Good For What It Is

Rating: 6/10 (12 April 2007)

While I have enjoyed some of Tarantino and Rodriguez's previous films, this one fell rather flat for me. The concept alone promises over the top violence, weak characterization, shoddy plots, and could have created a fun experience for movie goers. Sadly, a lot of the fun in this movie seems to have been for the directors alone.
The first half of the double feature is Rodriguez's Planet Terror. This zombie gore fest is filled to the brim with violence, sex, and gross out tactics. The problem is that there really wasn't any humor to temper the attempt at recreating camp. By the end, it seemed like Rodriguez had let the genre conventions define his movie, instead of using them to make something worth watching or bring something new to the genre. It leaves Planet Terror as a high budget pastiche of movies that generally weren't that great to begin with.
Death Proof is better in this regard, as Tarantino does attempt to twist the genre conventions into something a little different. His characters, while one dimensional, did at least feel real, for the most part. However, his portion of the film is dragged down by extremely long scenes with nothing but mediocre dialog. This could have worked really well if Tarantino had infused it with more of the quotable snap that has been seen in his previous movies. As it was, large sections of the film seemed tedious, particularly after the non-stop action of Planet Terror.
Despite the flaws, both films did have strong points. The visual aspects in both were stylish and interesting. The acting was generally competent and occasionally good. Kurt Russel was able to infuse his psychotic Stuntman Mike character with a surprising bit of charm, and Tracie Thoms managed to give her standard Tarantino "Sassy Black Girl" some interest. Zoe Bells stunts were great, even if her acting wasn't. Taratino created a fantastic car chase that kept me on the edge of my seat, and Rodriguez's zombies were wonderfully disgusting and creepy. Rose McGowan's go-go dance certainly brought some sex appeal. And the ending of both films was satisfying, Death Proof in particular.
Overall, Grindhouse is worth watching. It isn't a great film, but it's good for what it is.