Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Written by: Robert Rodriguez
Review by: Russell Bumstab
Where is your tongue? Is it planted firmly in your cheek? It will need to be to enjoy this black comedy retro-style zombie romp. This is the second movie of the “Grindhouse” project by Tarantino.
The plot of Planet Terror is based around a chemical outbreak in a small town, turning the infected humans into – you guessed it – limb-ripping, brain eating zombies! Leaving a motley crew of uninfected citizens to save the planet. Here endeth the movie plot.
There is a love interest between El Wray, our hero, and Cherry Darling – played wonderfully by Rose McGowan. Cherry, as you may have seen from the promotional photos, becomes an amputee with a sub-machine gun where her stump is. Wonderful stuff.
The enjoyment in this movie is undoubtedly the over-the-top carnage and bloodshed, and has some real gross-out moments. Your scribe jumped out of his seat at one particularly gruesome moment when a lady with no power in her hands (after being injected by her murderous doctor husband) attempts to open her car door by jamming her hand all the way down to her wrist behind the door handle. She then stumbles on her high heels, falls over, and the almighty crack of a broken wrist echoes around the cinema… highly uncomfortable viewing!
Have you ever seen a zombie squeeze his acne? That’s uncomfortable viewing too.
Watch out for an “unbilled” cameo performance by Bruce Willis, as well as a very decent small role for Fergie of “Black Eyed Peas” fame. She certainly has 2 Oscar winning parts. Fnar Fnar.
The retro, 1970’s exploitation feel of the movie is thoroughly enjoyable, and unless you’re a diehard fan of Tarantino’s work, Rodriguez’s Planet Terror is the better feature of the Grindhouse package.
So grab yourself some popcorn, leave your brain at the front door of the cinema, and just revel in the zombie terror fun. Then if you’re like me, cycle home through a park fully expecting to have your limbs ripped off and eaten!