Kill Bill - Volume Two [Blu-ray]

I want to make it VERY clear, the three stars are NOT for the movie. Kill Bill, in my view, is one of the best movies ever made but this evaluation is for THIS Kill Bill Blu-ray release.

I am totally sold on Blu and, when the Kill Bill bundle became available... well... I ordered it when Amazon offered it at a great discount. The bundle includes Kill Bill 1 and 2 and, IF you wish to upgrade your KBs I highly recommend the bundle because you could save a few dollars. There is no difference between the 2 KBs sold as individual titles and them sold together other than, possibly, the price.

I wish I had a lot to say about the Blu-ray version but I don't so, let me say what is worth saying:

- The contents of the Blu-ray version are EXACTLY those of the DVD edition, nothing more, nothing less.
- Even the artwork is borrowed from the original DVD edition.
- The 'extras' are shot in low resolution, in fact they are the exact extras you will find on the DVD.
- The resolution of the movie is, of course, higher than the DVD's and the audio is available as 'uncompressed' but nothing special was done for the Blu issue. I noticed quite a few artifacts and some graininess but, overall, the picture quality is good. It could have been a lot better. I expect a remastered edition in the near future.

Overall, I am not very happy with this edition which appears to have been put together on the cheap and in a hurry. I suspect that the digital master used to make the DVDs was quickly converted to Blu and thrown out on the market but I could be wrong.

I am looking forward to a complete and professionally done Tarantino filmography on Blu in the near future, meaning that I'd be buying the Kill Bills three times.

On deciding whether to buy this release or not it should be up to one's budget. Those who don't have the DVD edition but have a Blu player, definitely buy the Blu, preferably the bundle because one never knows when a superior version may be released. If you already have the DVD... like I said, I bought my KB 1&2 package when Amazon offered it at a very significant discount.

If you turn your mind off and go along for the ride, there's plenty of Uma, mayhem, Uma, nicely-done fights, and Uma.

Plausibility? Well, not a lot. I suspended disbelief until my arms got tired, then the implausibility of the Holy Mother, loud noises that no one notices, and day to day use of a visible sword as fashion accessory kind of got to me. Cripes, does every cold-blooded, female killer in the world get all mushy over kids? And some of the guys, too? I almost expected to see the first ultrasound tattooed on someome's arm.

OK as airplane entertainment, as long as it's free and there's no way to get out of the plane. Missable otherwise.

-- wiredweird

Welcome to the incredible world of Blu-ray movies. Only to be completely appreciated with the sum of ALL necessary components to carry this technology off!!

My Qualifying Statement: I have a HD Home Theater weighing in at about $2000, plus movies. The breakdown; a Mitsubishi HD Projector (HC-1500) $800 (orig $1495)*see my review*, a Sony 5.1 Sound System (HT-SS2300) $399 (orig $499) and a Sony PLAYSTATION 3 game system with Blu-ray Player included $399 (orig $499) *see my review*. Sony High Speed HDMI cables $150 (orig $180) and HD Screen Paint and Kit $180 for my 108" viewing wall screen. With this True HD 1080p (1920x1080 lines) and 5.1 Dolby Cinema Sound (DCS)system I've assembled a HD Home Theater with sight and sound equal to an IMAX (on a smaller scale) presentation.

With this consideration and background information provided I can now comment on this Blu-ray version of "KILL BILL Volume 2". Presented in Full HD 1080p (1920x1080 lines) with DCS (5 speaker and a subwoofer) we can now completely enjoy Quentin Tarantino's genius in this complex action packed, well executed, perfectly cast, Directed and Written critically acclaimed masterpiece film saga.

THE MUSICAL SCORE IS AWESOME!!!!! Especially in 5.1!!!!!

This movie is pure eye candy and the Blu-ray clarity is incredible! The storyline is well orchestrated and has you cheering all the way!!

Volume 2 is the perfect Revenge film conclusion for this Epic Quentin Tarantino 2 part classic. The perfect cast; Uma Thurman is "THE BRIDE" (Ultimate Samurai Warrion). David Caradine is "BILL" (Perfect Villan). Michael Madsen is "BUD" (Bills brother - the only one Bill ever loved). Daryl Hannah is "ELLE" (the One Eye Viper).

BONUS FEATURES: Making of KILL BILL Volume 2 (26 mins) a must see prior to watching conclusion Volume 2. DAMONE (6 mins) great background snippet with BRIDE and BILL. Finally an outstanding musical set (11 mins) with "Chingon". Bonus material in 480p.

