Rating: 
Summary: An exhilarating and beautifully made cinematic blend
Review: How in the world can half of a movie be supremely satisfying as a viewing experience? That's just one of the remarkable accomplishments of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Volume 1, a masterpiece of cinematic style. KBV1 is merely half of a story, which has Uma Thurman chasing down the bad guys (and girls) who left her for dead, yet it is probably the single most enjoyable, satisfying movie that I saw in 2003. I love, love, love this movie!! It's been ten years since Tarantino blew us all away with Pulp Fiction, and in the time since we have probably forgotten just what a remarkable talent he is. In all that time we only had one film, 1997's Jackie Brown, an underrated gem that didn't cause a tenth of the stir that Pulp Fiction did. It failed to connect with a wide audience the way its predecessor did, probably due to the fact that it completely defied most expectations. To me, however, it was further proof that Tarantino was one of our best filmmakers. Now, Tarantino returns with two films that tell one story. Kill Bill, Volume 1 is the first part of the story featuring The Bride (Uma Thurman) tracking down and killing the criminals that left her (and her unborn child) for dead in a wedding chapel. That's the premise, but there is so much going on in this film, that descriptions just don't do it justice. Kill Bill was conceived as an homage to all of the flicks that Tarantino grew up watching: kung-fu films, samurai films, spaghetti westerns, crime dramas, action films, gangster films, Japanese anime, etc. He has taken all of those styles and created a big, delicious cinematic blend of styles and genres. This is quite simply a spectacular movie in every respect. Kill Bill is pure cinema, from the first frame to the last. Every shot is so infused with a love for the art of filmmaking that it can't help but rub off on the viewer. Every aspect of the film, cinematography, acting, editing, dialog, music, set design, is used flawlessly to its absolute potential. Every scene effectively conveys a different mood and brings to mind a different film genre, from Thurman's suburban fight with Vivica Fox to the awesome spectacle of the showdown in the House of Blue Leaves. Kill Bill demonstrates just what a filmmaker can do with inspiration and true passion for his material. It also demonstrates how much can be achieved without computer animation. There might be some computer-generated or assisted imagery in Kill Bill, but it is absolutely minimal. Tarantino did everything retro style, including the amazing fight scenes. It's all just stuntmen on wires, no computers. He collaborated with Yeun Wo-Ping, the world-renowned choreographer who did the fight scenes in The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The fight scenes are indeed spectacular. Tarantino reveals himself as a skilled action director. However, the film is not all action. It is heavy on dialog and characterization. The pace could even be considered slow at times, but it is never boring. It is never less than mesmerizing. Kill Bill was made on a budget of $50 million, (for both Volume 1 and Volume 2, unless I'm mistaken) and it is remarkable that this amazing-looking film was made so inexpensively. Compare this to The Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions which cost about $150 million each and look like blobs of computer graphics in comparison. Tarantino understands that with imagination and ingenuity, you don't have to spend absurd amounts of money to make a good film. It is a beautiful, beautiful film. As one critic eloquently stated, "It's the most gorgeous B-movie ever made." For me, personally, Kill Bill, Volume 1 is a vastly more entertaining film than any of The Matrix movies and is far more successful on an artistic level as well. Larry and Andy Wachowski would do well to take a lesson or two from Tarantino and see how it's done. The Matrix and Kill Bill both have similar intentions and come from similar origins. Their methods, however, are completely different. The Matrix (the sequels, anyway) lost sight of its intentions and turned into a big computer-graphics actionfest resembling a Playstation 2 game more than a movie. Kill Bill, however, remains true to its cinematic origins and never strays from what it was conceived to be. Kill Bill, Volume 2 is heading to theaters soon and it looks to be even better than Volume 1. Forget about those dull Matrix movies and check this one out. The Matrix sequels will be long forgotten, but Kill Bill will stand as an action epic for the ages. If you are like me and passionately love movies and cinematic technique, this movie was made for you. It is a truly remarkable film that cinema lovers (except maybe for the pompous, high-brow kind) should treasure.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but no masterpiece
Review: Lets get one thing straight. If you are looking for another "Pulp Fiction", leave right now. If you're looking for a good film with great style and good action, see the movie. In reality, this movie is nothing more than a stylized samurai revenge flick, the the style is so incredible, it makes the movie worth watching. (...) The film has everything, from Monty Python-eque fake looking bright red blood gushing over, to an entire 15 minute segement which is done as an anamai cartoon. The film is good, but its hardly the best movie that Tarantino has done, but its still a fun watch. The line that pretty much summarizes up the film is when Thurman's character says "To those of you that still have your lives, you may leave with those. Leave your limbs; they now belong to me" Oh, and a sidenote- if blood and violence makes you uncomfortable, this film definately is not for you.
Rating:
Summary: Wicked
Review: (...) This movie is brilliant. It's a close runner up to Tarantino's Cult Classic Pulp Fiction, but this movie holds its own weight. This time Uma is (...)doing it really well. I would be scared if I were Bill. The most impressive scenes were in Japan. Having been there before, I know the movie glams up the bad-ass side of Tokyo which as a city is a phenonmenon in itself. Makes me want to go back and visit. Worth the watch unless you're squeamish on the killing scenes. All that blood-letting is classic Asian style violence. And to think...we westerners have been watching the tamed version of the movie whereas the Japanese get the unedited bits.
