A pretentious and unworthy revenge fantasy by a man who can do so much better

Rating: 4/10 (17 December 2013)

Is it possible to dislike anything made by Tarantino these days? YES. And he even makes it real easy for us. While Tarantino's talent is still clearly visible, he seems to have gotten too famous, and too arrogant for his own good. It seem like there really isn't anyone in his entourage (anymore?) that tells him he's going too far.
Both Django and his previous film Inglourious Basterds are supposedly "revenge fantasies". Bad periods in history revisited in such way that this time the 'good guys' win. In Inglorious Basterds World War II is being revisited into an entirely different outcome (didn't we already win in the original? Yes, but this time it's even quicker, and more graphic!). And in Django Unchained the slave goes after the owner.
It's like the fantasies of a 12yr old, where the little kid beats up the bully for a change. It's nice to dream about (when you're 12), but way too simplistic for an actual movie. Predictable and aiming for a quick burst of satisfaction. It's like cooking a three star dinner, and making it liquid for easy digestion.
And to make manners worse, it's soooo looong! Pretentiously slow, unnecessary spread out and completely over the top. Which can be good (Grindhouse was over the top great), but here the film is simply taking itself way too serious. It's arrogantly staring the audience in the face, grinning: "I'm made by Tarantino, suck on me!"
Maybe his stature has become his problem. Remaking a B-film into a big movie only works with the lightheartedness of the B-film industry. it won't work with giant expectations and supersized egos like Tarantino's anymore. We all know he's talented, but it's been so long since we last saw that...