Entertaining, dazzling...but over-rated (typical Tarantino)

Rating: 7/10 (3 May 2004)

Quentin Tarantino makes good movies. No question about it; he's a remarkably consistent (if far from prolific) film-maker. His movies are always entertaining, visually dazzling, and usually feature very sharp dialogue. Tarantino also deserves credit for not underestimating his audience's intelligence. In an era when most films are dumbed-down to the lowest common denominator, Tarantino bravely employs non-linear narratives, confident that the audience can keep up.
This, evidently, is enough to garner him a devoted--even fanatical--following amongst film buffs, if the position of his films on the IMDB top 250 list is any indication. But perhaps that's a sad commentary on just how bad most Hollywood dreck is. Because I've always found that while good, Tarantino's movies are never great.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 showcases all the Tarantino qualities I mentioned above, but also displays all of his usual shortcomings. His failures come down to two things for me: a lack of heart and a lack of originality.

The lack of heart shows itself in the consistently unlikeable characters. It isn't just the foul language and lack of redeeming qualities. In the case of the bride, we're never given a chance to really warm up to the character. All we know is she was pregnant and wanted to get married and then got beat within an inch of her life. Why? Why did all those assasins try to kill her? Maybe she deserved it! She was and is a pretty formidable assasin herself. Who knows? We sure don't.
Granted, this is probably deliberate on Tarantino's part. He likes complicated characters, especially anti-heroes, and leaving out some backstory elements is part of his respect for the audience's intelligence and imagination. But he often errs too much on the side of restraint with his character development. The only reason I care if the Bride succeeds in her mission is so that the really cool cartoon-style carnage can keep going. I don't really care about the character; Tarantino hasn't given me a chance to--evidently on purpose. That emotional distance keeps me from making an emotional investment in the film.
Tarantino also loses marks when it comes to originality. It's not that he's wholly unoriginal, far from it; Pulp Fiction was pretty strong in that regard. It's just that the guy is SUCH a film buff that his movies are pretty much pastiches of other flicks. When I watch a Tarantino flick, I get the uncanny feeling that I've seen this film before--in a more linear format, perhaps, and with less foul language, but it's a retread. It makes his movies predictible, and Kill Bill Vol. 1 is especially guilty of this. I know the Bride will meet up with each of her enemies and, after a visually stunning kick-ass spectacle, ultimately get her revenge. No surprises there.
Tarantino is obviously devoted to duplicating the martial arts/spaghetti westerns he's ripping off...OOPS, sorry, he's PAYING HOMAGE to them, silly me. But that costs him in Kill Bill Vol. 1 as well; unlike his previous movies, his devotion to duplicating their stilted speech means there's none of the crackling dialogue that made Pulp Fiction such a joy to listen to, despite the (often needlessly excessive) profanity.
I'm not saying "Tarantino sucks!" Far from it; I like watching his movies. I just think they, and he, are vastly over-rated. Good, but not great.
Anyway, I'm not going to rush out and see Kill Bill Vol. 2. I can wait until it's on DVD. I do want to see it, but my patience is the strongest evidence of how Tarantino intrigues me, but ultimately leaves me cold. 7/10.