Planet Terror (2007)

Director:

Robert Rodriguez

Writer:

Robert Rodriguez (written by)

Release Date:

21 June 2007 (Israel)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Fully Loaded

Plot:

After an experimental bio-weapon is released, turning thousands into zombie-like creatures, it's up to a rag-tag group of survivors to stop the infected and those behind its release.

Plot Keywords:

Gas | Texas | Military Base | Sheriff | Go Go Dancer

Cast

Rose McGowan	...	Cherry Darling
Freddy Rodríguez	...	Wray (as Freddy Rodriguez)
Josh Brolin	...	Dr. William Block
Marley Shelton	...	Dr. Dakota Block
Jeff Fahey	...	J.T.
Michael Biehn	...	Sheriff Hague
Rebel Rodriguez	...	Tony Block
Bruce Willis	...	Lt. Muldoon
Naveen Andrews	...	Abby
Julio Oscar Mechoso	...	Romy
Stacy Ferguson	...	Tammy
Nicky Katt	...	Joe
Hung Nguyen	...	Dr. Crane
Cecilia Conti	...	Paramedic Cecil
Tommy Nix	...	Paramedic Nixer

Also Known As:

Grindhouse Presents: Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror (USA) (DVD title)
Project Terror (USA) (working title)
Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

105 min (international version) | 95 min (original release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Philippines:R-13 | UK:18 | Singapore:R21 | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Italy:VM14 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | USA:Not Rated | Ireland:16 | Brazil:18 | Japan:R-15 | South Korea:18 | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R16 | Germany:18 (cut) (DVD version) | Germany:18 (JK/SPIO) (special edition DVD) | Canada:18A (Canadian Home Video rating) | France:-12 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Peru:18

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

The scene where Wray and Cherry burst out on the motorcycle and Cherry fires the gun was filmed first and then redone with CGI.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene where J.T. is lying behind the counter in the Bone Shack assumed dead by Wray and Sheriff Hague, as J.T. awakes up you hear him cycle a pump action shot gun. J.T. is clearly holding a double barrel shotgun which has no cycling action. "Double Barrels" have a break open action where the barrels tilt forward for loading and unloading of 2 rounds only.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Skip: Real pretty tonight, Holly.
[two girls are kissing]
Skip: Goddammit, girls - if you're gonna do that shit, do it onstage!
[walks away]
Skip: Smokin' hot. Whew!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Andromeda Strain" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Useless Talent #38

A deliberate guilty pleasure

While Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof seems to be a much more authentic representation of 1970s grindhouse pictures, Robert Rodriguez' Planet Terror is more of a loving caricature of 1980s zombie splatter films. Nothing in the film is played straight, and virtually every scene is accompanied by a wink and a grin at the audience.

If Tarantino's effort is accused of being slow (or deliberately paced, depending on your opinion), Planet Terror never even thinks about slowing down. From the exploitative opening credits through to the final frames of the film, this is a roller coaster ride of a film that doesn't let up.

With Planet Terror, Robert Rodriguez continues his "everything and the kitchen sink" mentality when it comes to his film-making by throwing everything at the wall just to see what sticks. While it sometimes feels like this technique gets in the way of Rodriguez finding a true film-making voice, it works quite well for a film like Planet Terror where there's no room for subtlety.

The cast that Rodriguez assembled is a glorious ensemble of bygone action heroes, horror icons, and Rodriguez stock actors. They all bring their parts to life in a cartoonish sort of way that fits the tone of the movie beautifully.

While the uncut DVD edition of Planet Terror doesn't change the film drastically in any way, it definitely improves the film. It gives the film smoother transitions and fills in some gaps in the plot (though that missing reel is still there and will always remain there as one of the many comical winks at the audience). The large cast of characters are also given more beats here and there that help fill out their personas a little more. All in all, this uncut version simply allows the film to breathe a little more, rather than having to jump frantically from scene to scene in an effort to make the 84 minute running time.

At the end of the day, Planet Terror isn't going to win any awards, and it's certainly not meant to. It's simply an extremely enjoyable guilty pleasure of a film that virtually anyone with the stomach for it can probably have a good time with, especially if you're a horror fan. Take a couple of classic John Carpenter films like The Fog and Escape From New York and throw them into a blender with a couple of classic zombie splatter films like Evil Dead 2 and Dawn of the Dead and you've got a pretty good idea of what Planet Terror is like. And at the end of the day, you could definitely have a worse combination of films to pay loving homage to.