"Inglorious" Inglourious Basterds

I had a chance to watch Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds and unfortunately I must say I am joining the camp of those who weren't exactly falling head over heals for the film.

Judging from the great opening scene, which was one of the rate bright moments of the film, I was just expecting more. Unfortunately, apart from several scarce moments when the film is almost enjoyable, this hope was left unfulfilled.

I won't go into detail of explaining the main characters and the plot and the topic, cause you've already read that elsewhere or even saw the film yourself. Rather, I'll explain what I mean.

The plot. I can't help it but on my way back home and while I was thinking about the film, I was reminded of this Czech story about a cat and a dog who are a making a cake together. In a desperate attempt to make the cake as best as possible, they throw in bunch of things including a duck's head and hard candy and hope for the best. Of course, the result is obviously bad. I mean, sure I understand it's hard to cut 6 hours of material enough to make 3 features, but why to necessarily try to include everything in the film? Or, if you really have to, why don't just use stronger glue?

Luckily, there is the opening scene, and some fifteen minutes at the end of the film that are there for some exciting development that actually make some sense and you can honestly enjoy yourself (apart from several of those scenes that have Waltz in them).

As for the filmmaking. Camera is mediocre, it is neither the beautiful film noir 1940's style, nor a spaghetti western and the feeble attempts to copy them are just weak, while the contemporary camera has just several light moments that I've counted. Editing: this is perhaps the biggest weakness of the film that being owed perhaps to a complete lack of self-criticism on Tarantino's part needed to let some scenes just go for the sake of the entire movie. There are too many blank scenes that just don't help the pace at all; despite they indeed, are an indisputable tribute to the great works of those filmmakers Tarantino admires. However, while I share the admiration in many of such spots, they're just not strong enough to mean anything in the whole context and yup, somebody please just give me scissors...

Acting is also mediocre, apart from the brilliant performance of Christoph Waltz as the "Jew hunter" Hans Landa, a spineless Nazi perfectionist, who takes his role as something that he does the best, as he explains at the beginning of the film, and indeed, Waltz keeps a constant performance throughout the entire film. His time on the screen is the only time (apart from the closing scene) that almost gives you the shivers and Tarantino can thank Waltz for saving his film from being a total disappointment. Oscar nomination is awaiting him for sure.

So, well, enough said from my end about Inglourious Basterds, a film that, well, isn't just that glorious.

However, in a recent string of comments on FB I suggested I was the exception when not really loving the film. Well, that of course referred to that particular string of comments.

For more detailed reviews that I agree with, you can go here, here, and here.