The first part of Grindhouse is Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror-a gross-out mutant-zombie bloodfest brimming with pus, detached limbs and more headshots than a Hollywood agent's file cabinet. To get a good idea of the perversions that await you on Planet Terror, picture this: Naveen Andrews (aka Sayid from Lost) manages to creep us out with a jar full of testicles, acquire two more for his collection and land face-first on one of them during a gunfight-all within the first 15 minutes.
The premise is pretty formulaic for the genre. A government experiment gone wrong leads to the creation of flesh-eating monsters and the small Southern townspeople's only hope lies in a dark, mysterious stranger's ability to lead them to safety. This simple premise is flipped in Rodriguez/Tarantino style with absolutely absurd characters. Heroic El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) and his raven-haired, assault-rifle-legged-Go-Go ex-girlfriend Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan) are perfect send-ups of snuff-film superheroes-like Shaft on shrooms. Dr. Dakota Block (Marley Shelton) goes psycho when she finds her lesbian lover (Stacy Ferguson, that's Fergie for the "My Humps" set) one cerebellum short.
Although the film is marked by flat yet interesting characters-watch Josh Brolin and Jeff Fahey steal scenes as a love-scorned doctor and congenial barbecue chef-the film's true asset is commitment to quick action and shudder-inducing visuals. Helicopters mowing down mutant soldiers, El Wray's acrobatic knifeplay and Cherry's rocket-launcher massacre make a joke of the conventions of '70s snuff. Planet Terror may not make for memorable cinema, but it does show Rodriguez's talent for hyperbolic directing, probably more suited for intense commericals or music videos.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.