Kill Bill Vol. 1 [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox

Release Date: January 21, 2025

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

The action explodes in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Volume 1, presented in eye-popping 4K for the first time. This acclaimed fourth film from groundbreaking writer and director Quentin Tarantino stars Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, and Vivica A. Fox in an astonishing, action-packed thriller about brutal betrayal and an epic vendetta. Four years after taking a bullet in the head at her own wedding, The Bride (Thurman) emerges from a coma and decides it’s time for payback. Having been gunned down by her former boss (David Carradine) and his deadly squad of international assassins, it’s a kill-or-be-killed fight she did not start, but one she will finish. Loaded with explosive action and outrageous humor, Kill Bill Volume 1 is a must-see motion picture event.

‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ tells the vengeful tale of The Bride; a woman with a hidden past who is brutally attacked and murdered by those she trusted on her wedding day, only to miraculously survive the ordeal and end up in a multi-year coma. But one day she wakes up with only one thing on her mind; getting revenge on the five people responsible for trying to kill her and her unborn child. Now, she must travel to Okinawa in order to enlist a legendary sword maker to craft a weapon worthy of her vengeance, while beginning to cross off names on her list. But it’s only the beginning and this one-person army of vengeance won’t be dissuaded from completing her goal.

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino who does a fantastic job on ‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ guiding along the first part of the wild revenge tale with clever twists, turns and plenty of stylistic action, excitement and bloodshed. The film’s cast includes Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen, Julie Dreyfus, Sonny Chiba, Michael Parks and David Carradine who each provide great performances in their respective roles that help this beloved revenge tale to work so splendidly.

‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ was first released theatrically in late 2003 and introduced viewers to a familiar, yet slightly more violent and over the top version of Tarantino’s unique style, especially when compared with ‘Jackie Brown’ which was Tarantino’s previous film and significantly tamer in the violence and blood than the majority of his other work. ‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ is packed with heart, humor, over the top fun and violence, with blood literally spraying left and right during some of the more chaotic moments, especially the massive showdown featuring the Bride facing off with the Crazy 88.

It finds a perfect balance that pays homage to many other styles and genres before being injected with that unmistakable Tarantino charm and wit which all combines for a wild and thrilling revenge tale that has familiar elements throughout but as a whole is like nothing we had seen previously, while also retaining a fairly different tone than the second volume which only helps the two to work as separate chapters to the same story that each still feel unique in their own right. If you’ve never had the pleasure of ‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ but tend to enjoy Tarantino’s films, then you’ll probably want to make a point of giving this and Vol. 2 a chance whenever possible.

Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ explodes onto 4K Ultra HD for the first time courtesy of Lionsgate and delivers a quite nice new Ultra High Definition video presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 which is nicely boosted by a solid 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that replaces the lossless PCM track featured on the original Disney BD release (that disc is also included in the combo pack instead of one with the new master) that brings it home looking better than ever before (although not nearly as tremendous as the simultaneously released 4K debut of ‘Jackie Brown’ which you can also read my review of HERE!).

The 4K UHD release of ‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ also features a few previously released extras, along with a copy of the older Disney Blu-ray disc included within. While this one may not necessarily be the 4K presentation of the year, it still looks awfully good for the most part and the majority of fans who are already considering a purchase should not be disappointed when picking up a copy. If you’re already contemplating adding it to your collection the release is certainly recommended.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, presented in its original 2.40:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks very nice as a whole and delivers a generally clean, sharp and richly detailed presentation from start to finish without any notable faults or problems to be located along the way other than an occasional slight shift in quality during some of the faster moving moments. The presentation may not be quite as impressive as the ‘Jackie Brown’ 4K offering as these films were upscaled from the original 2K source based on the information I’ve been able to find, although this was supposedly by Tarantino’s request and this ‘Vol. 1’ UHD presentation still looks quite stellar altogether with improved detail and clarity noticeable throughout and all while still retaining its filmic look with a nice grain structure.

The Dolby Vision HDR greatly enhances various elements within by contributing more rich and vibrant coloring noticeable on elements such as the Bride’s yellow jumpsuit, the spraying blood and quite a few other tidbits, while black levels are rich, clean and absent of any crush. Overall, this is a solid Ultra High Definition presentation that looks consistently nice throughout and should please most fans who have been anxiously awaiting its 4K debut.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack takes over for the lossless PCM 5.1 presentation featured on the original Disney/Miramax Blu-ray disc (although the PCM track is still featured on the BD disc in the combo pack naturally as it appears to be identical to the original Disney/Buena Vista BD disc and even features warning screens mentioning the Walt Disney company) and provides a clean, crisp and wildly immersive audio presentation throughout that never disappoints. It takes full advantage of all five available channels in order to send the film’s marvelous soundtrack and score, along with plenty of action effects, crowd noise and more zipping throughout the various speakers whenever appropriate, and never resulting in any dialogue or other audio elements that may be occurring simultaneously with one another becoming distorted or rendered problematic in the process. Overall, this is a great 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that holds up splendidly at every turn and should please the fans.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ includes a couple previously released extras which are included on both discs. Included on the release are the Behind the Scenes Featurette ‘The Making of Kill Bill Vol. 1’ (running approximately 22 minutes in length) and ‘The 5, 6, 7, 8’s Bonus Musical Performances’ (running approximately 6 minutes). Also included is a collection of ‘Tarantino Trailers’ featuring Trailers for Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, and Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 7/10

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Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD & 4K UHD Steelbook from Lionsgate