Planet Terror and Death Proof Release
Alright, it’s 2007 and I’m 24 years old and living like a 24-year-old. I’m crashing on my friend’s couch in between parties, and we watched a lot of movies and did a lot of other things that basically frat boys do. Anyway, we caught the Planet Terror and Death Proof Robert Rodriquez/Quentin Tarantino release in theaters and I’m glad we did. Over the next 4 weeks, we’re going to look at these two films and the two that were products of them. So, in the opening number of Planet Terror, there were 2 films previewed that were just teasers. These were Machete and Hobo with a Shotgun. Neither of these existed but, the fans raved over the previews so much that they were made. They were awesome previews. Let’s jump into a film with a girl with a machine gun for a leg.
Planet Terror and its Characters - Wow!
Rose McGowen plays a character who gets her leg amputated. It’s not replaced with a prosthetic but instead, a gun reminiscent of Tony Montana’s “little friend.” This is one of many unique characters in Planet Terror. El Wrey, played by Freddy Rodriquez, is basically a crack shot and ex-boyfriend of Rose McGowen’s character, Cherry Darling. Bruce Willis is in this one as a military leader that you see a couple of times. Tarantino makes an appearance as well. Naveen Andrews is featured as a mad scientist villain who ends up helping the heroes. By the way, this guy plays a great bad guy. He’s in The Cleaning Lady as a villain too. There’s a BBQ restaurant owner and a nurse with little friends (needles) too. Finally, yes, the great Fergalicious or Fergie Ferg is in Planet Terror too. Wow, the character lineup alone almost guarantees a great movie.
Modern-Day Grindhouse Classic
Overall, I find Planet Terror unique and so much so that it’s hard to talk about. It is a modern-day grindhouse movie that was made to be grindhouse on purpose and is very much a grindhouse movie. The movie has a lot of classic characteristics of this film genre. For instance, there is go-go dancing, flickering film, a retro/low-budget feel, lots of violence, and bizarre subject matter. All the explosions are over the top and the story is certainly strange. The blood is excessive and there are enough guns to be in any Arnold movie from the 80s. Planet Terror is essentially a zombie film but, the creatures are smart, fast, and strong. This adds a whole new “oh crap” factor to this classic monster. Like in 28 Days Later and others where zombies started running instead of only slowly walking, it takes the zombie problem to a new level.
Some Things to Look For in Planet Terror
While watching this modern-day grindhouse classic, you can look for some cool things too. First, there is a VW bus in the movie. These vehicles are always fun to see, and I realize I mention them frequently in blogs. Maybe I need to start a Volkswagen blog? Just a joke, I don’t know enough. You guessed it, there are Cadillacs too and I’m going to mention them also. You can read more about the cars in Planet Terror here. Another interesting mode of transportation in this movie is a motorcycle. The bike I’m referencing is a custom Dominator painted and built by Jesse James. Read more about this bike here.
Closing Thoughts & Questions
Honestly, while I enjoyed this movie in its entirety, the last few minutes are my favorite part. I’m an artist and as part of that, I tend to see things differently than most. As the movie draws to a close, the scene is a caravan moving through a desert on camels if I remember correctly. Cherry Darling is there with her machine gun leg and the child of El Wrey. During this scene, the color changes and is much more colorful and very saturated. This is a bright change in style and mood from the previous hour and a half of very dark gloomy footage and a desperate terrified feel. I imagine this was the intent of the director. Planet Terror is great and certainly a favorite of mine. I will watch this again.
In closing, does anyone know where the bike is today? Was it made for this film in particular? If you’ve seen this movie, what is your favorite part? I’d love for you to leave your thoughts on this movie below. Please check out my artwork here, thumb through my photography here, read more of my blogs here, and follow me on all social media here. All likes, shares, subs, and follows are appreciated.