Planet Terror
I have a soft spot for the double feature Planet Terror and Death Proof. I remember being so excited for this to come out and it’s one of the few movies I’ve been able to see on opening night. Boy did I get some crazy looks and the ticket girl asked if I was sure I wanted to see it. Mind you, I was about 6 months pregnant and was very much showing. Plus I went alone to watch it. I must say I made it through both movies and the fake ads without having to get up to go to the bathroom. Now that is an accomplishment while pregnant!
Released: Apr 6, 2007
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Writer: Robert Rodriguez
Actors: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodríguez, Josh Brolin
PLOT
An unknown and dangerous gas is released and a rag tag group of people must fight to stay alive.
MY THOUGHTS
Try not to shoot yourselves. Don't shoot each other. But especially... don't shoot me.--Sheriff Hague
I’m not even going to attempt to count the deaths in this movie. As far as the main cast I would say there are 4, 5 if you count Dakota’s son Tony. I would say the saddest is Wray’s death. He finally gets back with Cherry and he then bites it. It was nice seeing Sheriff and J.T., they are brothers, settle their differences and die together. Tony’s death was a shock but he was kind of annoying and you could tell he would die. When Dakota left him in the car with a loaded gun I knew he was a goner. Never do that. Especially with a kid who doesn’t listen.
There were several known actors in this movie. And I feel they all did a good job. As far as outliers, we have Bruce Willis, Naveen Andrews, Tom Savini, and Carlos Gallardo. Oh, and I have to add Fergie. I know someone will check me if I leave her out.
Bruce Willis plays Lt. Muldoon, the leader of the military unit looking for the toxic gas. Naveen Andrews (known for Lost) plays Abby, a scientist who knows about the gas and inadvertently releases it. Tom Savini as Deputy Tolo and Carlos Gallardo (from El Mariachi, Desperado, and Dead Hooker in a Trunk) as Deputy Carlos as cops working with Sheriff Hague. Fergie plays Tammy, Dakota’s lover trying to get to Dakota.
The main cast is large, so bare with me. We have Rose McGowen, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Jeff Fahey, and Michael Biehn.
Rose McGowen plays Cherry, an ex go-go dancer who has a past with Wray. She is also infamous for the gun leg. Freddy Rodriguez plays Wray, a tow truck driver who has a mysterious past who knows his way around weapons. Josh Brolin plays Bill, Dakota’s possibly abusive husband. Marley Shelton plays Dakota, an anesthesiologist. She’s planning on running away with Tammy, taking her son with him. Unfortunately for her, all hell breaks loose. Jeff Fahey plays J.T. a restaurant owner trying to perfect his BBQ sauce. And finally Michael Biehn plays Sheriff Hague, J.T.’s brother.
Now, I have to mention Michael Parks reprising his role as Earl McGraw. He’s a familiar face in Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarentino movies. He plays Earl McGraw in From Dusk Till Dawn, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Planet Terror, and Death Proof. He’s known for so many different roles in horror that I’m not going to mention them all.
Where to start with the movie. Cherry Darling decides she has had enough being a Go-Go dancer and takes off eventually running into her ex, Wray. Meanwhile, a clandestine meeting between Lt. Muldoon and his soldiers with Abby go terribly wrong. The toxic fumes are released when Abby shoots the container.
At Dakota’s house we find out she is having an affair and is planning on running away with her girlfriend. Her husband is suspicious but doesn’t know yet. They both work in the hospital and leave for work.
While driving, Wray crashes his truck when an infected person is in the road. An infected person grabs Cherry and drags her to others who rip off her leg. Wray chases off the infected and takes her to the hospital.
The sheriff thinks it’s Wray’s fault for what happens to Cherry. He arrests him and takes him to jail where all hell is breaking loose. When the situation is under control, Wray along with the Sheriff and those who are still alive head to the hospital.
Cherry wakes up to chaos and the knowledge that she has lost a leg. Wray finds her and breaks off some wood and jabs into her leg so she has at least something. They all leave for J.T.’s BBQ Shack to regroup.
At the hospital a body comes in of Tammy, a former girlfriend and current lover of Dakota’s. Bill brings in Dakota and that makes him even more convinced she is having an affair. He takes her to another room and takes her phone, proving her infidelity. He plans on killing her, but the infected attack in the hospital, causing chaos and Dakota escapes, racing home to get their son Tony.
Dakota grabs Tony and they head to her fathers house, Earl McGraw. While she goes to see if he’s home, she leaves Tony in the car with a loaded gun. WTF? What was she thinking? So obviously he shoots himself in the head, killing him.
