Line #93 Film/PlanetTerror


1	%%
2	%%
3	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
4	%%
5	%%
6	[[quoteright:236:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/PlanetTerror_752.jpg]]
7
8	''Planet Terror'' is the more action-oriented half of ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}''. A 2007 Creator/RobertRodriguez film in which a military transaction goes awry and an experimental poison gas is released on a small town in rural Texas, turning the unsuspecting civilians into bloodthirsty zombies. The only people who can stop them are a Go-Go-Dancer with a gun for a leg, her expert gunman ex-boyfriend, a pair of crazy babysitter twins, a [[HeroicBSOD shellshocked]] doctor, a {{Jerkass}} cop, a crusty sheriff, a scientist obsessed with testicles, and many other trailer-park freaks from deep in the Heart of Texas.
9
10	----
11	!!Humanity's last tropes...resting on a high-power machine gun are:
12
13	* AccidentalSuicide: [[spoiler:Dakota gives her young son a loaded gun to defend himself against the zombie horde, but he accidentally [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome shoots himself in the head.]]]]
14	* AdaptationExplanationExtrication: A weird case. An alternate cut of the film exists where Tony survives. The reason Dakota runs to the second helicopter is to ensure a seat for Tony. In the final cut, where he has died, she has no practical reason to run to the second helicopter.
15	* AdrenalineMakeover: Dakota goes from meek nurse that suffers several agonizing indignities to a woman that uses a pistol-sized syringe launcher to kill a soldier.
16	* AdvertisedExtra: Parodied. Creator/BruceWillis is front and centre on the poster, despite having barely any screen time. This parodies a B-movie tradition of casting a big name in a small part and then hyping them up as if they were the star[[note]]Creator/JohnCarradine being one of the most notorious examples[[/note]]. Note that Willis's character Muldoon rarely shares the frame with another actor, giving the impression that his shots were all filmed separately in one go.
17	* AfterTheEnd: The epilogue... and it's a big "maybe". On one hand, there's a lot of survivors and life is pretty idyllic for them. On the other hand, there are a ''lot'' of zombies (but if they decompose as fast as the soldiers did, it's a matter of time).
18	* AmbiguouslyTrained: El Wray is an expert with guns and blades and is the best fighter of the whole group, but the Sheriff refuses to give him a gun because of his criminal shenanigans in the time he'd met him. Once the plot re-starts after apologizing for the missing reel, El Wray has given the sheriff his secret past (but the audience doesn't gets to hear it) and the sheriff is incredibly awed by him ("I knew your name was 'El Wray', but I didn't knew you were '''that''' 'El Wray'",) hands him a firearm and lets him carry on. His interaction with the colonel afterwards implies that Wray was part of some kind of black-ops division or at least saw military service.
19	* AnArmAndALeg: Cherry loses a leg pretty early on. Part of her own AdrenalineMakeover is actively weaponizing the improvized prosthetic legs she's given throughout the film.
20	* ArcWords: "Two against the world"
21	* ArtisticLicenseBiology: The infected “sickos” ([[OurZombiesAreDifferent this movie’s version of zombies]], essentially) suffer severe tissue damage, evidenced by the visible wounds and heavy bleeding - but the first patient we see in the movie does not display any other symptoms, and is not even in pain, as Dr. Block is poking and probing his arm and later his tongue. The tissue of his tongue even seems to have been almost liquified, and gangrene has already set in in his arm as well - which should cause extreme pain in itself, and the feeling of his tongue being covered in blisters should be extremely uncomfortable and panic inducing, but the patient is largely unphased.
22	** Later on we see Quentin Tarantino’s character ([[ExactlyWhatitSaysOnTheTin The Rapist]]), who stops inhaling the gas which is meant to keep the symptoms in check. The first time he stops, his face quickly becomes bubbly with blister-like formations appearing on his cheek, but when he again inhales the gas, [[HollywoodHealing these are instantly healed]]. Later on, when he prepares to rape Cherry, he also stops inhaling the gas, this time for a longer period. Everyone else in the room is horrified at the sight of Gorn his genitals literally melting into a blackish red sludge and dripping down, but again, the character itself is unphased by the damage, and intends proceed with the rape - which is exactly in character for him.
