Planet Terror (2007)

In a remote military base with Texas, an experimental bio-nerve gas is accidentally released. Anyone exposed to it transforms into a mindless brain and flesh eating zombie. It’s up to our three unlikely protagonists, Cherry (Rose McGowan) the stripper, her ex-boyfriend Wray (Freddie Rodriguez) the mechanic, and Sheriff Hague (Michael Biehn) to not only make it through the Zombie infested night, but to take them down and save their town and the world.

One of the most notable aspects of any B movie is that it carries a generally cheese and stereotypical overtone. Blood doesn’t leave the body like it would in an action/drama, it shoots out spraying everywhere as the most ridiculous things possible happen to the people in these movies. Extreme situations beget extreme characters, right? So when it comes to paying homage to a B movie, what better way to do so then to completely over exaggerate the over exaggerated?

Shown in theaters as a two part double feature, this Robert Rodriguez film fully exploits the typically B movie low budget product with high quality special effects and thrills but developed in the same fashion. The story itself opens up with a very unique and interesting trailer for an unfortunately made up movie called Machete, which follows a bloodthirsty assassin throughout it’s thrilling yet short length. Once into the film, you instantly notice the unpolitically correct B movie feel, complete with scantily clad women and their sexist macho counterparts, the over abundance of gratuitous violence and gore, and the heart pounding hardcore soundtrack.

To push it even further, Cherry, a failed comedian, had become the butt of her own joke, as losing a leg makes it difficult to do stand-up comedy. But luckily for those she’s with, her replacement can handle zombies a little better than they can. Considering, well, it’s a gun leg and all….

Just like every other Rodriguez or Quintin Tarantino film, this movie is either something you’re into or something you’re not. No review or preview is going to sell you on this movie, just as nothing in their older movies would either. But those fans of the genre and fans of the director, this DVD is a must have. The special features in the DVD include a commentary by Rodriguez himself, a behind the scenes look, and even a 10 minute short explaining a little bit more about transforming Cherry’s leg into a gun through visual effects.