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Planet Terror (2007)

Director: Robert Rodriguez

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From Time Out London

Robert Rodriguez’s zombie actioner was originally conceived as part of the ’70s pastiche double-bill ‘Grindhouse’ – the other half, Tarantino’s ‘Death Proof’, came out over here a few weeks ago – and it’s impossible to sever from that context. Which is to say, it’s a hyper-referential, super-visceral, tongue-in-cheek exercise in splatter aimed squarely at exploitation devotees. A Texas hospital is the epicentre of an outbreak of face-melting cannibalism unleashed by a mishap at the military base down the highway; our heroes are the requisite rag-tag band of survivors headed by Freddie Rodriguez and Rose McGowan, whose machine-gun prosthetic leg is the movie’s undeniable coup. Unlike Tarantino, who at least attempted to riff on genre, Rodriguez aims simply to replicate it with the volume turned up. On those terms, it’s not a bad job: aficionados will appreciate the po-faced wordplay and self-consciously gnarled-up aesthetic (missing reels, bad syncing, etc) as much as the fleshy centrepieces and gross-out grace notes. Others will struggle to find much appeal in the flimsy characters and repetitive carnage.

Author: Ben Walters 2007-11-05 15:41:21

Time Out London Issue 1942: November 7-13 2007