Review of Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) by Aznassassin — 14 Dec 2012

(NOTE: This review covers only Vol. 2 of the Kill Bill Saga. For Vol. 1, see my profile page. For a complete overall score on the entire Kill Bill saga, see after this review).

Part 2 of this elaborate revenge, murder rampage concentrates more on the actual plot and less on the violence. Is that good thing? No, not at all. The violence and fighting sequences as well as the unique blend of Asian cinema homages and cinematography are what actually kept Vol. 1 above 5/10 for me. However, for Vol. 2, the homages and unique style of Vol. 1 is almost completely non-existent (no, the training segment with Pai Mei does not qualify to a homage as its cliche' as hell and has been done hundreds of times in modern films), the action sequences are reduces to a few disappointing minutes, the actual movie itself is set in some of the most bland locales (as opposed to exotic locations of Vol. 1), and the characters...you just dont care anymore. The new characters dont really bring much to the table and are all uninspiring to the point of mediocrity. You can almost feel that Thurman herself as a character is losing steam as opposed to her great portrayal in Vol.1. And finally, they decided to focus on the plot, the weakest aspect of the entire saga. Well, I guess they have to. Imagine Transformers with barely any cool fight sequences and have Shia Lebouf and Optimus Prime talk for most of the film. This is like Vol. 2 - instead of more violent sequences in the unique style and soundtrack as pinpointed by Vol. 1, Vol. 2 decided to just throw all that in the bin and opted for a more quiet and ultimately, more lacking concluding film which, while wraps up Kiddo's tale (the final 'boss fight' just feels disjointed and lacks tension), is at the end of the day, becomes a cliche' drama rather than an action thriller. Dont watch this on drunk nights like Vol. 1, instead just read the wikipedia plot section. You're not missing anything by not watching it. Throwing away the elements which made Part 1 fun, Vol. 2 of Kill Bill is a mediocre, disappointing conclusion that feel like a Samurai warrior who basically used up all his strength for the first half of the fight while for the second half, decides to use a gun instead to finish his opponent. OVERALL: With Vol. 1 and 2 taken into considerable, Kill Bill feels disjointed with dramatic shifts to pace that just feels unnatural. Decent fight sequences, coupled with unique film styles and homages to Asian cinema make the first half of the saga enjoyable if you're feeling a little bloodlustful wheras you may be disappointed at the ending and concluding hour where the pace slackens and action is thrown out the window. Kill Bill as a whole with Vol. 1 and 2 combined receives a 6/10. A decent, intriguing piece of cinema that will divide audiences and is ultimately an enjoyable thriller for those after something more raw and intimate.