Planet Terror Blu-ray delivers great video and superb audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
In Robert Rodríguez's "Planet Terror," two doctors find their graveyard shift inundated with
townspeople ravaged by sores. Among the wounded is Cherry, a dancer whose leg was ripped
from her body. As the invalids quickly become enraged aggressors, Cherry and her ex-
boyfriend Wray lead a team of accidental warriors into the night.
When Directors and best friends Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino teamed up in
2007 to spoof their favorite low-budget action flicks in Grindhouse, little did they
know that the project would become something of a pariah with audiences. The original
concept was to combine separate directorial efforts, Planet Terror from Rodriguez
and Death Proof from Tarantino, along with a slew of fake trailers from other
directors, and to deliver a unique experience to film lovers everywhere. Unfortunately, the
project was greeted by audiences with ambivalence, trashed by critics and the film
ultimately floundered at
the box office. Months were spent speculating on the reasons for the massive failure of
Grindhouse. Pundits weighed in with their opinions and even Harvey Weinstein
opined that the two films should have never been released on the same bill. The films were
released separately in Europe and now, on Blu-ray. Planet Terror was the first film
in the Grindhouse experience and it showcases Mr. Rodriguez's love of campy humor
and over the top gore. Be warned, Planet Terror is not for the squeamish!
Cherry goes through the motions.
Planet Terror opens with the film's heroine, Cherry (Rose McGowan), lifelessly fulfilling the basic duties of her job as a stripper, while a series of strange events begin to occur all over her
backwoods home town. A mysterious man named El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) makes his arrival into town just as
nefarious military agents release a slew of flesh-eating zombies out into the night. Dr. Block
(Josh Brolin) and his wife Dakota (Marley Shelton) take their strained relationship into the
hospital where they both work, as legions of afflicted locals begin to pour in with strange
flesh-altering illnesses. Curiosity over this mystery illness turns to panic as patients suddenly develop cannibalistic tendencies and turn on the doctors who are furiously trying to cure them. Before too long, all hell has broken loose in the small town and it's
up to Cherry, El Wray and a host of locals to battle the rapidly multiplying hordes of flesh eating mutants.
Planet Terror is ridiculously over the top, campy, astoundingly gory and a hell of a
lot of fun. Those with an aversion to blood and guts will likely find themselves extremely
uncomfortable while watching the film. The movie is a direct homage to the low budget
science fiction and gross out horror of the early 1980s. As such, you'll find plenty of
references to The Terminator, The Thing and Escape from New York.
Did I mention how over the top Planet Terror is? Every actor is in full on melodrama
mode, every effects shot is on the verge of being asinine and the film's pace is so relentless
that one barely has time to breathe. Take for example the scenes that take place in the
local hospital involving Dr. Block and Dakota. As they go about treating the strange
illnesses
that are flooding their clinic, Mr. Rodriguez makes a point of lingering on every diseased
body part while using actual photographs of horribly infected appendages to further
reinforce the gore. The fact that he manages to turn these disgusting scenes into some of
the most hilarious material in the movie should serve as proof that Mr. Rodriguez
approaches even his campiest work with a skill level that is hard to ignore.
As the story progresses, we are introduced to a bevy of colorful characters who make the
film a blast to experience. Michael Biehn shows up as a local sheriff with a vendetta against
El Wray and manages to out-cheese just about everyone in the cast. He's terrific and it's
great seeing one of the true icons of 80s action back on screen. Even Jeff Fahey of
Lawnmower Man and, now, "Lost" fame makes an inspired and hilarious turn as a
lunatic barbeque restaurant owner with an itchy trigger finger and an obsession with his
special BBQ sauce. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a number of fantastic cameos that
crop up throughout the course of the movie. Fans of Mr. Rodriguez's films will encounter a
number of familiar faces. Planet Terror is insanely enjoyable and is highly
recommended!
Planet Terror arrives on Blu-ray sporting a beat up, dirty and generally terrible
looking 1080P transfer. Framed in its original theatrical aspect ration of 1.85:1 and encoded
with AVC Mpeg-4, it's the perfect representation of how the film looked theatrically. Mr.
Rodriguez, acting as both director and cinematographer, has given the film an intentional
digital scrubbing to give the movie the appearance of having been badly treated over the
course of many years. There's a ton of noise, loads of scratches, discolored frames, missing
scenes and even burned out frames in the movie. It's all done for effect and comes across
perfectly on Blu-ray. It would be pointless to dive into any real study of the quality of
Planet Terror on Blu-ray as the movie looks intentionally bad. The most important
aspect of this is that the film looks exactly like Mr. Rodriguez wants for it to look. What more
can you ask for?
Unlike the intentionally bad video of Planet Terror, the movie's audio is truly
outstanding. Utilizing Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless encoding, the soundtrack manages to be
aurally exciting while delivering a nice sphere of distinct atmosphere. There is a ton of
surround activity and deep bass in the movie and it is all faithfully represented. I was
particularly impressed with the many panning and rear directional effects used throughout
the film. In addition, every gunshot is amped up for maximum gut wrenching effect while
the most subtle sounds of dripping gore shine through. Rodriguez has included plenty of
pops and hisses throughout the film to remind viewers that they are supposed to be
watching a bad print of the film, so don't adjust your audio equipment when these
intentional anomalies are heard. Fear not, though, as it all adds to the experience of
watching a unique and entertaining film.
Planet Terror arrives on Blu-ray with a bevy of special features. As is normally the
case with Robert Rodriguez's films, he was personally involved in the creation of the set's
extras and you'll find him featured in just about every one.
Here's what's included:
-Scratch-Free Version of Planet Terror
-Feature commentary with Robert Rodriguez
-Audience reaction track
-10 minute film school: Planet Terror: hosted by Robert Rodriguez
-"The Badass Babes of Planet Terror"
-"The Guys of Planet Terror"
-Casting Rebel
-"Sickos, Bullets, and Explosions: The Stunts of Planet Terror"
-"The Friend, the Doctor, and the Real Estate Agent "
-International trailer
Spread out over 2 full discs, Planet Terror's extensive supplements highlight many
aspects of the film's production. One oddity included is the "Scratch-free" version of the film
that showcases how the movie looked before heavy digital manipulation was performed to
achieve the aged look that the final product includes. It's a nice addition, but cements how
the beat up look of the film adds character to the completed movie. Rodriguez also includes
his standard "!0 Minute Film School" segment where he goes into great detail on how he
chose to create a specific scene. We're also treated to several behind the scenes
featurettes and cast collections that round out the material. Last but not least, the
"Machete" trailer that was shown theatrically before the film is also included. It provides
some of the biggest laughs in the whole package and is almost worth the price of
admission, alone. All told, this isn't the finest
extras package ever assembled, but the "Scratch-Free" element is a nice touch and
"Machete"is good for countless replays.
Planet Terror is an action packed, laugh a minute gore fest that harkens back to the
low budget action and science fiction flicks of the late seventies and early eighties. As the
first half of the Grindhouse feature, the film succeeds in being endlessly entertaining
while showing off Robert Rodriguez's advanced filmmaking talents. Video is presented just
as Mr. Rodriguez intended, with ample scratches, grain and blown out scenes. Audio is
extremely impressive with an abundance of surround activity and deep bass. Supplements
are ample, but beyond the "Scratch-Free" version of the film and the "Machete" trailer, there
isn't much to write home about. Ultimately, Planet Terror makes for a light-weight
and thoroughly enjoyable piece of entertainment with plenty of thrills and chills to go
around. Recommended!
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