Planet Terror (Blu-ray)

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"Humanity´s last hope… rests on a high-powered machine gun!" – Planet Terror

When we last visited Robert Rodriguez´ and Quentin Tarantino´s "Grindhouse" production (or at least part of it anyways), I kind of went off on a little rant—and with good reason. Okay, maybe it wasn´t little, so I promise not to repeat myself in this one. Those who are interested can simply check it out in my critique of the "Death Proof" Blu-ray here.

This time, we look at Rodriguez´s spin on the zombie genre, "Planet Terror," now receiving the high-definition treatment on Blu-ray. One thing I should mention is that while the mock trailers that were such an important part of the "Grindhouse" experience are still depressingly absent for the most part, "Planet Terror" does include the fan-favorite "Machete" tacked on the beginning of the actual film itself. Now it doesn´t completely make up for this poor oversight by the studio, but "Machete" is so awesome it certainly helps take the edge off some of the sting. Therefore, the home video release of "Planet Terror" receives a bonus point over its engine-revving counterpart.

The story takes place on the outskirts of Austin, Texas where a go-go dancer named Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan) has grown tired of swinging on poles at the local strip bar and racking up an extensive list of "useless talents." More than anything, Cherry wants to do something more meaningful with her existence, so she quits her job and sets out to find her purpose in life. As fate would have it, Cherry bumps into her mysterious ex-boyfriend Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) at the Bone Shack BBQ owned by a scummy creep known simply as J.T. (Jeff Fahey). There´s an uneasy tension between the former couple, but Cherry reluctantly asks for a lift out of town and Wray accepts.

Meanwhile, a couple of miles from a nearby military base, a business deal revolving around an experimental biochemical compound between a black market dealer known as Abby (Naveen Andrews, ABC´s "Lost") and a group of soldiers led by Lt. Muldoon (Bruce Willis) goes sour. In the words of Muldoon, this is when "the shit" hits the fan so to speak, as a cloud of the gas is released infecting many of the residents surrounding the area. Soon, the hospital is riddled with cases of stomach-churning, pus-filled sores puzzling Dr. Block (Josh Brolin), his anesthesiologist wife Dakota (Marley Shelton), and the rest of the medical staff.

Tragedy strikes for our go-go dancer, though, when Wray and Cherry are attacked and something gnaws off one of Cherry´s legs. Wray quickly dashes her to the emergency room, but J.T.´s brother, Sheriff Hague (Michael Biehn), has it in for the lad and brings him in for questioning. But as the town is being slowly overrun by mutants with a taste for human flesh, the Sheriff, Wray, and the rest of the survivors must find a way to work together if they´re going to make it out alive.

"Planet Terror" has overly-melodramatic performances, cheesy dialogue, and some hokey special effects, but that´s entirely the whole point. It´s meant to be a spoof of the variety of B-movie creature features born in the eighties, and even though the film is blatantly corny to its core—Rodriguez still puts it all together in a stylish package that works surprisingly well. Between the over-the-top stunts, brutally graphic gore, or the impossible scenarios, there´s never a dull moment in this visual masterpiece.

Rodriguez even manages to inject hearty substance into the film through masterful character development. By giving the players some interesting quirks, quibbles, and skeletons in their closets, they are far from being one-dimensional stereotypical shells lining up for slaughter. Some of their idiosyncrasies even create a few twists that come full circle. For instance, Cherry´s "useless talents" and how Wray "never misses" become so much more than just witty dialogue filler. They actually have a purpose, and it´s just so darn clever.

Personally, I have to say that "Planet Terror" takes "Death Proof" to the cleaners when it comes to entertainment value and holds up much better for repeat viewings. Plus for what it´s worth, it´s definitely one of the most unique zombie films ever made and a thrill ride from beginning to end.

Video:
"Planet Terror" was originally framed in 2.35:1 aspect ratio during its initial theatrical run, although Rodriguez changed this to 1.78:1 for the home video release. Despite being filmed digitally, the picture has also been altered to appear old and worn out—with everything from dirt, scratches, specks, grain, noise, judder, color bleeding, and splices intentionally added to the film. It looks messy, but that´s part of the movie´s charm.