Not sensational by any means but certainly worth the watch.

Rating: 6/10 (6 January 2016)

I will start bluntly and honestly; this is Tarantino's weakest film to date. However that does not mean that it isn't good. When considering the repertoire of Tarantino films at hand, it was always going to be near impossible to replicate the feats of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. I must say though that, to me anyway, films such as Inglorious Bastards and Django Unchained were not far off that high level. They had intensity, sharp dialogue and they captivated audiences. The Hateful Eight does not quite have these comparable qualities.
I'll begin with the positives; the acting in this film is stellar. Samuel L Jackson does a fine job as the main role here and Jennifer Jason Leigh is also every bit as good as Daisy Domergue. It is hard to fault anyone's performance in all honesty. Everyone in this cast grinds out a fantastic performance which is an obvious redeemable quality for this film. The cinematography and score are outstanding likewise, particularly for the atmosphere that both create. And of course, there are some very memorable scenes as expected in any Tarantino films and these scenes are in abundance in this film.
With all that said, this film just has one too many flaws for it to be considered a superb film, let alone a superb Tarantino film. The dialogue does not have the same punch as I would have hoped - it does not hold my attention as it did in Django Unchained or Inglorious Bastards. The story line is a bit thin and at times and given the length of the film (3 hours), this proves to be a problem. I have never had an issue with the length of Tarantino films up until now and I believe that says a lot about The Hateful Eight. The pacing of the film just is not up to scratch i'm afraid. It seems to plod on rather than move with any intensity. The film just did not grip me like other Tarantino films have in the past.
Don't get me wrong, this is a good film. But with all the hype and the wonderful director and actors at hand, it does not quite live up to expectation. As I said earlier though, I think it is hard for Tarantino to live up to any expectation now. For someone who's first two films were Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, two films that redefined cinema, it was always going to be a challenge to direct on the same level. Django and Bastards were rightfully acclaimed in their attempts but the Hateful Eight falls short. A good film that is certainly worth watching but not of the level we would expect from Mr. Tarantino.