After nearly two decades, Robert Rodriguez returns to the blood-splattered world of Planet Terror with a long-awaited sequel that doesn’t just resurrect the genre—it explodes it all over again. Planet Terror (2025) is a bold, outrageous continuation that delivers exactly what fans of the original cult classic crave: absurd gore, grindhouse aesthetics, and an unapologetic celebration of chaos.
Picking up years after the zombie-virus outbreak that ravaged Texas, Planet Terror (2025) finds Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan) now leading a rogue resistance force on a desolate, post-apocalyptic Earth partially overrun by the infected. With her iconic machine-gun leg now upgraded with AI-assisted targeting and flamethrower capabilities, Cherry is no longer just a survivor—she's a war machine.
The film introduces a new villain: General Riker, a psychotic ex-military leader who plans to weaponize the virus to create a new world order. Played with gleeful insanity by Pedro Pascal, Riker’s unhinged performance is a perfect counterbalance to Cherry’s deadpan badassery. Freddy Rodríguez’s El Wray also makes a shocking return, his mysterious past finally revealed in flashback sequences dripping with Rodriguez’s signature style—grainy filters, quick cuts, and plenty of blood.
Where Planet Terror (2007) leaned into sleaze and splatter, the 2025 installment dials everything up to 11. Think zombie-mutant hybrids, bullet-riddled dune buggy chases, and a mutant dog with a grenade launcher strapped to its back. Yet somehow, amidst the carnage and camp, there’s still a story about survival, vengeance, and reclaiming identity in a broken world.
Rodriguez continues to play with genre tropes, but this time includes moments of surprising emotional depth, especially in Cherry’s reflection on motherhood, loss, and her transformation from dancer to leader. The film may still have fake reels, intentional “missing” scenes, and offbeat humor, but it also reveals an evolution in Rodriguez’s storytelling—one that respects the past while pushing forward.
Planet Terror (2025) is not for everyone. It’s loud, absurd, and gloriously grotesque. But for those who understand what Rodriguez is doing—paying homage to B-movie exploitation while also subverting it—it’s a triumphant return. In an age where many sequels play it safe, this film goes all in, machine gun blazing.
Whether Planet Terror evolves into a full-blown franchise or remains a two-part grindhouse gem, this sequel cements its place in the cult canon. Long live Cherry Darling—and long live the grindhouse spirit.
