Bueno, here is another installment in my massive (two!) review series. This afternoon, I will be sharing my thoughts on one half of the Grindhouse feature, Planet Terror directed by Robert Rodriguez.
First off, my feelings toward Rodriguez tend to sway towards appreciation more than actually loving the guy's recent work. I loved Sin City, but it was more for the great character work from guys like Clive Owen the Mickey Rourke (plus the Carla Gugino nudity) than the directing. Plus, considering it was shot nearly panel for panel based off of the comic book, Frank Miller is the one responsible for the copious amounts of money shots.
That said, I love the first half of From Dusk 'til Dawn (once the vampires show up I usually turn it off), El Mariachi and Desperado are great for different reasons but Once Upon a Time in Mexico is such a squandering of good will it should be criminal. What does all of this mean, you ask? I consider Rodriguez to be more workman-like in his directing, and until I watched Planet Terror I would have considered him something of a flash in the pan who somehow ended up convincing Rose McGowan to sleep with him.
I have watched the movie three times so far, and with each viewing I like it more and more. It really helps that I am a big fan of 80's and 90's action/horror films, because they are lampooned to great effect. A few of my friends did not realize this, and they we calling it 'stupid' without realizing the joke. I don't hold this against them. It is difficult for me to gauge how the common layman will perceive the humor because movie cliches have become part of my movie viewing experience. I can't help it at this point.
The story is fairly straightforward in that a miltary-grade gas has escaped and is infecting people. They turn into zombies. The survivors band together and try to fend them off and get to Mexico. Straightforward, yes, but within this framework is about a dozen hilariously cliched subplots that could each fuel their own movie. This is what make the film really shine. There is just so much going on, but nothing is overly complicated, so the viewer can leave the room to go take a dump and come back and still be able to figure out what is going on.
The film is rife with "Hey, it's 'That Guy'" moments, and it features definitely one of the better performances by early 90's heart-throb Jeff Fahey. All of the actors have intentionally wooden performances, including over-the-top dialog aplenty, so I doubt any Oscars will be handed out next February. Rose McGowan is better than she usually is, but towards the end of the film you can really notice her collagen implants. Freddy Rodriguez does very well as the mysterious badass, El Wrey, and his rampage through the hospital with butterfly knives was great. However, I think the breakout star is Josh Brolin. He's been having a fantastic year so far, and I can't wait to catch No Country For Old Men when it hits wide release this weekend (edit: I saw it on DVD; fantastic). He plays such a prick that I truly believe the wife-beater stories that came out about him a few years ago.
The special effects were crafted by Rodriguez's own homegrown company, but KNB provided the physical effects, and they are hilarious and exagerrated. The squibs shoot out ten feet of blood with each gunshot and the numerous zombie kills are handled nicely and with the glorious cheese that made the 80's so fun. Definitely give this movie a shot.
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