We get a “missing reel” card and then restart where everyone is at J.T.’s and the Sheriff is injured. They all plan to head for Mexico. They don’t get far when there are too many infected and then Muldoon and his men arrive, killing the infected, and taking the survivors as prisoners.
While being held, Abby explains what has happened and tells him that he thinks he can make a cure. So, obviously, during the escape Abby is killed. During this Cherry gets the mini-gun/weapon as a leg. Oddly enough, Abby, Wray, and Bill are the only ones’ killed at this time.
The group escapes to Mexico, with the ocean to their backs. We even see Tony, who somehow survives. He’s seen playing with his pets.
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Overall I found Planet Terror entertaining and a decent movie. I liked how they made the movie like an old school Grindhouse movie. With the missing reel, damaged film, and subtle nods to the old movies. And I know some people had issues with how Cherry shot the gun leg. I didn’t have any problems with it because it’s supposed to be a grindhouse movie. This is common in those types of movies. Everything doesn’t have to make sense. If you haven’t seen this movie, I recommend going to see it. Now. Go.
And now for your Forever Final Girl Exclusive…Did you know?:
The missing reel was never filmed in the first place and does not exist.
Robert Rodriguez has said he does not know who El Wray is and never wrote a history for the character, leaving it open to interpretation. He is named after the town where the McCoys are headed in The Getaway, one of both Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's favorite films.
The appearance of Bruce Willis in a minor role is a subtle nod to an old marketing trick often employed by Grindhouse makers. They would contract a big-name movie star to appear in their movie for one day, for a few frontal shots only, while the rest of the scenes were done with a double filmed from the back. A picture of the big star would then be placed prominently on the movie's poster in order to boost sales.
Felix Sabates, who plays Dr. Felix, is a real doctor and is Robert Rodriguez's personal physician.
Robert Rodriguez first came up with the idea for Planet Terror while making The Faculty (1998). He told Elijah Wood and Josh Hartnett that zombie movies were about to come back in a major way. He wanted to be there first when it happened so he prepared a script. But he only got as far as 30 pages before he got stuck for ideas. And when he got attached to other projects, the zombie craze happened just as he predicted. Rodriguez later commented, "I knew I should've made my zombie movie."
While on set, Robert Rodriguez would play the soundtracks from Escape from New York (1981) and The Thing (1982) to set the mood for the movie.
When Tammy is changing her car radio station, the DJ is heard dedicating an upcoming song to the "departed Jungle Julia."
When Wray is first introduced, he asks the owner of the Bone Shack for a pack of cigarettes. The brand he is handed, "Red Apple," is the same brand that Bruce Willis' character, Butch Coolidge, is handed in Marsellus Wallace's bar in Pulp Fiction (1994). This is perhaps a nod to the much noted friendship between Tarantino and Rodriguez.
Rose McGowan played the role of Tatum Riley in Scream who was the younger sister of David Arquette's Dewey Riley. Marley Shelton appeared in Scream 4 as Deputy Judy Hicks, who has a crush on Dewey who is now the Sheriff. Coincidentally, Michael Biehn played Corporal Hicks in Aliens.
The scratches and other artifacts on the film and fake trailers are intentional, meant to mimic the physical condition of a film print that has been through projectors so many times, dust and other matter caught in the gate would scratch the film badly.
Zoë Bell has a cameo as a zombie feasting on a paramedic. She appears in both Death Proof and this film, and is one of the small group of actors and actresses to be part of both Planet Terror and the Death Proof world. The others are Rose McGowan, Marley Shelton, Michael Parks, "The Twins" and Quentin Tarantino.
Robert Rodriguez found the scene where Dr. Dakota Block leaves son Tony in the car with a gun to be so chilling to film, he didn't want to use anyone else's children to play Tony, so he used his own son, Rebel Rodriguez, so he wouldn't feel as bad "killing a child".
Tony was played by Rebel Rodriguez (Robert's son)
As 'Planet Terror' is an homage to the old, low budget Grindhouse films of the 70's and 80's, there are many deliberate errors by the filmmaker to give an authentic Grindhouse feel.
Have you seen the other Grindhouse movie? Check out my other review here: Grindhouse Franchise.
Let’s get into the rankings:
Kills/Blood/Gore: 5/5
Sex/Nudity: .5/5
Scare factor: 3/5
Enjoyment factor: 5/5
My Rank: 4/5
IMDB: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: critics: 7.6/10 audience: 7.7/10
Letterboxd: 3.3/5