Robert Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror” initially appeared as one half of a double feature alongside Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof" in 2007, under the banner “Grindhouse.” The intention was to evoke the feel of seeing two B movies back-to-back at a rundown theater during the mid to late sixties and seventies—complete with damaged prints and fake movie trailers like “Machete” as part of the presentation. The films were designed to be self-contained stories, though they shared some loose connections. The story centers on a biochemical outbreak in central Texas that predictably transforms people into zombies. A group of individuals comes together to battle these creatures, with Freddy Rodríguez and Michael Biehn (playing a sheriff) at the forefront. Rose McGowan and Marley Shelton also appear; McGowan’s character notably receives a machine gun surgically implanted where her leg was amputated—the mechanics of how she operates it are never explained. The movie feels like a combination of “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” (1965), "Night of the Living Dead" (1968) and “Dawn of the Dead” (1978), but with a contemporary sensibility similar to “Slither” (2006), incorporating crude, intentionally shocking black humor. McGowan stands out throughout, particularly in her opening go-go dancer sequence, while Rodriguez proves surprisingly effective. Their romantic storyline is somewhat sweet. The cast is another strong point, including Bruce Willis, Josh Brolin, Naveen Andrews, and Fergie. Ultimately, “Planet Terror” doesn’t surpass the low-budget charm of films like "Flu Bird Horror" (2008), “Wyvern” (2009) and “Sasquatch Mountain” (2006)—despite having a budget twelve times larger than those productions. The film has a running time of 1 hour, 45 minutes and was filmed in central Texas (Austin and Luling, which is 22 miles south of Austin), as well as Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico. GRADE: C

Source on TMDB