23	** Near the end of the movie we see Abby and El Wray confronting LT Muldoon (Bruce Willis), who explains his actions, referring to the fact that he and his soldiers need to keep inhaling the gas to keep the symptoms in check. For the lenght of his explanation, he also stops inhaling the gas, and in about a minute or so, the deformation is so severe, [[BodyHorror he becomes an amorphous blob]], not even resembling a human being. Even during this horrible experience, he continues his monologue in the exact same tone and style as he began, implying that the area of his throat and mouth forming speech are not affected by the deformity at all, and it seems he also doesn’t really mind what exactly is happening to his body anymore - of course this could be because his gig was up, and he most likely knew he won’t make it out of that room alive at that point. The above examples could be explained by the gas numbing the patients, or even that it completely shuts off their perception of pain, but the lack of awareness and understanding of the severe damage to their bodies suggests that the filmmakers invoked this trope as biology should not get in the way of characterization.
24	* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Dr. Block]] and The Rapist.
25	* AttemptedRape: Guess what [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Rapist]] tries to do to Cherry.
26	--> '''The Rapist''': ''You gave me [[EyeScream some wood]], now I'm going to give you some wood!''
27	* BadCopIncompetentCop: Deputy Tolo is most definitely this.
28	* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Averted with Cherry, whose opening striptease [[LegFocus focuses heavily on her long legs]]... one of which later gets torn off by zombies. [[SubvertedTrope She makes an upgrade]], though.
29	* BilingualBonus: "El Wray" is the phonetic English pronunciation of "El Rey"=''The King''. May double as a ShoutOut to Music/ElvisPresley, and as a PunnyName.
30	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:DC-2 spreads around the world and no one has any way of finding a cure but Cherry is leading survivors to humanity's last foothold on the Mexican coast]].
31	* BodyHorror: By the buckets. Infectees' bodies are covered in huge gangrenous pustules. [[spoiler:Also, The Rapist and Lt. Muldoon when they're not inhaling the gas]].
32	%%* BondOneLiner
33	* BoomHeadshot:
34	** [[spoiler: Tony blowing his own head off, seemingly by accident.]]
35	** Poor, poor Abby is killed this way.
36	** Muldoon says he delivered one to UsefulNotes/OsamaBinLaden, along with a shot to the chest. Back in 2007, it was kinda funny; in 2011, it became ''[[HilariousInHindsight really]]'' funny because that's how bin Laden really died.
37	* BrainFood: The zombie-like mutants eat Fergie's brain, prompting the gag, "Looks like we've got a no-brainer." Similarly, a repeated line throughout the film is "I'm gonna eat your brain and gain your knowledge," first said as a small boy is playing with his action figures, although by the time Josh Brolin starts saying it, it gets creepy/hilarious.
38	* BuryYourGays: Tammi is Dakota's lesbian lover on the sly, and ends up getting eaten by zombies (first casualty on the film, even!)
39	* CelebrityCasualty: Muldoon says he killed Osama Bin Laden (who was alive but in hiding at the time the film was made).
40	* CelebrityResemblance: One of the evil soldiers (played by Creator/QuentinTarantino) makes a point about how Cherry (Creator/RoseMcGowan) resembles Creator/AvaGardner. He also threatens her that if she continues to look at him with contempt that she "won't look like Ava Gardner no more."
41	* CharacterCatchphrase: JT's "Best in Texas." Guy really takes pride in his homeland.
42	* ChekhovsSkill: Cherry's impressive flexibility, among other "useless skills" of hers. Lampshaded early on by Dakota saying (while she's talking to Cherry) that her dad once told her everything anybody learned throughout his life would always have a moment where it came useful.
43	%%* ClusterFBomb: Cherry unleashes a choice one at El Wray.
44	* CombatStilettos: Cherry, on her good leg. She stabs a zombie's eye off with it at one point.
