“Kill Bill” is a movie franchise that has maintained its popularity for more than two decades. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, “Kill Bill” portrays the story of a former assassin, simply known as the Bride, who wakes up from a four year coma after her jealous ex-lover Bill and his assassination squad (that she was previously a part of) attempts to murder her on her wedding day. The story follows The Bride’s journey as she swears revenge, hunting down each member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.
“Kill Bill” is a franchise that is split into two movies: Kill Bill Volume 1 and Volume 2. However, on Dec. 5, Kill Bill: A Whole Bloody Affair was released, which subsequently combined the two volumes into one 4-hour and 35-minute movie. Instead of just synthesizing the contents of the two pre-established movies together, the movie offers never seen before footage and extended clips of certain scenes. “The Whole Bloody Affair” premiered in theaters on Dec.5 and will continue premiering until Dec.18.
I had the privilege of watching “The Whole Bloody Affair” in theaters on the opening weekend. Watching the movie served as a refresher to what I would consider my favorite movie since I was a freshman. As a die-hard Kill Bill fan, it was an alluring experience to be able to watch my favorite movie on the big screen as I sat back in a reclining seat.
The biggest difference between “The Whole Bloody Affair” and the two Kill BIll volumes is that the reveal that The Bride’s daughter was still alive is revealed as the first part of the movie ends. In the independent volumes, this shocking reveal is saved for the very end of the second volume. Other new clips include an extended animated version of antagonist O-Ren Ishii’s backstory, and the colorized version of the “Crazy 88” fight scene.
Overall, I believe that “The Whole Bloody Affair” was the perfect way to recap the events of the two volumes. Even someone like me, who has a relatively short attention span, watched the movie to its entirety without distraction. “The Whole Bloody Affair” is action packed and gives you that sense of suspense as each scene goes by. I think it is a perfect renewal and addition to the Kill Bill franchise, even if it is not necessarily a new movie with entirely new content. Tarantino has made it clear that he does not intend to make a sequel, and is content on how the franchise ended. Despite this, I believe he made a clever decision in producing a version that contained practically all information viewers already had, with a few spins. He listened to the opinions of viewers, while also satisfying his own decision in keeping the iconic franchise’s ending.