It's pretty obvious that director is mostly active in the TV-series and TV movie genre. "The Puppet Maser" has at times an awfully TV-movie looking visual style and the characters and story are mostly wasted. Still the movie is entertaining enough to find it watchable and perhaps even also recommendable.<br /><br />Still it's a shame, because the movie had all the potential to become a science-fiction classic in the style of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". The story is very good and also original. The execution of it is just plain bad at times. All of the characters are wasted and the movie is filled with some plot holes and illogical moments. Seriously, I'm convinced of it that with a different director at the helm, this movie really could and would had grown in to be a classic science-fiction masterpiece.<br /><br />However as entertainment this movie is good enough. Science-fiction fans will certainly enjoy this movie which is mainly due to the original alien invasion story and the above average special effects.<br /><br />Don't expect great things from the cast though. The dialog and acting is at times B-movie like. Eric Thal is a failed movie-hero and Donald Sutherland is wasted. Also Will Patton and especially Yaphet Kotto are criminally underused.<br /><br />The movie is certainly watchable but to most this movie will probably seem like a silly science-fiction movie. The movie is perhaps best and possibly only watchable and recommendable to the fans of the science-fiction genre.<br /><br />7/10