A former assassin, known simply as The Bride (Uma Thurman), wakes from a coma four years after her jealous ex-lover Bill (David Carradine) attempts to murder her on her wedding day. Fueled by an insatiable desire for revenge, she vows to get even with every person who contributed to the loss of her unborn child, her entire wedding party, and four years of her life. After devising a hit list, The Bride sets off on her quest, enduring unspeakable injury and unscrupulous enemies.

The Bride (Uma Thurman) picks up where she left off in volume one with her quest to finish the hit list she has composed of all of the people who have wronged her, including ex-boyfriend Bill (David Carradine), who tried to have her killed four years ago during her wedding to another man. Leaving several dead in her wake, she eventually tracks down Bill in Mexico. Using skills she has learned during her assassin career, she attempts to finish what she set out to do in the first place.

For in-depth thoughts on Kill Bill, please see my colleague Shawn Paul Wood’s previous op-ed on it here.

For additional thoughts on Kill Bill, please see my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

At long last, Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2 on 4K UHD Blu-Ray. With such anticipation behind these releases, some will feel a bit deflated by what they find on these discs. This is largely not due to any specific issues with the handling of the masters, but rather the limitations of those masters. While reference-quality releases like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction were shot and finished on film with an Original Camera Negative that could easily be scanned and remastered, the Kill Bill films took advantage of the burgeoning technology of the time and finished the film to a 2K Digital Intermediate. Lionsgate did not have a film negative they could easily scan in 4K and completely rebuilding the raw materials in 4K along with the visual effects work would have been astronomically expensive. A little urging from Quentin Tarantino maybe could have made this happen, but he has always been more of a champion of the theatrical experience over home media.

The fact that these films have been upscaled from a 2K DI to 4K is not inherently a bad thing–there are plenty of upscales that look incredible on 4K UHD Blu-Ray. Even when there are not monumental improvements in fine detail, there are usually other improvements to be gained such as more consistent handling of compression from the additional disc space and High Dynamic Range. The Kill Bill films specifically come from the early days of digital intermediates, and, unfortunately for fans, these original sources simply do not look as incredible as these films deserve. There are baked-in deficits to the source that are exacerbated by the upgrade to 4K UHD, yet the format also allows certain issues to be rectified. These two transfers are somewhat of a mixed bag with great improvements in some ways and ugly source-related shortcomings in others. Your sensitivity to certain issues will be the determining factor of which disc is your go-to in the future. We will be discussing Volume 1 and Volume 2 as a pair, but we will point out any differences when necessary.

There has been a lot of chatter around these releases, so let’s just get it out of the way: the so-called “smearing” native to the digital intermediate is exacerbated on the 4K UHD Blu-Ray release. Volume 1 especially succumbs to this, but interestingly Volume 2 is much better off in this respect. To be clear, the Blu-Rays are from the same source so they do have these issues as well, only they are less exaggerated. It was not uncommon for these early DIs to apply some form of noise reduction that made the filmic source appear a bit off, and it is possible that either more was applied to the 4K UHD presentation or the resolution bump simply made it more visible. Now, it is possible that Lionsgate used a filmout like they have in the past with Crank and Kick-Ass, but we cannot confirm that. The Kill Bill films have never had “natural” looking film grain at home, and these new transfers represent that reality faithfully, however unsightly it might be at times. These are soft films, and you do not get any real upgrades in fine detail here.

Where you do find the benefits of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray format is in the implementation of Dolby Vision/HDR for an expanded color palette. The 4K UHD discs do not ramp up the saturation but rather aim to refine what you see on screen. Blood is a bit more subdued but looks great when viewing it spraying all over the House of Blue Leaves. If you take a look at the scene where The Bride wakes up from her coma, you will see the green from the fluorescent lights no longer make her look sickly on the 4K UHD, and her blonde hair is not invaded by these hues. There is a bit more vibrancy throughout both volumes, but mainly we appreciate how dialed-in these colors are to their ideal state.

