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Planet Terror

A movie directed by Robert Rodriguez

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Rodriguez has really topped Tarantino with this.

Oct 2, 2007

by MzJen_2_review

Rating:

This movie is great and the ones that watch it with me had a blast. Rodriguez had already indulged himself to his heart's content in From Dusk Till Dawn (Dimension Collector's Series) which was also about a group of people fighting off warring vampires in a night club from, as the name indicates, from dusk till dawn, which makes "Planet Terror" an encore exercise of pretty much similar plot, similar format and similar execution. As his other movies like El Mariachi (Special Edition) and Desperado (Special Edition) are themselves (quite stylish) derivatives of the exploitative genre, it is difficult to find any redeeming value in the repetition, even if it is done in zest and playful ribbing, which reduces "Planet Terror" a Cliff Notes' version to "From Dusk till Dawn".

"Planet Terror" features a giant cast of big names, small names, and names a few of us grin fondly at. The most fun, though, comes from the lead characters of Wray and Cherry, handled deftly in regards to pure entertainment by lesser-known Freddy Rodriguez Rose McGowan. Wray seems like an insignificant nice guy who drives a wrecker, but he has a mysterious past and combat skills that are brutally efficient. Cherry is a go-go dancer that used to be involved years ago with Wray and happens to find herself back in his company on the bloody night our story transpires. Watching Wray take charge of the survivors and kick butt all over is fun, doubly so because he is such a likable and unassuming hero. And Cherry, who loses one of her legs early on for the sake of "running" gags and a wonderfully absurd series of action scenes where a machine gun has replaced her leg, is mostly pleasant as a damsel in distress who must become an involuntary mistress of destruction. This movie has so many fantastic moments, subtle touches, and ridiculous humor.

Rodriguez has always handled the cinematography, editing, and music for his pictures-- he coined the phrase "shot, chopped, and scored" for his Renaissance man approach to his pictures. While I have often wished he would find himself an editor, he has always excelled at the shooting and scoring, and not only does he deliver a nuclear explosion of talent for those this time, his editing manages to work superbly in this genre's already choppy format. The film is a visual extravaganza, not only for the gore and make-up artistry (be aware this is one of the biggest gross-outs I have ever seen on screen recently), but for Rodriguez's keen eye for photography on films of this ilk as well as the artificial flaws he implants in the movie to lend authenticity to the idea that this film was meant for another era. Scratches on film, color errors, skipping frames, burn outs on reels as well as a missing reel (a humorous tool Tarantino employs in his offering as well) give "Planet Terror" an atmosphere of cool.

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woopak_the_thrill April 18, 2011

ah...milady strikes back.

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More Planet Terror reviews

Quick Tip by woopak_the_thrill. April 18, 2011

posted in Movie Hype

A Quick Tip by woopak_the_thrill

While I preferred the back-to-back presentation of "Grindhouse" (complete with the made-up trailers) Robert Rodriguez's highly entertaining homage to B-movies, exploitation films, horror-zombie movies and 'grindhouse" can stand on its own. Arguably more fun than Tarantino's "Death Proof". The film that gave "Machete" the opening to become a full-feature film! 4 Out of 5 Stars

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review by MichaelN. May 22, 2009

Very Entertaining Zombie-type Tale!

Here is another entry into the spoof the Night of the Living Dead series. This one is highly entertaining. It is made like it is being shown in a cheap movie theater in the 70's with breaks in the film and coming attractions to other movies (they show a spoof called Machete). Rose McGowan alone makes this movie as she is one of the sexiest looking stars in movies. During the movie she loses a leg but her boyfriend later replaces it with a machine gun for which she then starts mowing down the zombies. … more

Comments (4) Compliments (24)

review by Byron_Kolln. August 27, 2009

posted in Movie Hype

"Now you've got a gal in your wrecked truck with a missing leg? A missing leg that's now missing?"

It's "Night of the Living Dead" meets "Showgirls" meets "Smokey and the Bandit"...! When toxic biochemicals are released into the Earth's atmosphere, transforming innocent bystanders into flesh-guzzling zombies, mankind's only hope lies with former go-go dancer Cherry (Rose McGowan), who wears a machine-gun in place of an amputated leg...one of her many "useless talents"... That's the bizarre plot of PLANET TERROR, writer/director Robert Rodriguez's … more

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review by Steveo. August 12, 2008

A Nostalgic Gorefest

Grindhouse was originally released in theatres as a nostalgic look at the matinée style movies of the Grindhouse theatres. These movie theatres would usually display 1, 2 or even 3 movies in a row. The movies were relatively low budget in exchange for high levels of advertising. Both Tarrantino and Rodriguez have spoken of their love for the Grindhouse theatres as kids. They both set about to make two separate movies that would be shown in succession, but in between would feature commercials for … more

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review by nateandersen. March 21, 2008

posted in Movie Hype

Just add blood (and gore, girls, guns, and guts) ... for a fine Texas barbecue sauce

Gore, girls, guns, zombifying gases and guts-- I guess that's all it takes to make a moderately entertaining and occasionally visually stunning flick. Of course, it won't do much for your mind -- unlike some grindhouse flicks that play with intriguing subtexts underneath all of the shock-inducing and exploitation schlock -- Robert Rodriguez just wants to ramp up the insanity step by step, piling up absurd but effective and increasingly over the top gory elements until, after the climax, it all ends … more

Comment Compliments (12)

review by MichaelN. March 03, 2008

Entertaining!

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About the reviewer

Jen-Jay AKA:JJI (MzJen_2_review)
Ranked #89

Married into the military for over a decade and it does has itpros andcons. The lifestyle is great and Ido enjoy it. I'm able to do things and see things that I thought I wouldn't dream of. My kids loves … more

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About this movie

Wiki

Director Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) is back with a rip-roaring, zombie-infested rollercoaster of a movie that "sure as hell keeps you hanging on for the ride" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone). Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Bruce Willis, and an all-star cast fight for their lives in the ultimate showdown between an army of flesh-eating mutants and a motley group of rag-tag survivors. Featuring one of the most memorable screen heroines ever and the now-legendary mock Machete trailer, "Planet Terror is as total blast - funny, gory and over the top" (Christy Lemire, Associated Press).

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