A fine addition to Vol. 1

Rating: 9/10 (11 March 2005)

As an avid fan of Kill Bill: Vol. 1, I was almost frightened to actually sit down and watch Vol. 2, not knowing what to expect. Now, I'm thrilled that I did.
Kill Bill 2 focuses more on The Bride's past, answering every question you may have had in Vol. 1: Who is Bill? What happened that day of the wedding? What's up with Elle? Who is Budd? What happened to the daughter? All of this and more is answered in Vol. 2, with twists and turns galore.
Let me say first off that this movie is hardly like the first -- but that's in a good way. The spiffy blood and guts and martial arts effects are no more, instead replaced with deep-rooted psychological plot points and expecting the unexpected. It lacks the kick-in-the-mouth, spontaneous martial arts scenes from the first one, and is replaced by a slow abundance of dialogue that starts the movie off on what could be mistaken for the wrong foot. But after a while, the action starts, and we're quickly drawn into a wild goose chase following The Bride -- now known as Beatrix Kiddo -- and her mad chase after Bill and all of her remaining opponents. Stories are told, questions are answered, and everything that you may predict to happen will not happen, which puts back the spontaneous plot points that we know and love. The movie is an unpredictable, wild ride that ends with a heartfelt, nicely done conclusion that wraps it all up very well.
I don't expect a Kill Bill 3; on the contrary, I think I'd be rather disappointed by one, but we'll see what happens. However, the first two volumes go perfectly hand-in-hand, and you will not be disappointed by either one. 9/10