8 Movies That Everyone Turned Against On A Second Viewing

2. Kill Bill

Quentin Tarantino's "roaring rampage of revenge," split into two cinematic "volumes" in 2003 and 2004, starred his friend and muse Uma Thurman as "The Bride," a former assassin gunned down by a jealous lover who awakens from a coma after four years and sets out to get her own back on those that wronged her. The premise is - purposely - schlocky as they come, as Kill Bill set out as an avenue for Quentin Tarantino to throw all his influences - westerns, samurai movies, giallo flicks - into a glorious, bloody melting pot, fusing them into one cinematic whole. Kill Bill's two parts were released to critical acclaim, and fans of the auteur - at first, anyways - seemed to appreciate the messy, explosive nature of these flicks, even if their narrative structure didn't seem quite as clever or fully released as those glimpsed in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Ask about Kill Bill nowadays, though, and many who were originally convinced of its masterpiece status have changed their tune after subsequent viewings. So is Kill Bill shallow, pointless work of film buff showboatery or a glorious celebration of the grindhouse movie? However you see it, Kill Bill now seems to be regarded as one of Tarantino's lesser works - a step above his more obviously flawed Grindhouse homage, Death Proof, but not by much. But let's not forget the way this thing was embraced with loving arms by mass audiences and film geeks everywhere upon first release - perhaps the fact that it was Tarantino's first movie in 7 years was what got everyone initially giddy, and later viewings didn't quite permit for such levels of excitement.