Planet Terror

Unbelievable as it may seem, Rodriguez's cinematic knowledge trumps even Tarantino's, and his Planet Terror is an absolutely perfect concentration of genre deviations, quirks, and flaws. The only person who can search for a more meaningful plot is someone who abhors the trash aesthetic or has never tried it on his own spectator senses. This is the most daring film of the year, which piles one idea after another, culminating in Rose McGowan, whom I hereby dub the hottest tigress of this film season, and Rodriguez the bravest freak who is bothered by absolutely nothing (the deaths of animals or children). I want Machete immediately, or Grindhouse II! (10/21/2007)

Filmed with love, humor, irony, detachment, and above all, joy. With every other shot, I had the image of an enthusiastic Rodriguez bouncing around behind the camera and looking forward to the next take. However, it occurred to me too often that the times when Robert was able to restrain his ideas and give them a form that didn't require me to protest against overcomplication and lack of taste were long gone. Yes, you can enjoy Planet Terror without necessarily liking it. It flies by, Bruce Willis occasionally takes a breather, Naveen Andrews delivers a great performance, and Freddy Rodriguez shoots so much that it will make your head spin. Add to that perfect scenes like "the most badass character in the whole movie riding a children's motorcycle," and you'll find that the plot just doesn't stop. But it's a splatter film. And with that comes blood, slime, corpses, blisters, more slime, repulsiveness, twistedness, and an extra dose of slime on top of that. And that manages to bring down the entertaining ride to the level of a slightly below-average (albeit perfectly fast-paced) snack. 55% (02/11/2008)

A proper homage to trash. For the uninitiated viewer, whose horizon in the horror genre ends at most somewhere around Count Dracula, this will be a "sick perversion" (in the words of my work colleague), while others will enjoy the tons of references and the irresistible depravity of Rodriguez's brainchild. I'm with Ish, I want more Grindhouse, Trey's machete-wielding avenger, werewolf SS-men, and a Thanksgiving slasher spree (including a trampoline)!! But I still like Tarantino's contribution to the project a bit better, because it's more personal and therefore more interesting. And definitely a big thanks to the Weinstein brothers who weren't afraid to put their money into this bold non-mainstream project. That they then unfortunately wept at the earnings is another matter. (10/23/2007)

While the dialogue was Tarantino’s Achilles heel, in Rodriguez’s case, it is the story. Despite these failings, both of the Grindhouse movies provide some delicious entertainment, and Planet Terror is an absolute king of the trash genre. On the “Troma scare”, I’d give it five out of five; on a normal scale, it gets three stars. (08/24/2007)

Robert Rodriguez is back just how I like him best. And about time, after the childish Spy Kids and the heavily narrative Sin City. Planet Terror has balls. Bloated zombies, guys with snappy lines and action that I have thirsted for ever since I saw Desperado for the first time. The cast is also excellent. A bad-guy Bruce Willis, the ravishing Rose McGowan and tough guy Freddy Rodriguez who came across in an even better light than he did in Harsh Times and I predict a promising future for him. Thorough-bred entertainment which will please Grindhouse fans much more than Tarantino’s piece. (10/05/2007)