One half of the B homage Grindhouse, Director Robert Rodriguez has well and truly accepted the torch form his co-conspirator in Quinten Tarantino who produced the features sister production Death Proof.

Ultimately better than its cinematic partner in most every way, Planet Terror is the first zombie flick in some time to actually warrant its own existence. With such a defined genre, directors have in the past struggled to find new twists for a tired story, Planet Terror has side-stepped this problem beautifully by poking fun at the established norms and taking each to their outrageous extreme.

From the squib soaked action scenes to the slick but minimalist dialogue, Rodriguez has created a rollercoaster of a film that seems to have benefited from his ‘do everything myself’ mentality; the boy wonder wrote, directed and edited Planet Terror, he even had a crack at the music.

Rodriguez has been served wonderfully in Planet Terror by the hotter than ever Rose McGowen. The former Charmed beauty has come along way since she lamented in that particular former television role, and when you add a seemingly inexhaustible automatic weapon to the equation, well, cinemaphiles have a new pin-up girl.

Planet Terror may not go down in history as a ground breaking work due to it’s reliance on the established medium it mocks, however it will be remembered for what it is, the shit-hot half of a truly ambitious double bill, no mean feat when your up against one Q. Tarantino.