Rating:
Summary: Overhyped, but still interesting
Review: First of all, no matter what anyone else tells you, Kill Bill Volume 1 is not the be-all and end-all of action movies. I was not 'wow-ed' like I was with Pulp Fiction. To be honest, I don't even fully know how I felt about the movie, other than it was 'cool.' Yes, but that, it seems, is the intention of Tarentino. No, he's not godlike in his directing prowess, he merely knows what's cool and what isn't, and what appeals to certain audiences. No matter how you look at it, people fighting with katanas will always be cool. There's no two ways about it. It just is. On that note, this is a very cool movie, but not much else. The basis of the entire movie is this: Uma Thurman, as The Bride, has her family killed when she's pregnant at the alter, and decides to get revenge. That's it. That all gets explained in about five minutes. The rest is just cool.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Movie, But Maybe We Should Wait To Buy
Review: There's nothing I can say about this film that countless others haven't already. I am a big Tarantino fan, and I still went into this film not knowing what to expect. I was blown away. I can't even put my finger on why, but I thought it was simply amazing. I will definitely be adding this to my DVD collection. But something tells me maybe we should hold off on this edition. In the past, Tarantino has revisited some his movies with some of the more impressive DVD sets ever. The extra features on Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction helped to improve my appreciation of two already outstanding films. I am guessing that in the wake of releasing Kill Bill vol. 2 in the theaters, Miramax is looking to make some extra cash by selling Vols. 1 and 2 separately. But I would imagine they will also sell a DVD edition combining volume 1 and 2 into one movie, and that's the one I am waiting for. All in all, this is a fantastic movie that belongs in any movie lover's DVD collection, and if you can't wait to buy this one I can certainly understand that. But as for me, I am going to hope that my patience pays off and that we are given the option of buying Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 as one epic film.
Rating:
Summary: Great Comic book style movie from Quentin.
Review: I'm going to be honest. The first time I saw Kill Bill I thought it was a good movie but I didn't understand what the big fuss was about. After my second viewing I realized how dazzling and inovative the movie really is. The movie still has some vises that I can't get over. I found that the acting a little lackluster and that Vivica fox's character wasn't devolped at all. I'm sure we are going to see more of the history in Vol. 2 and things will become clearer. With that aside, the cinematography was vivid with color, The action was superb, and the plot was a great ode to the spegitti westerns of old. This is a must see for fans of Quentin's or of action flicks in general. Easly one of if not the best movie of the year.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Stuff
Review: I am not a QT fan having watch only PulpFiction. But Kill Bill Vol 1 really bowed me over and I have watched some of the sequences over and over and its the little details that hit you. - Sonny Chiba and his side kick exchange over the warm sake and Uma remaining amused and at one point having to duck her head. - great soundtrack ...the whistling in the hospital by Elle, the presentation of the sword to Uma scene with the soundtrack and the climatic cliffhanger 'Is she aware that her daughter is still alive' tying in with the music hits you hard . - the Jap anime was superb and of course showing Jap society perversions and cultural idiosyncracies...Gogo's giddle at Uma 'begging'typical of Jap women - notice one little glib though ... Uma Death List Five ... the list used in the Pussy Wagon at the beginning of the movie(after she just killed Black Mama) and the one drawn up in the plane(when she was on the way to killed Oren - final scene sequence ) was different ... one heading in Capital letters and the other in small caps .. could QT have put this in deliberately or was there an oversight due several list props floating in the movie studio?
Rating: 
Summary: lame Lame LAME
Review: I am sooo sorry but this movie (saw it on DVD) is just plain lame. This is the first kungfu movie were I kept wanting the fight scenes to end. The fights were unimaginative and not gory in a disturbing way, just in a stupid "head cut off a dummy and a fountain of blood shoots out" way. And don't tell me that was the point because I have seen "the storie of ricky (laugh out load terrifying)" and day of the dead gore. I have seen dumb gore done right and this film just does it on the cheap. The only gore effect is the above mentioned manequin and the old "put your arm behind your back while I chop a fake one off" routine.
Quintine snuck into your DVD/CD collection, pulled out the samuria trilogy, the five deadly venoms, duel to the death, ghost dog, the fatal flying guilitine, the profesional a few of your favorite songs, etc. (...) added some "boss fights" ala mega man/sonic the hedgehog/mario and made a compilation disk. But the problem is you have already seen all of these movies and heard all these songs so why do you need a demo disk? why do you need a demo disk of a game you already own?
At the end of the day the movie fails completly because Quintine DID NOT make the movie he wanted to make. he made the movie he thought I wanted to see, and that is the oldest of all the traps the devil has set for artists.
Peace
Rating:
Summary: A Bloody Live Action Cartoon
Review: I found it interesting that Tarantino decided to tell part of this story in animated form. For a nice segment of this developing story of a bride, seemingly struck down on her wedding day, now out for revenge, Tarantino tells the story in traditional Japanese animation form, with plenty of blood and gore and outrageousness. Why I find this interesting is that the ensuing live action scenes are just as cartoonish as the animated scenes. Tarantino tells an outrageous story, using outrageous images in an incredible comic way that underscores the ultraviolent themes. When the bride attacks swiftly with her razor sharp blade separating man from limb the ensuing blood loss seems as realistic as Wile E. Coyote getting hit in the head with an anvil. Even the basic sceneries and colorings of the various sets and settings are cartoonish. Now, this isn't a criticism. Tarantino uses this format purposefully and brilliantly. His characters don;t seem too realistic, but that's fine because this isn't a tale of realism, this is as much a fantasy as the world of Middle Earth.
Rating:
Summary: Absolute Rubbish.
Review: I saw this film with high hopes, having loved all of Tarantino's earlier works. I kept waiting and waiting for things to work... but they never did. The film has absolutely NO tension (in fact because the movie is told in Tarantino style out of order, we know that Lucy Liu's character has already been killed previous to that segment's beginning). The main character is herself an assassin who murders a Vivica Fox's character, and then threatens her young daughter over the body... which is to say that The Bride is shown as a complete moral vacuum, who has NO standing for judgement of others. (...)
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