Kill Bill: Critical Reception, Cinema and DVD Profit

Kill Bill Vol. 1, and its sequel Kill Bill Vol. 2, were well recieved by critics and fans alike.

Roger Ebert.

Roger Ebert, of 'Siskel and Ebert' fame, posted a review for the film on his website rogerebert.com , in October, 2003. He gave the film a postive reviewing, calling it 'quite brilliant' and that 'his story is a distillation of the universe of martial arts movies, elevated to a trancelike mastery of the material'. He did have some faults with the film however. He went on to say that the film is ' all storytelling and no story' and that the 'motivations have no psychological depth or resonance, but are simply plot markers.'.

I agree to a certain extent; I agree with the point that the film has no psychological depth, as it doesnt explore the deeper themes that may be associated with revenge, such as the consciene of 'The Bride' herself, and whether she truly gains fullfillment from killing those that have hurt her. But to say that the film has no story is a stretch in my opinion, as it tells an epic revenge tale about a woman who is determined to get even when her whole life is taken away from her. And for an action film, does it really matter if theres no pyschological depth? This isn't a character study.

Peter Bradshaw.

Peter Bradshaw, movie critic for UK newspaper The Gaurdian, also gave the film a postive review with a rating of 5 stars. He called the film 'brutally bloody and thrillingly callous from first to last' and that ' Kill Bill just leaves you feeling excited'. I agree with this review, except for Bradshaws criticsm of 'The Bride's coma circumstances, for being unrealistic. The film is outlandish and over-exaggerated in many places, so I just don't see any need to perfectly shows how a victim of a head injury would really awake after being in a coma.

The film cost an estimated $30 million to make, and garnered $22,089,322 in its opening weekend and $70,098,138 altogether in the US. In the UK the film made £162,857 in its opening weekend and £11,453,044 altogether. In total the film made $180,098,138.

The film was released on DVD, and more recently blu-ray. The film is often packaged with its sequel Kill Bill Vol. 2, aswell as other Tarantino films as part of a collection. The film sold over 2 million DVDs in its first week, it was released just before Vol. 2 hit theaters.

Kill Bill: How it was Promoted

A film must make sure it gets the highest profit possible. This is where promotion is needed. It is designed to draw in audiences with various selling points and get them interested in the filmugh to be willing to part cash for a ticket over its competitiors. Kill Bill Vol 1. (Tarantino, 2003) utilised many promotional techniques and schemes to this end.

The first teaser posters for Kill Bill Vol. 1

The first teasers posters released for the film were designed to interest audiences, but give little information to create a sense of mystery regarding what the film is actually about. The first poster on the left has distinct visual cues of the eastern world, featuring a Japanese Katana sword and Japanese symbols predominately. The title is barely emphasised at all, being upstaged by the tagline at the top saying 'Here Comes The Bride'. The second poster is far simpler, featuring a yellow and black background with a blood stain to the right. This time the title is emphasised alot more and is given a rough release window of 'Autumn 2003'.

 Both posters and the subsequent trailers advertise that this as 'The 4th film by Quentin Tarantino'. This is the films unique selling point, or USP. It would help to attract audiences attention, as the fact that his name is mentioned and emphasised on the poster would imply tha he is important, but also the fans of his earlier work.

These posters were seen closer to the film's release.

The later posters leading up to the films release relied heavily upon the star power of leading atress Uma Thurman to attract audiences. They still used the yellow and black stylings and featured the fact that it was Quentin Tarantino's 4th film. Some posters, such as the one above to the right, feature his name more than once; not only stating that this is his 4th film, but also that he had written and directed the film.



The first trailer mainly focused on emphasising the various sword fights and action sequences. We are given little exposition as to what the story is. The second trailer reveals more about the plot of the film. This would have helped to market the film as it would have created mystery to the film, and kept people interested.



It appears the film was marketed through the trailers as more action heavy than it actually is, this was most likely because it is safer to market an action movie as the genre appeals to a mainstream audience.

The whilst the first and second volumes were released apart, they were marketed together in trailers. The second film even credits the stars of Volume 1, and continues on from where Vol 1 left off with 'chapter 9'. All of this leads to the fact that Kill Bill should be regarded as one film. This marketing decision has lead to criticism, as some think that it is an attempt by Miramax to sell two tickets to one movie.

Kill Bill: The Merchandise

Kill Bill Vol 1 (2003) came with plenty of merchandise designed to cash-in of the release of the film and its sequel. Various different products were manufactured and sold. Reel Collectibles made action figures based on characters featured in both films including Bill, GoGo Yubari, The Crazy 88, Pai Mei and The Bride herself.

Clothing has also been produced to tie- in with the film. Nike produced a special edition of the 'nike air' trainer stylised in the films trademark yellow and black colours.

In addition, a number of collectibles have been released after the film, aimed at collectors and diehard fans. These include replicas of The Bride's trademark Biker Jacket, aswell as replicas of the main characters swords.