45	* CrisisPointHospital: El Wray notices the hospital is becoming this when he brings Cherry to the emergency room, dozens of listless people sitting around with pustules and lesions sprouting from their skin; it's a sign that the DC-2 bioweapon is affecting the town. Once people start turning, it doesn’t take long before the hospital is thrown into blood and chaos.
46	* DeathByCameo: Sure enough, Quentin Tarantino has a few minutes of screentime, in which he suffers a [[CruelAndUnusualDeath gruesome death]]. [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil His character]] had it coming, though.
47	* DeathOfAChild: In one of the film's few genuinely horrific scenes. Creator/RobertRodriguez said he used his own kid, Rebel, as Tony because he didn't want to 'kill' anyone else's kid. He also made a less-violent cut of the film where Tony survives the movie for Rebel to watch.
48	* DefiantToTheEnd: "Paramedic 2" curses angrily while getting eaten alive by two Sickos.
49	* DeliberatelyCuteChild: Played by Robert Rodriguez' son, Rebel. Sadly, [[spoiler:he unintentionally shoots himself in the face.]]
50	* EvenEvilHasStandards: For a moment. The Rapist announces his intention to rape Cherry, much to the surprise of his collegaue, who quickly points out that Cherry has only one leg. The response? "Easier access". This elicits a "Good point" from Rapist #2, as he joins in on the planned action.
51	* EverythingIsBigInTexas: The story not only happens in Texas, J.T.'s catchphrase is "best in Texas".
52	* ExactWords: J.T. mentions that never will his brother share his BBQ recipe, even if he is dying in his brother's arms. [[spoiler: When they are both mortally wounded, J.T. shares his recipe and his brother dies in ''his'' arms.]]
53	* ExplosionPropulsion: Cherry performs a live-action "Rocket Jump" with her leg-mounted grenade launcher on the climactic fight.
54	* EyeScream: Happens ''a lot'', with anything from bullets to knives to chair legs to stilleto heels to needles to zombie goo.
55	* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler: JT, with sausage. PlayedForLaughs]]
56	* {{Fingore}}:
57	** Poor, poor Dakota Block.
58	** Deputy Tolo gets his ring finger bitten off by a zombie. He puts the ring on his middle finger afterwards.
59	* ForScience: Abby.
60	-->''"Science comes first but business comes a close fucking second."''
61	* FourEyesZeroSoul: Dr. William Block. And keep in mind, [[spoiler:that was ''before'' he was turned into a zombie.]] You gotta admit, those specs look good though.
62	* GatlingGood: In the last scene of the film, Cherry has attached a ''minigun'' to her leg stump.
63	* GirlOnGirlIsHot: "Goddamnit, girls. If you're gonna do that, do it on stage!"
64	* GodzillaThreshold: In the wake of the sicko outbreak, the police force breaks out the "All or Nothing" box, which involves giving everyone a badge, a gun, and a deputy rank. Though they ''still'' won't let El Wray use a gun.
65	* {{Gorn}}: ''Hoo boy''. Any scene with zombies in it is bound to be ''messy''.
66	* GrammarNazi: Tony corrects his mother that the plural of "octopus" isn't "octopuses" but rather "octopi". Actually, both are correct.
67	* GroinAttack: Abby seems fond of them, cutting off people's balls and keeping them in a jar. And the rapist soldier's testicles actually melt off.
68	* HandOnWomb: A rare non-mother example. As [[spoiler: Wray]] lays dying after being attacked by a sicko, [[spoiler: he consoles a devastated Cherry by assuring her she won't be alone after he dies by rubbing her stomach and repeating to her one last time [[MeaningfulEcho "I never miss."]]]]
69	* HelicopterBlender: Skip does this to an incoming horde of Sickos, who have a MassOhCrap and [[AttackAttackRetreatRetreat become the pursued]].
70	* HerBoyfriendsJacket: Cherry wears El Wray's leather jacket, much to his chagrin since she left him and he was searching for it for months.
