By Andrew Ferrell
The Weinstein Company released a two-disc DVD of Robert Rodriguez’ “Planet Terror,” on Oct. 16, the second half of the “Grindhouse” double-feature, which is now split up. Coming a month after Quentin Tarantino’s “Death Proof.” Rodriguez’ gory, campy tribute to early John Carpenter and Italian zombie flicks now includes an extra ten minutes of footage. This means a few extra precious seconds of explosions and bloodshed, but mostly the focus is on supporting characters such as Jeff Fahey’s barbecue expert J.T. and Josh Brolin’s nasty Dr. Block.
The extra material, mostly made up of small additions to existing scenes rather than entirely new sequences, makes for a fun Easter egg for those who have already seen the movie. It does little to add or take away from the quality of the film, since it does not stretch out the running time nearly as much as it does on the extended “Death Proof” DVD. Some of the additions are literally as minimal as the insertion of one single line of dialogue into a conversation. In one amusing instance, the newly inserted footage calls attention to itself through a very deliberate splice, as if it has been lifted from another print and dropped into the film.
Some viewers may appreciate the further exploration into the relationship between characters, but “Planet Terror” remains more or less the same: a goofy, highly entertaining fever dream of the ’80s splatter films kids used to sneak into their homes on VHS as requisite slumber party viewing. The fact that the film seems so reminiscent of the early days of video actually cheats the “Grindhouse” premise a bit, as it clearly carries too big a budget and borrows mainly from films made after most true grindhouse theaters had left town.
The DVD content, while still not quite worthy of the deluxe, two-disc package, trumps “Death Proof” by a small margin. The groovy synth and guitar soundtrack comes in nice and clear, as does the intentionally ruined video. The grain and scratches retain a bit of their effect here, but fared much better on the big screen-it really makes no sense for a projector to break down inside a DVD player.
The special features shed some light on various aspects of production, from the casting to the stunt work. Many times, these featurettes, which contain a great amount of detailed on-set footage, seem fixated on star Rose McGowan, an aspect that probably has a great deal to do with the fact that she is the director’s girlfriend. Most interesting are the featurettes in which Rodriguez explains how he cast a number of friends in minor parts and a short clip in which he explains his decision to cast his young son, Rebel, in a major role. Without giving too much away, Rodriguez decided to shield his son from some of the film’s rougher content by shooting an alternate third act, some of which can be seen here and would make a great special feature on an inevitable full-scale “Grindhouse” DVD. Speaking of which, Rodriguez assures viewers on his commentary track that the complete film on DVD will arrive sooner than later.
Until the real “Grindhouse” arrives, fans are left with the choice of holding out or accepting these two films as separate entities. On the whole, “Death Proof” remains the superior contribution, thanks to a better script and a more accurate representation of the actual aesthetic of no-budget ’70s cinema.
“Planet Terror” still packs plenty of entertainment value on its own and could become a Halloween party fixture in the years to come. The simple fact remains, however, that much of “Grindhouse”‘s charm was its dedication to the warts-and-all experience of going out to the movies, and that is something that just can’t be replicated.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez, Rose McGowan stars in “Planet Terror,” the second half of “Grindhouse,” out now on DVD just in time for the Halloween season. (AllMoviePhotos.com)