The greatest benefit of all is the way in which Dolby Vision allows these films to reclaim the details in the previously clipped highlights. One need only jump to the Vernita Green fight in Volume 1 to see the huge leap in quality. Anytime there is a shot of a window or any of the light sources in her house, it looks like you are looking at the sun on Blu-Ray. On 4K UHD-Blu-Ray, you can see the vegetation lingering just outside of her window in the kitchen plus some of the unique details of the light fixtures that were previously swallowed up. This also goes for the black levels, perhaps most glaringly when The Bride is in the coffin in Volume 2. What was previously a black mass is now shown to be her body struggling in the darkness. Director of Photography Robert Richardson’s style is still intact, only you get to actually see the nuances of his work. With the upgrade to 4K also comes the added benefit of better compression with no artifacts spotted.

The 4K UHD Blu-rays for Volume 1 and Volume 2 are far from an outright disaster, but it is understandable why some would be disappointed given all of the magnificent transfers the format has brought us for some of our favorite films. These are two of our favorites of all time, and it would be a dream for someone to go back to the original elements and reconfigure the film from the ground up in 4K. This is not the current reality, though, and the 4K UHD Blu-Ray represents about as well as the technology and source will allow. If you have not had any complaints with the Blu-Ray up until this point, you may not find the upgrade to 4K a monumental leap, but those who have not owned these films previously should go ahead and pick up the new releases and judge for themselves.

Audio Quality

Both 4K UHD Blu-Ray releases boast a DTS-HD 5.1 lossless track seemingly recycled from the previous Blu-Rays that kicks a lot of butt. Tarantino’s patented dialogue comes through crisp and clear without getting overshadowed by the score or any sound effects. The iconic soundtrack and original score utilized in the films come through with the utmost fidelity. The implementation of environmental effects such as the brakes of a school bus or dirt being shoveled onto a coffin come through in a natural way. There is a significant amount of activity in the low end anytime violent confrontations come to pass.

The discs bring this revenge saga to life perfectly with a depth and clarity of sound that is astounding. Every kinetic sequence features some rich sound design that comes through flawlessly. As The Bride moves through her list, the sounds of the environment flow out of your side and rear speakers. Each sound is deftly placed with perfect spatial awareness. The track engages all of the channels with panning effects and sounds of clanging steel that make you feel like you are in the thick of the action. Lionsgate executed the audio portions of these discs with the appropriate amount of care, and anyone with a good surround sound setup should have a good time. Optional English SDH & Spanish subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Kill Bill: Volume 1

The Making of Kill Bill: Volume 1: A 22-minute archival featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the origins of the film, the facets of the characters, the respect for classic genre cinema, the direction of Quentin Tarantino, the importance of music in the film, and more.

The 5, 6, 7, 8’s Bonus Musical Performances: A six-minute collection of additional musical moments from the band featured in the film.

Tarantino Trailers: Trailers are provided for Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill: Volume 1 (Teaser), Kill Bill: Volume 1 (Bootleg Trailer), and Kill Bill: Volume 2 (Teaser),

Kill Bill: Volume 2

The Making of Kill Bill: Volume 1: A 26-minute archival featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the continuation of the story, the switch in genres, the direction of Quentin Tarantino, the visual style, and more.

“Damoe” Deleted Scene: A four-minute unused flashback scene with Bill and The Bride getting into a confrontation with a character played by Michael Jai White.

Chingon Musical Performance: A 12-minute performance from the premiere of Kill Bill from a band led by Robert Rodriguez.

Final Thoughts

Kill Bill: Volumes 1 & 2 are not only near the top of our favorite movies from Quentin Tarantino, but they are two of our favorite films of all time. The two disparate genres represented in these two volumes blend together very well from one half to the next. Not only do you get the classic Tarantino dialogue and unforgettable characters, but you also get some thrilling action set pieces, stylish filmmaking, and tremendous performances. We could not love these films more. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released individual 4K UHD Blu-Ray discs for each volume that offer a mixed bag in terms of an A/V upgrade, but the benefits outweigh the shortcomings for this reviewer. All of the legacy special features have been ported over, but it would be nice to get some new supplements someday. While those who already own the Blu-Rays may have to weigh how important the noted improvements are to them, those who have never owned these films should consider them a must-purchase for the quality of the films alone. Recommended

Kill Bill: Volume 1 is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Kill Bill: Volume 2 is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Limited Edition SteelBook.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of these discs free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.