Blu-ray Movie Reviews

After an experimental bio-nerve gas is accidentally released at a remote U.S. military base in Texas, those exposed to the gas turn into flesh-eating, mutating zombies out to kill. An assortment of various people who include stripper Cherry, her shady mechanic ex-boyfriend Wray, a strong-willed doctor, the local sheriff, and an assortment of various people must join forces to survive the night as the so-called "sickos" threaten to take over the whole town and the world.

Planet Terror was the first film of the Grindhouse double feature but I still preferred Quentin’s film a bit more. I’ve never been much of a zombie movie buff but I can appreciate how over the top they wanted to go with this film. This one is a testament to the silly invaders films and is gory beyond belief. Rodriguez shot it digitally and added in fake film wear and tear and most of the effects are heavy handed and honest to the Grindhouse theme. I’ll give Rodriguez and A for effort but the film is intentionally silly and about a C overall.

The film is presented in two different forms for this Blu-ray release. Rodriguez has included the stylized cut that looks like the theatrical release did but you also get a “scratch free” version that takes away all of the wear and tear that they added in digitally. Honestly, I can’t imagine not watching the stylized version as it adds immensely to the point of the film. This film was shot with digital cameras and the resolution and contrast is really strong. They did their best to really mark it up and mess with things but the result still looks like a digital film in fine detail and clarity. Colors are oversaturated and blacks are deep. Some of the shadow detail looks a bit clipped but I imagine that was the artistic intent. The cleaned up version lacks the color depth of the rough cut but it is impeccably clean. Fine detail and dimension are strong but the overall effect of the film is a bit lost there.

The soundtrack is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 for the original cut and standard Dolby Digital for the cleaned up version. The sound design really amps up the action and I love the score for this one. Spatial design is outstanding with great use of the surrounds and incredible bass response. Everything is amped up a bit to really give you the impression that they went overboard but it really works well.

This two disc set is loaded with great extras but I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t include all of the mock trailers from the Grindhouse theatrical release. Disc one gets both versions of the film along with a feature commentary or optional audience participation track that tricks you into thinking you’re watching this in a theater and hearing the crowd around you. Fun, but a bit gimmicky. The second disc has Rodriguez’s trademark 10-minute film school where he shows you how he made this one look the way it did while saving money at the same time. He also mentions that he’ll have a cooking school episode on the upcoming special edition of Grindhouse so I hope that is in the works. The rest of the features delve into the production including a look at the cast, special effects and make-up. Some trailers for the film are also included.

This is a really fun ride and the Blu-ray presentation is outstanding. I was disappointed that the other trailers didn’t make it into the mix but hopefully we’ll see those in a special edition later down the line. With great extras and an outstanding A/V presentation this one gets an easy recommendation.