Yet another waste of two hours

Rating: 3/10 (11 June 2004)

I rated this a 3 only because it's better than "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", which earned a 1. As with CTHD, I never saw this in a theater and resisted the temptation to get the DVD. I finally did see it on cable when there was nothing else on worth watching. Unlike CTHD, the trailer didn't immediately turn me off. Unlike with CTHD, Tarantino was wise enough in his trailer not to show the sequences which defied all logic, physics, anatomy, and medical science - and of course he couldn't show the gore.
This film plays not only to a contemporary audience's ignorance, but also its desensitization to graphic violence. It's a gore fest from beginning to the end. It counts on the fact that a highly-stylized adrenalin rush can overcome any residual horror at the carnage depicted. The audience is further conditioned to accept gruesome deaths as something cool to watch. Anyone who watches this film and feels excited rather than disturbed could benefit from a but more introspection.
Tarantino is also obviously a more talented director than the makers of CTHD. The best part of the film is an Anime flashback sequence. That makes sense since the whole film is live action Anime. But then, the same criticisms can be leveled against Anime as this film.
That films like this can be as successful as they have, speaks volumes about our society.