Rating: 
Summary: Cartoonishly bad
Review: This movie is truly bad. It's basically what you'd get if you gave a nerdy 15 year old anime freak $50 million dollars and told him to make a movie. There is no character development what so ever. Uma Thurman, laughably cast as some sort of superninja, goes to point A, kills 5 people, goes to point B, kills 10 people, and so on and so on. There is no sense of a greater world; there are no citizens, no bustling streets, nothing. The few non-slaughtered minor characters appear, recite a few quirky lines, and vanish again. Basically the entire film is a video game, where Uma kills a bunch of minions, then an end boss, then moves to the next level and starts all over again. Go play Shinobi instead, it'll only cost you a quarter.And, for the record, I really dug Pulp Fiction, Resevoir Dogs, True Romance, and Natural Born Killers so it's not as if I haven't enjoyed another Tarantino film. But this isn't even a film, it's just a bunch of stuff that happens, and no matter how hard to try to imagine there is some clever tongue-in-cheek homage or even parody going on, it ends up just being stupid. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!! A 2 Hr. Long Roller Coaster Ride Of A Movie!!
Review: What A long wait for a new Tarantino movie!! Was it worth the wait? Very much so!! I can see why several key scenes were shot in B&W because of the sheer violent nature. The opening scene had everyone in the packed theatre gasping since no one was prepared for the gunshot. Even the anime was a total surprise including the amount of blood and violence. This is one film that should be scene in theatres and like the one I saw it in with the volume way loud!!
Rating:
Summary: If you like movies...
Review: If you like movies, you will like this movie. If you like violent movies you will love this movie. If you like Quentin Tarantino you will love this movie. If you like kung fu movies you will love this movie. If you like anime you will love this movie. If you dislike violent movies you will not like this movie at all. Do not let your kids see this movie. As with most QT movies, Kill Bill is not shown in chronological order, but it is very well done and easy to follow. Just look at Uma Thurman's pretty to-do list, and there's not a chance you will get lost in this wonderful forest of cool. Borrowing from everything, this movie lays a path for you to follow, which seems familiar, yet is entirely new at the same time. Everything is shocking, even when you know what is going to happen next. The movie starts out looking like a grainy Western movie, but when the action moves out of Texas, so does the style. Part of the movie is done in an anime style. Anime has a bit of a reputation for being excessively violent and bloody, and this section does not disappoint. Then, for the next bit, QT shows that he can do everything you can in an animated movie in live action, and it is terrific. The showdown at the end of volume one borrows from every samurai movie ever, and it easily trumps them all, so well is every part done, including the music. Speaking of music, the music has always been a treasured part of QT's movies, and Kill Bill has excellent music through the whole movie. It is always appropriate, exceptional, and enlightening. RZA, who did the score for Ghost Dog, was brought in for the score of Kill Bill, and it is impressive. Every element of this movie contributed, and this is truly a case of the whole being greater than its parts. I haven't left a theater this excited about a movie in my life, nor have I been so eager to return to the theater and see it all again. Kill Bill is wonderful, original, shocking, breathtaking, spectacular, and entirely worthy of my utmost respect and awe. Thank you, Quentin Tarantino. Thank you.
Rating:
Summary: Violent Homage to Past Cinema
Review: First off, if you are a die hard fan of 60s and 70s kung fu films, this is the nostalgia trip of the decade. Secondly, film geeks, rejoice, for Quentin Tarantino is your savior! Kill Bill Vol. 1, is nothing short of an incredible film. It's a tribute to Kung Fu films, and Hong Kong cinema, complete with high-pressured bleeding, excessive sound effects, and a soundtrack that will take you back in time. Kill Bill almost runs like a comic strip, constantly switching between black and white, anime, color, and strange yellow-tinted flashbacks, all of which run together seamlessly, almost making you wonder why they haven't ever been contained on the same strip of celluloid before. Now, don't expect your average revenge-driven crime drama, this film is not meant to be taken seriously. The best way to put it is that it's a "B" movie on an "A" movie budget; the plot is nothing more than a skeleton to hold together a series of ultraviolent fight sequences, and the chronology of the films is entirely mixed up. But, don't let that discourage you, Kill Bill vol. 1, is the ultraviolent, ultra-stylized film of the year, don't miss out. P.S. In the film, the name of Uma's character (known only to us as The Bride until volume 2, as far as my understanding goes) is bleeped out in the beginning, just F.Y.I.
