Definitely one movie, not two. Chalk that one up to: greed? overambition? trying to do too much at once? The style/feeling of the movies are different as well; not necessarily a bad thing, but the second segment felt rushed or unpolished and a major letdown.
Enough with the cheese as far as dialogue goes. This is one of my Tarantino peeves - his dialogue is nauseating, or at least has been developing that way.
I think the major flaw was that it was a parody of low-budget kung-fu flicks on a high-budget. Maybe not that reason exactly, but something about it just didn’t “feel” right. A wolf in sheep’s clothing, so to speak. It’s so hard to pinpoint this, but his emulation of those bad-but-good films just doesn’t amount to a good movie, and I can’t explain why. A bastardization of some sort…
The story and premise was laughable - even for a parody - and the ending was disappointing. I apparently went to the bathroom at the exact time she used the Five Point Exploding Heart technique (or whatever it was called) and felt like I missed nothing.
Now, knowing Tarantino, there was probably lots of little things that I missed. I’m sure they’re fun and interesting, but I don’t think it would change my opinion about the movie.
So, there’s more I’d add to my critique, but let me note some things I did like. Music is always a good selection from QT. I liked the animé sequence - from the first movie, I think. I enjoyed the choreography of the fights from the first movie, but the second was all dirt & grit (more realistic?) and was a harsh contrast to the first - more on it’s lack of continuity.
Plenty to get this thread rolling. On a side note, I recommend Lady Snowblood, the main inspiration for this movie. There’s comedic value, but it’s not intended, and everything else is pure story and action. A true kung fu flick. :-D
It’s also pretty crazy if you are under the right conditions… :wink: