Review of Planet Terror (2007) by Thomas G — 19 Jul 2011

This is part of a set of two films that were directed by both Robert Rodriguez and Quenitin Tarantino. Rodriguez directed this film, and it is meant to be either a parody or an homage to grindhouse cinema... or both. For those of you who do not know about Grindhouse, it was a form of theaters in which they were very cheap and they featured mostly exploitation films or particularly low-budget horror and scifi. Seriously, you could tell that they had been to plenty of other theaters. These days, the closest thing to a grinhouse film is the horror that you see at film festivals, or the Syfy Channel films. This film is the basic "zombie" film that you would see in a grindhouse theater. And this supposedly being a Grindhouse film, it delivers whole-heartedly on what Girndhouse films show; Action, uncencored sexuality, and explosions. However, as the film progresses, it almost seems like it becomes less like a Grindhouse film until after the first 40 minutes, when it seems to become a character study. It is not until the last 30 minutes in which it delivers on the action it promises.

I love the makeup effects that they used in ths film, expecially the makeup of the zombies because they're not just the regular zombie with blood down its chest. It actually has lumps of deformed skin, and warts that cover most of their face. The film is decently written and decently acted, although there were some minor weak performances. Another thing I love aboutt he film is the cinematography, because it is designed to have the very look of a grindhouse film, from the scratches in the tape that were inserted, to the red flashes that appear purposely throughout the film. The studio that worked from this film was TroubleMaker Studios, and I could tell that they create really good cinematography. They biggest complaint that I have aboutt he film is the irony of it being a Grindhouse film, even though it has a relavtively big budget. Seriously, why would it cost $50,000 to make someone's head explode in this, when it cost David Lynch to do it for $20?

Overall, this film has action, spectacle, blood, gore, violence, nudity, sex, and complete bad-assery. Like I said, it's a collection of two films and I'm excited to watch the second film; Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof.