I greatly enjoyed Kill Bill Vol 1 and would happily give it a 9 out of 10. It had the right combination of goofiness and real action. I watched the Volume 1 DVD the night before I saw Vol 2 in the theatre, so I was all primed. While I did not like it as much as Volume 1, I thought that Volume 2 was pretty decent after the first viewing. I enjoyed David Carradine, Michael Madsden was excellent and the Kiddo/Elle fight was pretty good. I felt the ending dragged, but I was willing to put up with that as a change of pace. I still would have graded it an 8 out of 10 at that point.
After watching the DVD of Vol 2, I really have to downgrade my rating to a 6 or less. Bill really gets BORING! Now I know why Kiddo left him--she couldn't stand any more of those long-winded stories of his. There's nothing wrong with long stretches of dialogue if the characters have something to say. Bill's philosophical ramblings collapse under their own weight. They certainly cannot be supported by the plot and characterizations of either Kill Bill volume, unless they were cut down to about 1/3 their length, and then we would have been left with very little movie.
I'll be re-watching the Volume 1 DVD from time to time, while Volume 2 collects dust. Let's call it 5 out of 10. That doesn't make the 6 out of 10 needed for repeat viewing.
After watching the DVD of Vol 2, I really have to downgrade my rating to a 6 or less. Bill really gets BORING! Now I know why Kiddo left him--she couldn't stand any more of those long-winded stories of his. There's nothing wrong with long stretches of dialogue if the characters have something to say. Bill's philosophical ramblings collapse under their own weight. They certainly cannot be supported by the plot and characterizations of either Kill Bill volume, unless they were cut down to about 1/3 their length, and then we would have been left with very little movie.
I'll be re-watching the Volume 1 DVD from time to time, while Volume 2 collects dust. Let's call it 5 out of 10. That doesn't make the 6 out of 10 needed for repeat viewing.