Available at Amazon.comRating:8
AKA: Grindhouse Presents: Planet Terror
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Planet Terror The Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez collaboration Grindhouse failed to make much of a splash when it hit theatres, which is kind of a shame, since it was one of the better experiences this reviewer has had this year at the movies. Probably one of the biggest stumbling blocks to Grindhouse attaining box office success was its' running time of nearly three and a half hours -- you can't expect too many people to turn out for a movie of that length. But with the seperate releases of Grindhouse's two features on DVD, there's really no excuses left for viewers to not check out these films, which are cheesy as hell, but still great fun. Rodriguez's portion of the Grindhouse double feature, Planet Terror, is introduced with a fake trailer for a movie named Machete, which manages to pack in action, violence, gore, and sex all in a few minutes. It's the perfect set-up for Planet Terror, which is Rodriguez's homage to the over-the-top action films of the seventies and eighties, in particular the work of directors like John Carpenter and George Romero. The plot is pretty basic; a military group (led by Bruce Willis) releases a gas that turns most of the inhabitants of a nearby town into zombies. A small band of survivors (among them Freddy Rodriguez, Rose McGowan, and Michael Biehn) must fight to stay alive while trying to find an antidote for the epidemic. So the plot's nothing mind-blowing, but Planet Terror isn't pretending to be anything other than a dopey and fun action flick. Ever since Rodriguez's debut with El Mariachi, he's been known for creating outstanding action scenes, and he doesn't disappoint here. The body count is simply ridiculous, with gallons of fake blood spurting out from every wound -- and I loved every second of it. Planet Terror is most definitely not a film for nit-pickers or movie snobs. It's the sort of picture that plays up gory bits like the evisceration of testicles with glee and a wink to the audience. Rodriguez obviously had a ball making this movie, and that feeling translates on to the viewer. Things aren't all perfect; some of the acting is hammy even for a movie of this genre, and at times, Planet Terror comes off as it's trying too hard to capture the feel of an expolitation film, unlike Tarantino's entry Death Proof, which felt much more organic and genuine. But those are fairly minor complaints. For action movie junkies tired of the PG-13 pablum pumped out by Hollywood nowadays, Planet Terror is the pefect cure. |