Bottomline: Remember the Blu-ray experience is HDMI (1080p) 5.1 Sound in a HD Home Theater (the bigger the screen the better). Enjoy. This KILL BILL Volume 1 and 2 are keepers with many encore performances to be had (I've already watched it 3 times in 7 days!!!)

Despite what many have said about KB2 being better it's not. It's an ok film that narratively stands on its own, but shows the utter superfluity of KB1, which could have had its backstory sliced to a 6 or 7 minute prologue. KB2 opens with the Bride ready to take on Bill's own baby brother- the 3rd member of the Assassins, Budd (Michael Madsen). After stalking him to his trailer home he blows her away with a buckshot of salt. Why he does not kill her with regular bullets is a silly question since this is comic book logic. Additionally, he offers to turn over the Bride's body to Bill's last assassin for $1 million. She's another blonde killer femme, Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), who is missing an eye & wears a patch. Cue classic 1930s serial film villain stupidity: Budd buries the Bride alive. He even gives her a flashlight in her nailed coffin. Flashback: to her training under misogynistic Chinese Kung Fu master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu). This is needless digression because the stereotyped character- similar to KB1's involving the Bride's training with master swordmaker Hattori Hanzo (Sonny Chiba)- adds nothing to the tale that could not have been added in a few casual throwaway references in the script.
Length is also a big problem. The 2 films run 226 minutes, or just a quarter hour shy of 4 hours. They were originally to be a single entity but, having had so few films from Tarantino over the years his company wanted to double the bang for the buck. Thus the mishmash editing. Individual scenes are expertly paced and woven, but there are just reams of scenes that do not advance the essential shark-like plot. This is not just taste speaking- too many scenes with trivial but wannabe colorful characters grind the film to a snail's pace. Trim the 90 minutes of KB1 down to 20 or 30 minutes of action, trim the 136 minutes of the plodding KB2 in half & you would've had a very good 90-100 minute film with all the excellent action and revelatory scenes intact. The KB films are a triumph of box office greed and marketing over potentially good art (-cum-self-indulgent pointlessness). Another thing gained by making the films one would be that the teaser at the end of KB1, where we find out Beatrix has a daughter, could be cut and that revelation unfold to both character and audience when she actually confronts Bill. Not that the emotion would have overwhelmed, but knowing this fact about Beatrix before she does castrates whatever empathy we might feel for her near the film's climax.
That Tarantino did not see these points, or did but gave in to them, seems to support my belief that he has yet to show the maturity of a great director. He seemed to be going in the right direction with Jackie Brown (easily his best & most mature film) but has regressed with the 2 Kill Bills. Of KB2 I'd grade it 65 of 100, & for the duo of films I'd give it a 75. I hope I'm wrong, but he seems destined, and satisfied, to be merely an A director of B films.

The Good Things
*Blu-Ray has excellent picture quality. I don't think there's any grainy parts at all; it's completely crisp and clear.
*Great sound quality. Sounds clearer and more balanced than previous DVD release.
*Includes a 26-minute making-of featurette, a deleted scene, and a musical performance. It's not a whole lot of features (in fact, the same as from the DVD), but at least it has something.
*Some good action and fighting.
*Some good visuals. Still a smooth and clear picture.
*Still a good story, with a very good conclusion. Also fills in lots of gaps from the first film.
*Still an excellent group of characters that you can relate to. It is especially interesting to see Bill for the first time, among other things.
*Dialogue is strong and interesting.
*More interesting music.
*Lots of homage to westerns, kung fu, and anime. These elements are blended together to make a very unique picture.

The Bad Things
*It's not the "Wholy Bloody Affair" edition.
*It's longer and there's much less action.
*Still has some absurd, unrealistic parts (but this can be a good thing, because it makes the film stylish and fun).

This is a definite must-see for anybody who has seen the first film. All of the missing story elements are present, and brings everything into clarity. The conclusion is excellent (even if there is no fighting). I don't think this is as stylish or exciting as the first film, but it is definately worthwhile to see the complete story.

Whether or not it is worthy of replacing the DVD is entirely up to you. I liked the movie enough to go for it, and at the very least, I am pleased with the picture/sound quality. I'll still want to grab the "Whole Bloody Affair" edition (you know, unrated director's cut with shedloads of special features and other crud) whenever it comes out, but considering that it never existed in the first place, I am not one to complain. Heck, I might even keep this copy, so I have the theatrical cut. Altogether, I don't agree with the others who complain. It's still a good movie, and it's of good quality.