Conceived as part of his Grindhouse double bill with Quentin Tarantino but released separately from Tarantino's DEATH PROOF internationally, PLANET TERROR is a glorious throwback to the schlocky exploitation days of the 1970s, where so-called 'grindhouse' cinemas played a series of low budget gore-filled 'nasties' to audiences eager for sex and sadism. Having seen many of the original exploitation films in question, I'm pleased to say that director Robert Rodriguez gets it spot on and the look and feel of this film is just right.Things kick off on a high note with Rose McGowan go-go dancing. I've never been a fan of this actress, but that's changed right here with the role she has. She's perfectly cast as the tough yet vulnerable dancer who loses a limb but gains a weapon in the zombie attack, and it helps that she's as hot as hell. The one thing I loved straight away was the soundtrack, especially the main theme with the saxophone playing – great stuff that had me humming along.Anyway, the film that follows is a simple story of a zombie attack, starting off isolated incidents and building into an all-out zombie rampage. The usual scenarios are present, from the survivors holed up in a deserted diner to the killer soldiers involved in a cover-up. PLANET TERROR has few twists, instead it lets the narrative drive itself with a series of outlandish action sequences which are thoroughly entertaining. The biggest treat, though, lies in this film's casting; Rodriguez seems to have assembled a bunch of stars, old and new, A-list and B-list, and they come together nicely. I won't go through the bother of listing them all - the cast list is available right here on IMDb - only to say that Michael Biehn and Jeff Fahey really stand out as the kooky brothers, the latter particularly fine after years of being stuck in B-movie limbo. The gooey gore comes thick and fast and only a few scenes descend into inanity; the Tarantino cameo is a bit of a disappointment but the rest works gloriously well.

If Planet Terror had been cut back to the length of the preceding Machete trailer with only the high lights left in, than this movie might have amused as yet another fake trailer, but with a running time of two hours this one is unfortunately a full length Grindhouse imitation..The movie is basically a string of set scenes connected by the flimsiest of plots and filled with equally flimsy characters.This might have all been in reference to the Grindhouse movies as known in the United States, but fortunately for my country we were spared the under par movies as they never crossed the ocean and thus the reference was meaningless to me up to now and I assume to those too young to recall them good old days watching these rubbish movies. Not only is it meaningless to a sizable portion of the worlds population, but Grindhouse features are something you really do not want to get to understand as these movies were bad for a reason and it begs the question why you want to reference a bad movie by making another movie that is exactly the same, that is: equally bad. Now I will go as far as to say that there is some difference, like the actors in Planet Terror are somewhat better no doubt and some of the camera handling seems better, but it is all marvelous ruined by lack of the essential things that makes a movie a good story, such as good characters, a good script and good conversations.This movie has enough stamina for a trailer, a lengthy one perhaps, but something more makes it an exercise in futility, a grind so to speak, and one we can thank Rodriguez and Tarantino to have burdened the world with. Watch Zombieland or Shaun of the Dead instead.

I preferred Death Proof.... I found Robert Rodriguez to be on top-form throughout this inspired zombie/action/exploitation flick, however much of the duration of the film is like a stuffy, cramped elevator, regarding the over-kill on supporting characters that are really relevant to absolutely nothing. It is almost like a Broadway show with the amount of forgettable characters providing mere comic relief or a nonsensical meandering from the plot. The grainy style of Grindhouse cinema works well whilst watching Rose McGowan play a go-go dancer with a machine gun for a leg that is somehow fully functional as an actual weapon, shooting missiles at zombies. Don't try to make sense of it, you'll probably die. Oh, and watch it with friends when you're drinking, its most fun then.

All you need to know about 'Planet Terror' is that, due to events I won't go into in great detail, a former stripper gets her leg replaced by a machine gun. Once 'attached' she can then fire it with pinpoint accuracy (let's not go into exactly HOW she can fire a gun with a trigger at 'knee height') and even shoot missiles into the floor which propel her through the air, allowing her to leap over walls.If that concept sounds like the biggest load of tosh you've ever heard, then you're probably better off not bothering with this one. However, if you think that sounds like the craziest and/or coolest thing you've ever heard of, then give Planet Terror a try.If you sit through it you'll find a zombie film that's actually got quite a big budget, only it's concealed within a movie that prides itself on looking cheap and B-movie-like. There's a whole host of famous actors in it (many famous for their B-movie roles), more gore than you could ever wish for and did I mention there's a stripper with a machine gun for a leg? You'll either love it or hate it. Judging from what other reviews are saying, it's more of a 'guy's film' but, if you're generally a fan of cheesy action, explosions and crazy goings on, then you'll find it all here (and more).http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/