... will make Uma Thurman (The Bride) in her fight scenes look truly awkward when compared to Summer Glau (River Tam).

Am I the only one that enjoyed neither Kill Bill volume 1 nor 2, despite enjoying all of Tarantino's other films?

For sure Kill Bill isn't all that deep except in how many different bits of genre it pays homage to. Serinity is similar in having a mixmash of genre, but - I can't put my finger on what makes it better in general. Every comparision I can think of seems to be true for both.

Maybe it's that the Kill Bill Story is one dimensional, the vengence of one person, compared to Serinity's struggles that take place on so many levels.

Agreed. River rocks our world.

I loved all of his previous work - including the much panned "Jackie Brown" - and, for some reason found both 1 & 2 to be something of a struggle. My personal feeling was that he was over-indulgent, and *really could* have edited down the amount of material into a sharper, tighter 2-3 hour film instead. I suspect the problem was that the distributors would not allow him something like a 3.5 hour film which was what he originally produced - the 2-film edit was as a result of some serious lobbying to show the maximum amount of material possible. Hey, show an exec the possibility of doubling his take on two films, what is he going to go for?

Sorry. I did like it overall: I just wish it had been as tight as Resevoir Dogs. Then it would have been - "perfection".

Personally, I think Jackie Brown is his best movie. I just didn't enjoy Kill Bill at all. I could get into why, but, basically, it was just masturbation. There wasn't anything to it. Just a collection of loosely tied together action sequences with trite dialog.

You said it - you're dead right. My feeling as well. What I really thought worked: "Waking from the Coma" and "The Coffin". The rest - seen it before, sorry.

The difference from his other films that made me want to watch more? I hadn't seen it before. "I'm a Cop" - "Don't call me STOOOPID" - "I'm bringing her to YOU and you'd better be f***** ready!" "Like, like it really HURTS" - "Oh G**, you shot him" - "Foot Massage?" "I am the Angel of the LORD" - "OK Honey bunny!" - "Like, you care?" - "Bring out the Gimp" - "Don't you tell no-one 'bout this, OK?" "Zed's Dead, Honey, Zed's Dead". I could go on all night - "Killing Zoe", etc. I won't - but what can I get from KB1 & 2?

This won't stop me buying it on DVD when it hits the bargain bin though, sorry

I wasn't enamored of the first volume, but I thought the second volume was excellent.

Spoiler:
Gur Gnenagvab vagreivrj ba gur QIQ bs Iby 2 xvaqn fhzzrq vg hc sbe zr - gur fgbel naq cybgyvar vf nyy va Iby 2. Iby 1 vf cerggl zhpu nyy onpxsvyy gb gur haqreylvat fgbel - gung bs gur ybir orgjrra gjb znva punenpgbef gung zhfg hygvzngryl erfhyg va bar gurz xvyyvat gur bgure. Gur ynetr ahzore bs crbcyr gung qvr qb fb ernyyl bayl gb cbfvgvba gurfr nffnffvaf fbpvnyyl - gurl nera'g whfg ovg-cneg nffnffvaf, gurl ner ryvgr ng xvyyvat. Gur zlgubybtl bs gur fjbeqf, naq bs gur znegvny negf ervasbeprf guvf. Nygubhtu gur cebgntbavfg'f zbgvingvba gubhtubhg 95% bs gur zbivr vf eriratr, guvf vf n gentvp ybir fgbel - gur ybir bs n zbgure gb or jub jnagf gb cebgrpg ure puvyq sebz n yvsr bs ivbyrapr, gur ybir bs n sngure gb or jub jba'g ybfr uvf puvyq, naq gur ybir orgjrra gurz gung pna ab ybatre or erpbapvyrq orpnhfr bs uvf ohfvarff naq ure qrfver gb unir ab shegure cneg va vg.

The first volume felt to me like it was too much action and not enough substance. The second was classic Tarantino - the pacing, plotline, and dialogue were fantastic.

fixed spoiler tag bug -wfaulk

The above spoiler is unstable. It jumps up and down.

While I understand exactly what you're saying, it all rang really hollow to me. I was going to say more, but I think that's about the sum of it.