Dir. Robert Rodriguez, US, 2007, 105 mins
Cast: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Naveen Andrews, Josh Brolin, Bruce Willis
Review by Matthew Rodgers
As a result of the spectacular crash-and-burn at the US Box Office of the movie formerly known as "Grindhouse", Planet Terror seems to have suffered the brunt of the Weinstein guillotine that severed that movie in two. Those of us lucky enough to see the admittedly overblown, but uniquely enjoyable experiment from messers Tarantino (Death Proof) and Rodriguez (erm... Planet Terror) came away with the feeling that it was the tongue-in-cheek approach of the apocalyptic zombie shocker that set the pace Death Proof’s self-indulgent killer romp car didn’t have on its speedometer.
For what its worth, and it was never a pre-requisite for B-Movies, the plot is about an experimental bio-weapon that is released, subsequently turning thousands into gross-out ghouls and flesh hungry zombies. The Planet’s fate rests with a hotchpotch group of survivors who must brave the blood to stop the brain munching and those responsible.
Planet Terror is relentless in its gore, in its garish colours, and in Rose McGowan’s use of a gun, and it serves to highlight the difference between the two movies (and it's hard not to review one without comparison), and that is that Rodriguez’s half approaches the project with a dedication for being pure, puss ridden entertainment and nothing else.
The missing reels and scratchy film submerge you in the viewing experience rather than detract in the way that Death Proof did; Tarantino’s vision made you fully aware that it was editing suite trickery, but with Planet Terror it really feels that this has been in a can at an abandoned drive-in for twenty years.
The pace never lets up with every scene being even more ludicrously inventive than the one before and it contains lines of such hilarious stupidity to rival any of those found in the films it’s paying homage to.
The roll-call of reprobates uttering the grimy lines seem to be having as much fun as we are watching them; From McGowan’s artillery amputee Cherry Darling and her love affair with reluctant hero El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez – Lady in the Water), through to Josh Brolin’s comical Dr. William Block and his genetalia presentation, and finally rolling out cameo’s from Bruce Willis with a problem no amount of Clearasil could cure, and genre favourite Michael Biehn (The Terminator).
Planet Terror is best viewed as intended. A ludicrous 6-pack at the end of the night film that knows and does exactly what it say’s on the tin.
|
