This is the first of the Grindhouse films I saw. If you’re not familiar with what I’m talking about, directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino decided to make a couple of B-movie flicks. The first that I saw, Planet Terror, was directed by Rodriguez and is about a biological outbreak of sorts.
I think the coolest thing about these films is the style. It looks like something out of the 1970s - the scratchy film, the sound, the commercials, the trailers, etc. I really wish the fake trailers would be made into real movies. There are even random bits of the films missing due to a missing reel. Before this whole digital age, films used to arrive in several reels that were loaded and lined up. If you’ve seen Fight Club, Tyler Durden talks about the “cigarette mark, ” that little circle in the upper right corner, showing when a new reel has started. This is something I had never even noticed until it was Tyler brought it to my attention. Anyways, the style is really cool and the films are shot present day, just in this old style.
Planet Terror is about a military group, I assume rogue, has their hands on some biological weapon. In a botched sale the chemical is released and starts wrecking havoc on the surronding area. The only people immune are the soldiers who were trying to buy the weapon in the first place. They have these gas masks of sorts on and are breathing in some type of antidote.
There is of course a group of heros who are trying to fight off the affected/infected people and these crazed soldiers at the same time. Being true to the B-genre, there are some nifty little elements like Cherry, played by Rose McGowan, loses her leg and ends up with a stump. A stump with a machine gun attached. This proves quite useful later on. While this film is a bit ridiculous, it’s definitely fun and entertaining. Liz walked in and said, “gross.” She happened to catch a couple scenes where the effects of the mysterious chemical was being seen on several townsfolk.
If you’ve seen a Rodriguez or Tarantino film before, you’ll probably recognize a lot of the actors. This is definitely an ensemble cast effort. If you get bored in the middle, just stick through to the end. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it at least a little bit.
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