Pretty Good Movie
Rating - 7.6:
Overall, 'Kill Bill: Vol. 1' uses Uma Thurman's strong performance and its well-executed action sequences to make you feel invested and really intrigued by the Bride's revenge story as you are interested to see how things play out in the second half; however, 'Kill Bill: Vol. 2' falls flat as it is more dialogue-focused and just feels more bloated in comparison to its first act, with the ending just feeling anticlimactic overall as you don't feel satisfied with the four-hour journey you just went on.
Direction - Pretty Good: The direction on a macroscale pays homage to the exploitation genres with its martial arts and western action to make this movie feel memorable; the direction on a microscale is similar to the genres it is trying to pay homage to, as it consists of a lot of tough, macho dialogue and sequences you would expect, which ultimately feels out of Tarantino's wheelhouse since this movie is less dialogue-heavy than the rest of his filmography; the storytelling in the first volume is good as it makes you feel intrigued by what happens next, but the second half feels very flat in comparison; they build tension decently well, but it is not super strong because of how cartoony this movie feels
Story - Pretty Good: The concept is a revenge story that is wrapped in an exploitation film as the first half pays homage to the martial arts genre and the second half pays homage to the western genre; the plot structure is a tale of two acts, where the first act is well-structured and helps build the character and the story to make you feel intrigued to see how this story finishes, only for the second half to be flatter and more dialogue-heavy; character writing is good for Thurman's character as it paints her with a sense of mystery that makes her revenge story interesting, but the more they reveal about the character, the less interesting she becomes
Screenplay - Decent: The dialogue is less like his other films and is not as strong, as the first half is more action-focused and the second half is just flat and less interesting; the humor uses more physical comedy in the fight sequences to make this movie feel cartoony and similar to the genre it is trying to pay homage to; the symbolism is what you would expect from a revenge film; the foreshadowing is very good in the first half as its non-linear style helps provide intrigue into how the Bride got into this situation, only for the second half to be somewhat flat
Acting - Pretty Good to Good: Uma Thurman - Good to Very Good (Really takes control of the movie and makes it her own, doing well in the dramatic and action sequences; has good chemistry with the cast as she steals the screen whenever she's in focus), Lucy Liu - Pretty Good (Is not given too much material to work with but is memorable and does a pretty good job in the action sequences), Daryl Hannah - Pretty Good (Plays the antagonist role well in comparison to Thurman as she is this foil that makes their fight sequences worth watching), Michael Madsen - Pretty Good (Plays this lazy assassin role well as his disinterest in going after The Bride suits his actor and plays to his acting strengths), David Carradine - Good (Is memorable in his sequences as he plays this fatherly figure to Thurman (that is somehow also her lover) as the chemistry the two have on screen make him the most memorable part of the second volume, it is just a shame this section is just weaker), Rest of the cast - Decent to Pretty Good (Everyone is very over-the-top and cartoony to help play to this exploitation genre; decent chemistry with the cast, though they are not given the signature Tarantino dialogue that makes his movie's what they are)
Score - Decent to Pretty Goodß: Pays homage to the genre and helps build tone and tension
Soundtrack - Very Good: Uses a lot of iconic sounds and songs that have not only become associated with this film but pop culture in general
Cinematography - Good: Used well in the action sequences as it helps provide depth and range to these shots
Editing - Decent: Decent for the most part, but it feels either basic or a little too much with no in-between
Sound - Pretty Bad: I understand it was intentional to be emblematic of the exploitation genre, but it was just so cartoony and over-the-top that it became distracting and annoying
Visual Effects - Pretty Good: Emblematic of the exploitation genre with how over-the-top and cheesy it is, as they use a lot of practical effects, but it does look a bit cheap and tacky when it is overused; the fight choreography is good and helps make this movie feel like an entertaining martial arts and action film
Production Design - Pretty Good: The first half uses Japan very well as a backdrop, as it plays an integral part in why this movie is popular; the second half uses its western backdrop to give backstory into the Bride's life, though it is less interesting than the first half
Makeup - Pretty Good: Helps show the gore and damage the Bride takes during her fights; uses a lot of practical effects to help show the carnage of these fight sequences
Costumes - Pretty Good to Good: The costumes in the first half are very iconic, especially the Bride's yellow jumpsuit that pays homage to Bruce Lee's iconic outfit; however, the second half just has generic costumes
Pacing - Pacing in the first half is good as it moves at just the right speed to keep you entertained and intrigued by what happens next; pacing in the second half is pretty slow as the movie feels more bloated with its longer dialogue sequences and less action
Climax - Climax in the first act is very good and leaves you wondering what happens next as the Bride goes through an amazing action sequence that this duology is known for; climax in the second half feels very anticlimactic and flat as you don't feel satisfied with the four-hour journey you just went on
Tone - Tone is very emblematic of the exploitation genres it is trying to pay homage to, with the first half being very martial arts and the second half being very western
Final Notes - The Fortnite lost chapter they included at the end was so bad that it took points away from this movie as a whole.
Direction - Pretty Good: The direction on a macroscale pays homage to the exploitation genres with its martial arts and western action to make this movie feel memorable; the direction on a microscale is similar to the genres it is trying to pay homage to, as it consists of a lot of tough, macho dialogue and sequences you would expect, which ultimately feels out of Tarantino's wheelhouse since this movie is less dialogue-heavy than the rest of his filmography; the storytelling in the first volume is good as it makes you feel intrigued by what happens next, but the second half feels very flat in comparison; they build tension decently well, but it is not super strong because of how cartoony this movie feels
Story - Pretty Good: The concept is a revenge story that is wrapped in an exploitation film as the first half pays homage to the martial arts genre and the second half pays homage to the western genre; the plot structure is a tale of two acts, where the first act is well-structured and helps build the character and the story to make you feel intrigued to see how this story finishes, only for the second half to be flatter and more dialogue-heavy; character writing is good for Thurman's character as it paints her with a sense of mystery that makes her revenge story interesting, but the more they reveal about the character, the less interesting she becomes
Screenplay - Decent: The dialogue is less like his other films and is not as strong, as the first half is more action-focused and the second half is just flat and less interesting; the humor uses more physical comedy in the fight sequences to make this movie feel cartoony and similar to the genre it is trying to pay homage to; the symbolism is what you would expect from a revenge film; the foreshadowing is very good in the first half as its non-linear style helps provide intrigue into how the Bride got into this situation, only for the second half to be somewhat flat
Acting - Pretty Good to Good: Uma Thurman - Good to Very Good (Really takes control of the movie and makes it her own, doing well in the dramatic and action sequences; has good chemistry with the cast as she steals the screen whenever she's in focus), Lucy Liu - Pretty Good (Is not given too much material to work with but is memorable and does a pretty good job in the action sequences), Daryl Hannah - Pretty Good (Plays the antagonist role well in comparison to Thurman as she is this foil that makes their fight sequences worth watching), Michael Madsen - Pretty Good (Plays this lazy assassin role well as his disinterest in going after The Bride suits his actor and plays to his acting strengths), David Carradine - Good (Is memorable in his sequences as he plays this fatherly figure to Thurman (that is somehow also her lover) as the chemistry the two have on screen make him the most memorable part of the second volume, it is just a shame this section is just weaker), Rest of the cast - Decent to Pretty Good (Everyone is very over-the-top and cartoony to help play to this exploitation genre; decent chemistry with the cast, though they are not given the signature Tarantino dialogue that makes his movie's what they are)
Score - Decent to Pretty Goodß: Pays homage to the genre and helps build tone and tension
Soundtrack - Very Good: Uses a lot of iconic sounds and songs that have not only become associated with this film but pop culture in general
Cinematography - Good: Used well in the action sequences as it helps provide depth and range to these shots
Editing - Decent: Decent for the most part, but it feels either basic or a little too much with no in-between
Sound - Pretty Bad: I understand it was intentional to be emblematic of the exploitation genre, but it was just so cartoony and over-the-top that it became distracting and annoying
Visual Effects - Pretty Good: Emblematic of the exploitation genre with how over-the-top and cheesy it is, as they use a lot of practical effects, but it does look a bit cheap and tacky when it is overused; the fight choreography is good and helps make this movie feel like an entertaining martial arts and action film
Production Design - Pretty Good: The first half uses Japan very well as a backdrop, as it plays an integral part in why this movie is popular; the second half uses its western backdrop to give backstory into the Bride's life, though it is less interesting than the first half
Makeup - Pretty Good: Helps show the gore and damage the Bride takes during her fights; uses a lot of practical effects to help show the carnage of these fight sequences
Costumes - Pretty Good to Good: The costumes in the first half are very iconic, especially the Bride's yellow jumpsuit that pays homage to Bruce Lee's iconic outfit; however, the second half just has generic costumes
Pacing - Pacing in the first half is good as it moves at just the right speed to keep you entertained and intrigued by what happens next; pacing in the second half is pretty slow as the movie feels more bloated with its longer dialogue sequences and less action
Climax - Climax in the first act is very good and leaves you wondering what happens next as the Bride goes through an amazing action sequence that this duology is known for; climax in the second half feels very anticlimactic and flat as you don't feel satisfied with the four-hour journey you just went on
Tone - Tone is very emblematic of the exploitation genres it is trying to pay homage to, with the first half being very martial arts and the second half being very western
Final Notes - The Fortnite lost chapter they included at the end was so bad that it took points away from this movie as a whole.
- cinemapersonified
- 23 déc. 2025