A Movie That Theater Lovers Will Appreciate

Rating: 8/10 (3 July 2016)

I can't imagine anyone who appreciates fine theater not liking The Hateful Eight. I even wonder if anyone who panned this movie has ever seen a top-level theater production of a drama. It has many elements of a great play, yet goes that extra mile in many ways because it's a movie. Essentially, it is one of those movies - like 12 Angry Men - that succeeds, and can be appreciated, as both a play and as a movie. But unlike 12 Angry Men, Tarantino takes more advantage of his movie being a movie, and really goes to town sometimes, as only Tarantino can do.
Plays are about communication. And communication among the characters is at the core of The Hateful Eight. If watching a movie unfold based on what people say to one another is not as thrilling to you as action, you may find that this movie falls short. But there is plenty of action, just not boom boom boom like in some other Tarantino movies. And nobody can "climax" like Tarantino...in a play the climactic scenes have to be minimalistic compared to what can be done in movies, and the cinematic climaxes in The Hateful Eight are Tarantino-esque...need I say more?
The Hateful Eight, like a fine play, is more thoughtful than the usual Tarantino flick. Tarantino has become a deeper thinker, more adept at imparting wisdom about humanity, about how minds work. He seems to have a deep understanding of his characters, considering that they're from another era and from a very different American subculture. That all of the main characters are pugnacious,abrasive,and deceptive, yet know how to conduct themselves in an eloquent way, demonstrates what kind of person Tarantino admires, at least as a movie character.
Finally, a great stage drama is all about character development, and how characters develop from social interaction, which makes it the most human of all the arts. Modern American film often subordinates character development, instead focusing more on holding the attention and interest of a target audience, which is not the kind that goes to the theater. (Kind of a snobby comment I guess, but I'll stick to it.)The Hateful Eight succeeds as a stage drama, and does not succumb as a movie, in this way.
I could go and on about how much I liked The Hateful Eight. I think it's Tarantino's best work.