I fell in love. Then fell out of it.

Rating: Null/10 (17 April 2004)

To me, the first volume of "Kill Bill" was the cinematic equivalent of an orgasm. It had everything I ever wanted. In fact--and I'm serious about this--I walked around my high school wearing a sign on my chest reading: I am a human advertisement for the movie, Kill Bill: Vol. 1. What was even greater was the promise of more to come.
First, they sliced the movie in half. Then, they set the release date of Volume 2 in February, 4-5 months after the first. And then, again, the release date was moved to April. I just felt that all this hype and waiting was for naught.
"Kill Bill: Vol.2" has redeeming aspects. There's the Texas funeral scene, the retelling of the incident in El Paso, and finally what happens to Budd. But overall this is an entirely different film; it's more gritty, more patient, and more sentimental. In other words, the coolness is gone. I don't know what's more interesting: the fact that Quentin Tarantino took a 180-degree change of pace, or that he had originally expected audiences to watch these halves together.
(I used the term "sentimental" rather than "emotional" because, in actuality, more emotion is shown in The Bride's waking up and discovering her baby missing than any other scene.)
And the music! What happened to the music? About the only cool piece is the one you hear already in the previews. The rest is cowboy folk, Spanish music, and a particularly sad trip-hopish song before the inevitable battle.
Really, I was disappointed. Perhaps I would've liked it more had it been a one-shot. My advice: those who loved Vol. 1 for its homage to animé, samurai films, and Japanese culture altogether, will more than likely not find what they're looking for in Vol. 2.
In regards to how I feel about Quentin Tarantino right now, I refer you to what Nancy Sinatra sang at the beginning of Vol. 1:
He shot me down. BANG BANG.