The Puppet Masters (1994)
1h 49m | PG-13
The Earth is invaded by alien parasites—AKA 'slugs'—that ride on people's backs and control their minds.
Director: Stuart Orme
Studio: Hollywood Pictures
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Video: 720p
Cast
Donald Sutherland
as Andrew Nivens
Eric Thal
as Sam Nivens
Julie Warner
as Mary Sefton
Keith David
as Alex Holland
Will Patton
as Dr. Lawrence Graves
Richard Belzer
as Neil Jarvis
Reviews
Donald Sutherland has done some dross in his time, but usually only as a guest star. Here he commits himself to the whole thing and I wonder if now, he regrets it. The mind-numbingly daft plot involves alien creatures that resemble flounders with a proboscis, that ride around on the backs of people, whilst controlling what passes for their minds. "Nivens" (DS) is determined to capture one of these beasties and get it back to the lab for examination. It has all the production values of a solid television movie and hasn't an original bone in it's body. It is a sort of "Alien" meets "Doctor Who" themed enterprise that recycles the rather flawed plot far too often, with little sense of jeopardy and the most obvious solution to the extra-terrestrial invasion plan - just don't wear a shirt with an opaque back! It ends pretty much as expected, with a mediocre supporting cast and some unremarkable dialogue to support the flying jelly special effects. Nothing special, this film.