Tarantino has lost his mojo

Rating: 3/10 (1 February 2013)

I was deeply disappointed by Django Unchained and constantly had to resist the urge to walk out. I didn't find it entertaining, it was too long, and I didn't find it altogether that funny or interesting to regard either. I know I'm in a minority and the films rapid ascent to the top 100 of IMDb no doubt will imbue Tarantino with the confidence to make three sequels to this film. I think that would be a terrible mistake.
Tarantino's best film was Jackie Brown, and since then I think the quality of tightness of his films have gone downhill. They've become more self indulgent, more tongue in cheek, less biting, more reliant on shock and gratuitous violence than narrative intrigue. I actually found myself bored during Django, checking my watch periodically. Not a good sign, especially when talking about Tarantino- a man who seems destined to inoculate his audiences against boredom.
The plot didn't hold my attention simply because it was a replica of so many plots that came before. Man sees girl, girl in danger, man saves girl. Never do we believe Django or the girl are ever actually in danger, so apparently Tarantino believes the one thing that will keep us glued to our seat is the expectation for more and more outrageous violence. I suppose he's right, and it's a sign of our times.
I'm not a conservative type, and I have nothing against violence in movies. I don't, however, particularly enjoy violence for the sake of violence, and don't find a three hour long murder spree fun. I don't like Tarantino singling out innocent people and slaughtering them for fun (and believe me he tries hard to make it fun). Killing slave masters are one thing, but this film goes out of its way to kill the families of these people too. I don't find Django or the good Doctor Shulz heroic, or cool, or fun. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I've just grown up a little too much. Maybe I just don't know how to have fun anymore, the same way I don't sit for hours on end playing video games the way I did in high school. There's no point to it, and it bores me.