Dawn of the Geeks

Some may complain that you know how Kill Bill ends. Watching Kill Bill Volume one you know that The Bride isn’t going to die obviously as it’s known there’s a sequal. But people who complain about this don’t get the basic point of Kill Bill. It’s not the destination that’s the point. It’s how she gets there. One may wonder what’s up with all the time shifting in Volume 1. The movie doesn’t move along chronologically. Volume 2 doesn’t either. The reason for this is that “revenge is not a straight path.” It also allows someone who’s never seen Volume 1 to not be entirely lost when watching Volume 2. It’s also the case that Volume 1 talks about things that you don’t learn about fully until Volume 2.

The other obvious shift from Volume 1, is that Volume 2 isn’t nearly as bloody. It’s got it’s moments but there are no long drawn out fights. Both movies experiment with various styles. It’s not like most movies that are the same style from beginning to end. Volume 2 focuses more on dialog and humor to move the story along. You get all the backstory for the characters. You learn how The Bride learned her stuff. You meet her master. And you finally learn her name. Some hack critic for the Arizona State Press claimed her name was no big deal. This is because he wasn’t paying attention. There is a very good reason he name is witheld for most of this movie. Bill spends a good amount of time explaining it to The Bride. Apparently this critic missed it in his effort to build his case that Quentin Tarantino is just an egotistical hack.

Some critics were expecting more violence. However, unlike most films, every major character dies in a very unique way. It’s not at all repetitive. O-Ren Ishii dies in a final one on one sword fight after a massive battle with the Crazy 88’s. Vernita Green dies after an in house knife fight. Elle Driver, Budd and Bill are all eliminated in interesting ways that you don’t see comming. Most martial arts films are just one Kung Fu battle after another. This is what makes Kill Bill so flawless; it’s never repetative. Every scene is unique and interesting. Instead of just relying on one skill of The Bride to have her move through her challenges we get to see her use a unique skill for every obstacle. And in Volume 2 you get to see her learn those skills.

For those who are interested in what all the buzz is about but don’t want to have to see all the excessive gore, Volume 2 is quite tame in that area. There are a few pretty graphic scenes but, unlike Volume 1, there is not a steady stream of blood flowing throughout the film and since it really fills in the blanks from Volume 1, you’ll get most of the story so you won’t feel completely lost.