Rating: 
Summary: Pay full price, get half a movie.
Review: I saw Kill Bill earlier today. Thankfully I saw a Matinee or I would have felt even more ripped of from this shamefully stretched film It's not that Kill Bill was a bad film, but I'm more against cutting the film in half than I ever was before. This film (or first half rather) is way too short. Even with 13-minutes of credits, it barely tops 90-minutes. Unfortunately, the film doesn't seem short when you are watching it because it moves along so slowly. This is mostly to do with the fact that Tarantino doesn't seem to know when to cut a film to save his life. On the contrary, this film is so completely loaded with filler that even people who don't understand the art of editing will likely be questioning Tarantino's choice of letting a shot drag on way too long or being chock full of redundant scenes. Of course we know exactly why Kill Bill was edited this way. Because it was already foolish enough to try to pass off an 80-minute film to audiences in this day and age, especially when it's not the full film. It would be beyond imbecilic to show a 60-minute film, but that's what it should have been. This story is way over told. As an audience member, watching Kill Bill is like listening to someone tell you something you very much want to here but they are talking very, very slooowly. Get on with it already! How many times do we need to see Uma Thurman sitting in her seat on the plan with her katana (do they allow katanas on planes?) at the ready? How many times do I need to see that exterior shot of the airliner she's a passenger on that lasts for twice as long as it should? This is an action movie for crying out loud! Or so Quentin lead us all to believe. There is action in Kill Bill, but there is action in a lot of films that aren't action films. Most of the action in this film is done the American way; quick cuts and close ups. I'm rather surprised seeing that Tarantino is such a student of Asian cinema that he would film Kill Bill in such a way. The reason Americans shoot like this is because it's far easier to imply action than actually show it. And after hearing Tarantino trash the Wachowski's I was really expecting fight scenes that at least lived up to anything in The Matrix.
And for a simplistic film that is basically supposed to be all fighting with little story, there's far to little action. Indeed, you really only see any impressive action in the 5th (last) chapter of the film. And while the shows big money action finale is good, it really should make you appreciate the Burly Brawl from The Matrix Reloaded that much more. But as I said, Kill Bill isn't bad. There's the definate lack of editing, far too slow pacing for an action film, a decidedly weird change to animation for one long scene in the film, a completely non-sensical decision to have the film suddenly transition to black and white through the big money finale and later change back to color at the literal blink of an eye, and the fact that most of the key action is implied rather than shown among other things, but for all it's faults most people who can stomach gallons of blood spraying out of gaping wounds, severed limbs, and headless corpses should enjoy the film. Get one thing straight, even with as much blood and violence this film contains, Kill Bill is a drama. It's not the Godfather by any means, but it is akin to the speghetti westerns by Leone (which were ironically akin to old samurai films). Tarantino does what he always does; focuses on the scene and the characters dialogue in it. Even the action scenes are simply excuses for the characters to spout their messages to each other or communicate their motivation with some sort of body language. Like all Tarantino's films, Kill Bill basically a collection of scenes full of hip, cool dialogue, all connected together to form a story. I liked Kill Bill, but I didn't drool over it. 20-minutes could have been and more importantly, SHOULD have been edited out of the final cut, and I can only guess the second volume is the same way, leading me again back to the question, why wasn't this released as a single, solid 2-hour film instead of fluffed up to 3-hours and then cut in half?
Rating:
Summary: I don't know why it was great but it was great
Review: Kill Bill was great. It was better than Pulp Fiction. I don't know why I liked it so much but it was just really exciting and funny and nicely edited. The gore was extreme and some of the blood was cartoonish and the action was a little tongue-and-cheeck but the sword fighting scenes were the best sword fighting scenes that I've ever seen. Kill Bill is so incredibly unique because it's the first action movie I've ever seen that were a combination of so many other genres. It was like a huge tribute to comic books, Anime, westerns, explotation films, Psychedelic films and Kung-Fu flicks. The characters and the dialogue were entertaining and the music was also good. It fit so well with the picture! Uma Thurman was really great in her performance. She's like a female Johnny Depp in the way that she becomes characters with such ease. She really improved a already great film. My only complaint is Bill. They have that weird guy from that lame Kung-Fu series. The only person as weird or as creepy as him is Christopher Lambert. Thank goodness he wasn't in the flick. If you love Pulp Fiction and Quentin's films then you will like this one. It's a lot of fun. It, however, is not for the faint of heart. Some of the violence gets a little sadistic in the Yakuza scenes. I liked the film so much I might see it again! I can't wait for volume 2.
