Mr. Tarantino, you have lost me.

Rating: 6/10 (29 August 2009)

I want to like this movie, just because I like Quentin Tarantino's other movies. I loved Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Kill Bill was really quite good. But Inglourious Basterds, this I could not enjoy.
The 'basterds' were a most vile, despicable band of senselessly violent excuses for people, hardly better than the Nazis they hunted. They were not characters who could be hated whilst still caring what happened to them or understanding their actions, they were just plain hateful. Shosanna was able to be sympathised with, as were Landa and Zoller. In a way. They were still unpleasant individuals, but they added some tinges of humanity to the story, I guess. At least they seemed to have some actual reason for their actions other than mindless killing.
The violence - I have previously thought the violence in Quentin Tarantino movies was well done, whether it was Mr. Orange bleeding to death at a realistic rate or Yakuza exploding with blood. This revised my opinion. It was just senseless, pointless, thoroughly inglorious and unpleasantly executed. It also added to my complete hatred for all the characters. Watching them die horribly was little compensation.
There were some moments of humour, and of course the interesting addition of captions at seemingly random times, the fonts used now familiar from other Tarantino movies. But there was no honour, no integrity and no humanity. And really, the ending was just ridiculous, though perhaps fitting.
I will give points for the soundtrack - Mr. Tarantino has not lost his touch there; it was excellent.
I really wanted to like this, I just couldn't. I am disappointed, and very sad. I guess I'll have to live in the past and enjoy early Tarantino.