Planet Terror

Cool vintage looking poster.

Once again we'll be talking about a Robert Rodríguez movie. The first one we discussed was exploitation tribute Machete and now we will be introduced to a grindhouse tribute made in 2007 as a two movie project along with Rodríguez buddy Quentin Tarantino (He did the Deathproof movie for the project)

Robert Rodríguez career as a film maker has been just like wine, the older it gets, the better it tastes. This guy started with an extremely low budget for his debut film El Mariachi in 1992 and today he along with Tarantino represent the greatest directing couple in the updated exploitation genre.

So, the story is set in a small town in rural Texas. Some mutant virus is accidentally released after a deal between a scientist, Abby (Naveen Andrews) and military man Lt. Muldoon (Bruce Willis) goes badly wrong. Within the town people start to get inflected and become mindless zombies. 

Many people have are cause in the middle of it, including go-go dancer Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan) who loose her leg, her ex-boyfriend El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) who has had run-ins with the law and good with guns, the town sheriff (Michael Biehn) who leads the operation and Dr. William Brock (Josh Brolin) and his wife Dr. Dakota Brock (Marley Shelton) who see the zombie spreading first hand as there go through marriage problems.

Soft Exploitation bits.

One Legged Warrior.

Blonde Fatale.

When a film has a poster of a girl with a gun for a leg and has a man who punishes failure by cutting off someone's testicles, then you shouldn't be expecting an art-house classic. Robert Rodriguez knows this is B-Movie and has fun with it: he relishes the action and violence that happens throughout the film and there is plenty of comedy with the over-the-top action. Robert Rodriguez direction was very much like if George A. Romero and John Carpenter had a love child. Freddy Rodriguez was very effective in the action hero role, showing his skills with guns and knifes and had the right sort of build, not too big, not too small. McGowan too was quite good and what can be more fun then seeing a woman with a gun for a leg. Shelton was also a effective heroine and looked plenty damn good. Willis and Brolin offers some gravitas to the film, Willis was of particular note in his small role where he was more of a villainous role for a change.

Mad Science.

Yes ,I'm the bad guy.

The good guys?

Do You like my legs?

A tough girl.

Tarantino's Cameo.

The exploitation love scene.

Overall, Planet Terror is exactly what it was meant to be, a parody and homage to low-budget grindhouse of the 70s and low budget zombie mayhem flicks from the 80's. The film itself has little to do with Tarantino's Deathproof.

Here's the movie trailer:

Soon I'll be making reviews for Rodriguez earlier works El Mariachi & the world famous Desperado. Tarantino? maybe, first I have to stop thinking he's my favorite film maker to avoid writing reviews of thousands and thousands of words on his godlike talent.

Until then see you!