Rating: 
Summary: Kill Bill Thrills
Review: Yuen Wo Ping should get half the directing credit for this movie because half the film is his remarkable choreographed fight scenes. This is a stylish, slick, wonderfully artistically violent film. Uma Thurman is not only amazing but believable. Tarantino is very much aware of the importance of music and just like in his previous films I think he did in outstanding job in choosing each musical number for each scene. Basic synopsis: Uma Thurman wants revenge on a former employer and her former coworkers who shot her up during at her wedding. She spends the rest of that movie planning and exacting that revenge. As I said before, there are some amazing fight scenes in this film, in particular with a young 17 year old, but deadly Japanese school girl with a ball and chain. This is Tarantino's homage to the violent Asian action films of the 70s. Pretty much everyone knows that Quentin is a big movie buff and freak and his whole career in film making has been paying homage to the films he loved while growing up. This guy sees the beauty of the uberviolent, smashed nose, low budget films such as Cleopatra Jones, Game of Death, Fist of Fury, The Killing Machine (Japanese its - Shinkansen daibakuha). In fact if you ever get to see The Killing Machine you will understand much about the violence in Kill Bill. Anyway, the fight scenes in this film are nothing short from brilliant. My biggest detraction of this movie is that the way it ends. It felt, very much so, that it ended in the middle. I know Volume 2 will be released in February and I understand some aspect of splitting this film in half, but that is the problem. Most films that have sequels attached to them are films that have a definite ending themselves. But they were made with and ending. Volume 1 of Kill Bill was original made to be a single picture and thus the ending for the movie is actually in Volume 2. What we have here is a film that ends on its crest. We only get half the plot, we only get half the character development (what little Tarantino usually have in his films). What we get is half a movie. I am sure that Tarantino has a final cut clause in his contract and thus ended up with a 4, probably 4 ½ hour film. And I am sure he as willing to release it as such, but Miramax came up with the (not so) brilliant idea of releasing the film in 2 parts. I guess in a hope of doubling its profits. I know theater chains hate 3 + hours films. They would rather have 8 showings of a 2 hour film instead of 5 showings of films such as Braveheart or Gladiator. They make more money during the day by faster turnover rates. So they WILL NOT support a 4 hour film. 3 ½ hours is as a far as they are willing to go, heck they barely support 3 hour films. Now when a director wants to tell a story and it takes 4 hours to tell the only way we get the whole story is through director's cut DVDs (for example The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, 1st two parts added an additional 30 minutes each, it was the same way with Cameron's Aliens). There is only one POSTIVE light in this whole 2 part nonsense and that is that part 2 is being released in February and not a year later (as in Lord of the Rings). Will they release the film on one single DVD? I doubt it, where is the profit in that? Anyway, I give KILL BILL an A. I liked it and Quentin Tarantino along with fight choreographers Yuen Wo Ping and Sonny Chiba not only delivers a highly entertaining film but a highly memorable one to boot.
Rating:
Summary: I Either Loved It Or Hated It, But Not Sure Which
Review: My friends and I have been trying to come up with adjectives for "Kill Bill", Tarantino's new film; the best we've come up with is "f***ed up". It is very Tarantino - brutally violent, darkly hilarious, and very bizarre, while paying homage to Japanese kung fu cult classics. If it hadn't been so funny, I don't think I could have stood the violence - I was starting to feel a little sick by the end (gushing blood and greasy popcorn do not mix). The acting is top-notch, though, and the dialogue is, as always, perversely, ironically quotable. The choreographed fight scenes are incredible, much more accessible than this new "Matrix"-style Hollywood action fetish, in my opinion. And the soundtrack is excellent - Tarantino has a genius for using music in film. Still, though, it was kind of horrible in a way, very nastily decadent. I really don't know what to think about it. I don't have enough knowledge of Tarantino's sources in Japanese film to speak intelligently from that angle; all I can do is say that, as a film-lover and Tarantino fan, I was provoked, repulsed, and disgusted - and I think I liked it.
