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Don't call it a comeback!
By The Critic
unrivaled.info
Quentin Tarantino is known for his breakthrough cult hit Pulp Fiction; a movie
that defined the 1990s and pushed him into the popular media icon status.
Unfortunately that perception changed and turned for the worst after his third
release, Jackie Brown, failed to meet everyone’s high expectations. Even though
Jackie Brown was pretty good, there was a perceived backlash from the flick
which was considered by many to be merely just good. It’s been a long time since
Tarantino released a movie; nearly 6 years since the last release. Since that
time Tarantino has worked on several side projects including writing
screenplays, working on Broadway and starring in a couple of movies; a far cry
from being in the director’s chair and creating movie magic. There have been
long rumored titles that Tarantino has been working on including a prequel to
Pulp Fiction (which is dead at this time) and a WW2 movie titled Inglorious
Bastards rumored to star Adam
Sandler. But before working on anything else, Tarantino decided to finish and
release the femme fatal/revenge movie specifically written for Uma Thurman: Kill
Bill.
The buzz with many who have previewed the entire movie behind the scenes are
saying it’s a hit. But for me, it’s been hard to get excited about this release.
Sure, I’ve seen the list of cast and all the trailers for the movie, but none of
it moved me. Even worst is the perception of being ripped off after Tarantino
announced the decision to split the movie into two, theoretically making us pay
twice to see one movie. So as I walked into the theater to check out Tarantino’s
forth movie, I really didn’t know what to expect. As it turns out, Tarantino has
returned to the movie scene in a big way, and it looks like Kill Bill is a hit
after all.
Innovation has always been Tarantino’s strongest point, and with Kill Bill this
point is further pushed to the brink. The plot of Kill Bill is simple: it is the
story of Uma Thurman’s character revenge on those who betrayed and tried to kill
her. But what is new here is the way it’s presented. The movie has a fresh
feeling to it from the beginning to end. Tarantino is known for his twisted
sense of humor as we have seen in Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown. But even though
that kind of humor is still present in the movie, it plays second fiddle to the
action and story as it can be taken seriously…well almost. The entire movie
takes on a sort of a “1970s demeanor” in which it looks like the movie was made
in the 1970s, including the style of cloths being worn by the characters, the
music being played in the background, the timeframe of the events happening and
some of the cheesy special effects. Mind you none of it looked bad; it was all
high quality and intentional as a tribute made to cult films of that time, but
it was also a constant reminder that this is indeed a make believe story. It’s
all part of Tarantino’s way of seeing things and after everything is said and
done, it all falls in place quite nicely.
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The good: As I said before the best thing about Vol.1 is it’s
execution as everything in this movie feels fresh. The plot and story have been
done many times before, but the way it’s presented here is brand new.
Tarantino shows he is a stellar director as his direction in the movie is
outstanding. He can do humor, action, drama and yes he can do animation too
(anime fans must check this movie out for a 9 minute treat by Production IG,
makers of Ghost in the Shell; its way too short but its pretty good). And you
wont find any cheesy action sequences here (although some of the special effects
are cheesy on purpose ala the 1970s feel). It’s all high quality and good stuff
with no messy CGI graphics! I usually don't make a note of the soundstage when I
review theatrical movies, but in this particular one it was outstanding. I think
it made the difference in perceiving what was happening on screen and the
emotion that comes with it. Uma Thurman also does an admirable job in both the
acting and martial arts part of her role as the main character “The Bride.”
The Bad: Where much of this movie has lots of style, flair and
innovation, some of the humor and acting is a bit stiff. It’s not forced and
some of the humor was funny, but there was nothing great about these elements in
particular. Some of the characters have this recognizable attitude only seen in
Tarantino movies and it does get tiring at times (I guess it depends on who you
are) and some parts of the movie seem to run a little too long. Not to say
Tarantino didn’t justify splitting this movie into 2, but some parts of the
movie seem to drag a little. These complaints are minor and they never really
bogged down the enjoyment of the film. For a movie like this, you can expect
some things to
like and dislike because of Tarantino’s approach. But what
did you expect, a normal movie just like everyone else releases?
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Execution – 5: The plot and story has already been done, but style
and flair is the name of the game as Tarantino delivers an innovative
movie that feels fresh and new. Much of the pieces are presented uniquely in a
way only Tarantino could tell.
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The Stars – 3: Uma Thurman does an admirable job in both the acting
and martial arts part of her role as the main character. The rest of the
stars do an admirable job as well, but nothing spectacular; I really had
no favorite among the stars.
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The cast – 4: chemistry among the cast was very good, each cast
member fits perfectly into Tarantino's puzzle as emulated in his world.
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Special effects - 5: the action sequences are outstanding and with
Tarantino's direction, there is never a dull or cheesy moment. Stunt work
is spectacular. No (noticeable) CGI special effects either, good stuff.
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Tilt – 4: I was pretty impressed with Vol.1, no doubt putting
Tarantino back on the map.
Unrivaled rating: 4.2
Overall: Quentin Tarantino returns on the movie scene with Kill Bill, a
movie that will be remembered for it's style and action. It's not as
breakthrough as Pulp Fiction was in 1994 and I believe this is the type of movie
people are going to either love or hate. But there's no question that it
delivers a good action flick. We'll have to wait until when Vol.2 is released in
Feb 2004 to pass final judgment on the movie as a whole. In the meantime Vol.1
is definitely worth a look. Recommended.
