A good film ..... and therefore disappointing

Rating: 7/10 (2 May 2020)

My title means what it says : A Tarantino film should blow you away, especially one with incredible reviews. And it IS good, but only good, which is a sore let-down for anyone expecting a knockout blockbuster.
I found the opening hour a plod-along, not boring as such but 'meh'. It definitely picked up, there were a handful of compelling scenes, notably Brad Pitt's visit to the cult compound, Leonardo's acting with the little girl, and the violent climactic scene in Leonardo's house. A film of two halves, so to speak.
The unquestionable highlight for me was Leonardo's acting, absolutely superb, something I'm coming to expect every time from him. I completely disagree with the people who rave about Brad Pitt in this. For me, he was basically on auto-pilot, half the time I felt he could have just been being himself. He looked like he was having a great old time throughout, which is hardly the sign of an actor who has thrown himself into method acting the way Leonardo clearly did. It was the performance of an actor who looked way too comfortable with his life and status as a worldwide household name. He put in as much effort as Al Pacino had to, i.e hardly any.
I am 40 and British so the endless Hollywood-of-old references mean virtually nothing to me. This was very much a self-indulging vanity project for Tarantino and whether he has earned the right to do what he wants or whether he has an obligation to his fans to keep providing his 'usual' type of film is up there for debate.
Good film, well worth a watch, but probably just the once.