Saturday, October 27, 2007

Planet Terror DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Robert Rodriguez Homage to Zombie Genre Released on DVD

This Robert Rodriguez tour de force was originally released in theaters paired with Quentin Tarantino Death Proof as the better half of Grindhouse, a double feature of deliberately low-grade throwbacks designed as an homage to the B-flicks from the Fifties. Cineastes nostalgic for that brand of mediocre moviemaking will find themselves magically transported back to that era via this hilarious, high attrition-rate horror parody.
Planet Terror is a gruesome homage to every awful zombie adventure ever made. But be forewarned, in order to recreate an authentic ambience, the director has gone out of his way to degrade the quality of the production. So, don’t be surprised to see deliberately choppy editing, seasick cinematography, obviously excised scenes, cheesy dialogue, unrelated filler sequences and low-budget special effects, along with obvious scratch marks etched into the screen to convey the idea that you’re watching a well-worn print.
The shopworn storyline resurrects the cannibalistic ghouls gone amuck theme once again, and revolves around Cherry Dancer (Rose McGowan), a stripper whose diminished dream of becoming a doctor has her just hoping to take a shot as a stand-up comedienne.
The inconsequential plot thickens when, ala Night of the Living Dead, the deceased come back to life in order to feast on their fellow humans. However, after losing a leg to the flesh-eating monsters, our heroine Cherry gets a chance to save the day in a bloody finale after she has an automatic weapon mounted onto her stump.
Merely mindless, improbable mayhem, yes, yet a guaranteed treat for fans of that trashy genre a couple of generations gone.

Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 105 minutes
Studio: Genius Productions
2-Disc DVD Extras: Director’s audio commentary, five featurettes, the international trailer, a photo gallery, and more.

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