71	* HollywoodHealing: The soldiers are inhaling gas to keep their symptoms in check, and it heals already formed wounds (bubbly skin on their faces), in a few seconds.
72	* {{Homage}}: The action may be all Robert Rodriguez, but the horror suspense elements, down to the synthesizer music, is pure Creator/JohnCarpenter.
73	* ImMelting: The Rapist decomposing into a Sicko makes his body all goopy and stringy like a worse version of [[Film/RoboCop1987 Emil Antonowsky]], his genitals especially ''melt off'' of him to the horror of the people present.
74	* InsistentTerminology: Cherry doesn't like being called a "stripper", she refers to herself as a "go-go dancer".
75	* IronicEcho
76	** "I'm gonna eat your brain and gain your knowledge."
77	** "It's go-go, not cry-cry."
78	** "No dead bodies for Da-Da tonight."
79	*** "What did I tell you, Tony? [[spoiler: Don't point the gun at yourself.]] Didn't I tell you that?"
80	* TheJaywalkingDead: A small caravan of vehicles rips through several zombies, and one unfortunate dog. Also, as a possible subversion of the trope, earlier in the film, El Wray swerves to avoid a man he doesn't know is a zombie, ultimately crashing his car.
81	* LegCannon: Cherry Darling had her leg eaten by zombies, and replaced it with an M-4 assault rifle, which she used to kick much ass. And then later, she had that replaced with a full-on ''[[GatlingGood minigun]]''. It's a bit ambiguous how she fires it, though, since we never see her reaching down to pull a trigger.
82	* LostInTransmission: The audience sees "MISSING REEL." During the missing reel, it's implied, we'd have gotten to see Rose [=McGowan=] totally naked, plus the entire plot surrounding Wray's mysterious origins would have been explained. And when the film comes back, ''[[IncendiaryExponent everything's on fire]]'', and we'll never know why. Possibly the best cut in movie history.
83	** There's a Meta-Gag in there as well. A presumed urban legend (re-told in the novel ''Literature/FightClub'') is that older movies would have their nude scenes cut shorter and shorter as projectionists removed a few choice frames for their collection. Notably, all of the sexier bits seem a lot more grainy, as if they've been watched more than the rest of the film.
84	* LudicrousGibs: When people are shot in this movie, they emit absolutely ridiculous ''explosions'' of blood.
85	* MadeOfPlasticine: ''Everyone'', human and Sicko alike.
86	* MadLibsCatchphrase: "Useless talent # __"
87	* MaleGaze: In Cherry Darling's go-go dance. Up until [[spoiler:the film "melts" and the scene becomes missing]], the sex scene with El Wray had plenty of titillation, too.
88	* MeaningfulEcho: El Wray says "I never miss" a few times through the film as a BadassBoast. [[spoiler:The [[DyingSpeech last time he says it]], it's to assure Cherry that he's sure he got her pregnant when they had sex mid-film.]]
89	* MurderByMistake: Tolo accidentally shoots a non-infected patient outside the hospital mistaking her for a Sicko.
90	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Subverted with Dakota after she [[spoiler:gives her son a loaded gun to defend himself with, only to have him shoot himself in the head. She then starts [[CradlingYourKill cradling the kill]]]] and when her husband shows up, she shrieks blame at ''[[NeverMyFault him]]'' for it.
91	* NoNameGiven:
92	** We don't really know what Cherry's real name is. "Palomita" was just something Wray gave her.
93	** Also El Wray's name itself, as per his MysteriousPast.
94	* NoodleIncident: The "missing reel." Cut to the diner on fire. Sheriff Hague had been shot. Dakota and her father, the babysitters, the go-go dancing club owner and some of the dancers somehow made it there. And El Wray has told them his MysteriousPast, which somehow has made Hague become ''incredibly'' respectful of him ("I knew you were "El Wray", but I didn't thought you were ''that'' "El Wray"") and he has no problem giving him a gun afterwards ("Give him a gun. Give him ''all'' the guns.")
95	* NotUsingTheZWord: Zombies in this movie are referred to as "Sickos."
96	* OurZombiesAreDifferent: The Sickos fall into the TechnicallyLivingZombie category, and their bite can't infect those with a natural immunity to their virus (such as Cherry Darling and Tolo), however it is revealed that it's possible to contain the effects of the virus by inhaling more DC-2, [[spoiler:which is what Muldoon and his infected soldiers do to retain the ability to communicate among themselves and use guns.]] The Sickos also seem more intelligent than typical zombies, as Cherry's attackers run away from El Wray shooting at them and the mutated soldiers try to avoid an incoming death by HelicopterBlender. The Sickos were [[ShoutOut inspired]] by the irradiated people from 1980 ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightmare_City Nightmare City]]''.
97	* PairTheSpares: Hinted at the end of movie, with [[spoiler:Cherry and Dakota ]].
98	* PintSizedPowerhouse: El Wray is just about the shortest person in the whole movie. And yet, many an ass is kicked.
99	* RasputinianDeath: [[spoiler: The Rapist (played by Tarantino) tries to have his way with Cherry. He is smashed over the head with a table leg, impaled in the eye by the leg's broken end, has his privates melt off from the infection taking over him, has a syringe launched into his other eye, melts into an inhuman monster, pukes up his guts, then finally is ''shot in the crotch with a grenade launcher''.]] Good grief.
100	** Possibly justified, since RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil.
101	* RatedMForManly: Zombies, buckets of blood and gore and [[{{Fanservice}} scantily clad]] [[InsistentTerminology go-go dancers]]. It does indeed qualify.
102	* RecklessGunUsage: Dr. Dakota Block gives a gun to her child, when she leaves him alone in a car. [[spoiler: He shoots himself in the face ([[IJustShotMarvinInTheFace accidentally]] or [[DrivenToSuicide not]]) within a few seconds of her leaving the car.]]
103	* RocketJump: Cherry does this with her grenade launcher leg. One of the only non-videogame characters to perform this move.
104	* RuleOfCool: Zombie films are a dime a plenty, but the moment you have stuff like people mowing them down with a drive-by riding a motorcycle custom-made by Jesse James himself in thanks for an ''incredibly'' awesome BBQ meal and the girl on the back using a ''machine-gun that is an improvised prosthetic leg'' to do said shooting, you know that you're on this territory.
105	* RunningGag: "Best barbecue in Texas" by J.T. (it swings in and out of being a funny gag because of his feud with Hague).
106	* TheSavageSouth: Zombies everywhere in good old Texas!
107	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When the hospital eventually fills up with patients displaying the [[BodyHorror body-horrific]] symptoms of the disease, Dr. William Block and his co-worker decide it's time to leg it.
108	--> '''Dr. Felix''': Viral infections. They came pouring in. Some are rapidly developing coliform lesions... highly contagious. What do you think?
109	--> '''Dr. William Block''': Self preservation comes to mind.
110	--> '''Dr. Felix''': Yeah, let's get out of here.
111	* SecretIngredient: Throughout the first half of the film, JT tries to find the perfect BBQ sauce recipe. Before he tastes a sample, it gets mixed with some of his blood, leading him to correctly deduce from it that all that was missing was a little bit of salt (since human blood tastes salty).
112	* SeriousBusiness: Barbecue.
113	-->'''JT''': ''"No Texan's ever gonna give up his barbecue recipe, and that's a fact! [[spoiler:[[{{Foreshadowing}} I could be bleeding like a stuck pig, I ain't gonna tell ya! I could be dying in your arms, I ain't gonna tell ya!"]]]]''
114	* {{Sexophone}}: ''Planet Terror'''s opening theme, played over Cherry's go-go dance routine. Later spoofed by the saxophonist playing it in the prison cell.
115	* ShoutOut:
116	** The military humvee Abby uses to escape has "Black Flight" written on its side, which was the name of the Special Forces unit [[Film/EscapeFromNewYork Snake Plissken]] served in.
117	** El Wray (El Rey = The King), to [[Music/ElvisPresley Elvis]].
118	** The infected patient that smears pus on Dr. Block resembles [[https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/37e1ec58-d2a7-4639-8a33-2bc81752afd8/db4qpic-259c2ac5-61de-460d-9ada-cee8d4622077.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzM3ZTFlYzU4LWQyYTctNDYzOS04YTMzLTJiYzgxNzUyYWZkOFwvZGI0cXBpYy0yNTljMmFjNS02MWRlLTQ2MGQtOWFkYS1jZWU4ZDQ2MjIwNzcucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.z2K8GPHtA84dIDIoaSMCCOCGwVaVgJfKy5rBHjBaAkg the poster artwork]] of ''Film/DawnOfTheDead1978''
119	** El Wray refers to his truck as [[Film/{{Killdozer}} "the Killdozer"]].
120	** Before getting shot by El Wray and Abby, [[spoiler: Lt. Muldoon]] horribly mutates ending up resembling the [[Film/TheElephantMan Elephant Man]].
121	** In an episode of ''{{Series/Charmed\|1998}}'' Paige (played by Rose [=McGowan=]) sighs that she can't dream about someone "like Creator/QuentinTarantino". In her first major project after the show ended, here she ''kills'' Tarantino. As she was filming parts of ''Grindhouse'' in between the final season of the show, it's possible it was written in as a direct nod.
122	* SociopathicSoldier: All of Lt. Muldoon's men, specially the one credited as [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil The Rapist]], played by Quentin Tarantino.
123	* SoleSurvivingScientist: Abby, [[spoiler:or he would have been if he hadn't gotten killed. This is lampshaded in the movie.]]
124	-->[[spoiler:'''Cherry Darling:''' I don't suppose anyone else here is a bio-chemical engineer?]]
125	* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: [[spoiler: Cherry's baby from Wray.]]
126	* SmokingBarrelBlowout: Requires some flexibility, as it's Cherry blowing on the automatic rifle attached to her leg-stump.
127	* {{Squick}}: InUniverse, the reaction of Cherry, Dr. (Dakota) Block and even a fellow soldier when [[SociopathicSoldier The Rapist]] pulls his pants down and his genitalia begins ''melting into a black sludge''.
128	* StakingTheLovedOne: Earl does this to his wife. Downplayed with Dr. Block--neither Dakota nor her father Earl loved him by the time they blow him away.
129	* StuffBlowingUp: The sheriff's car even [[MadeOfExplodium explodes spontaneously]] for no reason whatsoever.
130	** [[BadassTransplant Also, the entire end of the film when it comes to a new leg replacement.]]
131	* ThemeMusicPowerUp: Subverted: [[spoiler: The groups' only way of escape is via a helicopter on the other side of a military base filled with zombified soldiers. Abby (Naveen Andrews, aka Sayid from ''Series/{{Lost}}'') sternly says "Follow me!"; the music starts pumping, you think you're in for the [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Crowning Moment of Awesome]]... and as soon as he peers around the corner, [[YourHeadAsplode his head gets blown to pieces.]]]]
132	* TheUnreveal: Due to the missing reel, El Wray's past is never revealed. We never find out why he's not allowed to hold a gun, and we don't know why the sheriff suddenly changed his mind.
133	* TookALevelInBadass: Cherry in a big way. Goes from potential zombie-fodder moody girl in distress to HandicappedBadass OneWomanArmy that has ''a machine-gun for a fake leg''.
134	* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:Muldoon just wanted to find a cure for himself and his men. Wray acknowledges this by saluting Muldoon for his service to his country, just before shooting him.]]
135	* UnusualWeaponMounting: Gun for a leg, anyone?
136	* YourMakeupIsRunning: Dakota Block's mascara is runny for a good chunk of the film. Justified by her massive crying (because of [[spoiler:her leaving her abusive husband, said husband sticking her hands with anesthetic-filled needles, ''breaking her wrist'', '''her son accidentally blowing his brains out''']]...)
137	* ZombieApocalypse: Pretty much goes without saying that the gas spread throughout the atmosphere is bad news.

Context Film / PlanetTerror