Rating:
Summary: Phenomenal
Review: This movie is simply amazing. I am 16 and have never seen Tarantino's work, and now I want to rent everything he's ever done. Uma Thurman's portrayal of "The Bride" is flawless. During the scene where she wakes up from the hospital bed, you can feel her pain and it literally hurt my heart! This movie is not for everyone. It is not some action flick where you can just zone out and watch explotions. The person I went to see this which left because it was "too weird and didn't make any sense". She probably felt this way because the movie proceeds somewhat out of order. I never felt lost, however. The violence in this movie makes any graphic war film look like Mary Poppins, but if you're like me and not really affected by blood then you'll be fine. This is the only movie I have ever been to where the audience applauded at the end. It was well deserved.
Rating:
Summary: "Bang, Bang...My Baby Shot Me Down..."
Review: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2003--It could have all gone so horribly wrong. Quentin Tarantino could have finally lost it and unleashed upon the nation his first official dud. Fortunately for us, this just isn't true. "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" is actually the best movie of the year so far. I would love to describe the highlights, but then I'd just be recapping the whole movie. I can, however, tell you some of the things I really liked about it, done in "chapter" form as a mini-homage to this fantastic flick: 1. ITS TARANTINO-NESS / By this I mean I love the writer-director's amazing (and weird) sense of style. As usual, he cleverly plays with time (the movie doesn't take place in chronological order) and takes full advantage of every set used in the film, to the point that they could almost be called characters. Also as usual, he takes some mighty risks that end up paying off in spades. During that well-publicized 20-minute-plus fight scene in Tokyo, all sorts of visual tricks are utilized, and none of them disappoint. And the animation sequence...wow. As well, the script is peppered with the great dialogue and razor-sharp wit you've come to expect from this insane innovator. 2. THE STORY / It's so simple but so involving. The Bride (Uma Thurman) wakes up four years after her entire wedding party (unborn child included) is wiped out -- and she is put in a coma -- by the organization of assassins she was trying to quit. This organization, The Deadly Vipers, is run by the sadistic (though he'd disagree) Bill (David Carradine, whose face, at least in this installment, is never seen). Ergo, The Bride is out to kill Bill...and the four other members of this squad responsible for the massacre...and anyone else who stands in her way. Each character's back story is incredibly fascinating, especially those of squad member O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) and her crew. Every time we break away to one of these character studies, we know it has no ultimate impact on the overall story but is instead there to make each check mark on The Bride's death list a more interesting and formidable opponent. Also, it's evident that Tarantino had a lot of fun coming up with the individual histories, and makes them just as fun for the audience to watch. 3. UMA THURMAN / Each of the performances is fantastic, but as The Bride, the woman out to kill Bill, Thurman magnificently displays her character's stern determination to succeed in her goal, fueled by a toxic, deadly hatred. She easily makes The Bride someone to root for, and in the process winds up giving one of the best performances by an actress this year. 4. THE FIGHTS / Stunt choreographer Yuen Wo Ping strikes again, having already energized "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the "Matrix" series with his distinctive style. Every fight in this movie (and, of course, there are a lot) is breathtaking and unique. There are no words to describe the sheer joy of watching them. 5. THE MUSIC / I love the way the opening credits play out to Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" and the way O-Ren's crew enters the restaurant to the ever-so-awesome "Battle Without Honor Or Humanity" by Tomoyasu Hotei (which, by the way, is also the song you hear in most of the ads). I also love the application of many '60s and '70s film scores, because they are all used perfectly. In fact, there isn't a single song or score cue that doesn't work, and Tarantino maintains his reputation as one of the few directors with a great ear for music. So, there you have it, five big reasons to love "Kill Bill: Vol. 1". The ultra-violence may turn some people off, as may its baroque strangeness, but these are just a few more reasons I love it. In sum, "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" is a creative tour de force that catapults Tarantino back to the top of everyone's mind - including, hopefully, the Academy's.
|
