatest of ease.

The two of them repair toys and are the descendants of the man who made the evil toys.  Naturally, they bring them to life, but this time the murderous puppets are actually more well behaved.

Meanwhile, we have one of the most cliched 'bitch bosses' you'll ever see on camera and her bored-looking henchman.  They have plans to kidnap the puppets and sacrifice virgins in order to bring about the age of a demon who looks like a Buffy reject.

I remember when I watched 'Batman vs Superman' - I was hoping for batarangs and lazer-eye-blasts being thrown at each other all the way through, but all I got was a - reasonable - battle between the two titular characters right at the end.  That's basically the same here.  The puppets (and the demonic toys!) are clearly the stars and it's nice to see practical anamatronics over computer-generated antagonists, but they don't actually face off until the final act - granted it's still fun.  

If you can ignore the kind of goofy plot where the bad guy wants to destroy children's Christmases by bringing their toys to life and making them evil, at least the film never really tries to be serious.  And, because of that I can forgive it its many failings, like the wobbly, bland sets and overacting.  If you liked the original, be forgiving and give this a go.  And I've only just found out that that's Corey Feldman in the lead - wow, how time's change!

6/10 Should probably keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights