Lionsgate has remastered Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Volume 1 and Kill Bill Volume 2 for release on 4k Ultra HD Blu-ray. The 4k editions arrive in stores Jan. 21 and include a copy of the movies on Ultra HD Blu-ray, HD Blu-ray, and Digital via a code redeemable on FandangoAtHome. Both volumes can be purchased in standard plastic case editions with slipcovers, or limited edition SteelBooks from the newly-launched Lionsgate Limited store. The SteelBooks are also available from Amazon UK from Lions Gate UK Limited.
Kill Bill stars Uma Thurman as the Bride, a former assassin who swears revenge on her old crew who murder everyone at her wedding. Main cast members also include Lucy Liu as Cottonmouth, Daryl Hannah as Mountain Snake, Vivica A. Fox as Copperhead, Michael Madsen as Sidewinder, and David Carradine as the crew’s leader Bill.
Both Kill Bill films were written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, but it’s interesting to mention Uma Thurman has recently been given a writing credit on IMDB. The movies, released in 2003 and 2004, were originally planned to be one feature but the total run time was over four hours. This prompted Tarantino to split the film in two and avoid having to cut many scenes. For this review, however, we’ll be considering both Kill Bill volumes as one.


Video
On 4K Blu-ray, Kill Bill Volume 1 and Volume 2 are presented in 2160p at 2.40:1 (16×9) aspect ratio with Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range. The bits are delivered at a very high rate, averaging from 70 to 80 Mbps and making full use of the 100 GB maximum storage on BD-100 discs. The redeemed digital copy also streams in 4k via FandangoAtHome (the only service provided for code redemption).
The 4k video shows an improvement over HD presentations, with a slight gain in sharpness and clarity in most scenes. But what is really noticeable upon comparing this 4k disc with previous Blu-ray and Digital HD formats is the way the shadow areas have been expanded and highlights resolved. In the opening scene when the Bride confronts Copperhead the shadows are really dense in HD/SDR, but improved in UHD/HDR to show more color values. Highlights are also taken down a bit to reveal more color values. One difference can be seen in the Bride’s light brown leather jacket that’s completely blown out in the highlights, but in 4K with HDR the jacket retains more of the color values. Copperhead’s white kitchen countertop is also blown out in HD, but in 4K more detail is retained. It’s not a huge difference, but certainly noticeable when compared side by side.
Another example of the capabilities of Dolby Vision HDR is when the Bride enters the sword gallery of Hattori Hanzō the room is lit with hard light and shadows (the cinematography by Robert Richardson is quite beautiful). The expanded bit depth and Dolby Vision has added a wider range of contrast to this scene and some sharpness too.
There are some moments when it would have been nice if the shadow areas opened up a little bit more, both on UHD BD and BD. For example, the interior crime council meeting where O-Ren assumed power has crushed shadow areas. However, the subtle variations of O-Ren’s black robe are clearly visible, as are tiny details like the emblems on the left and right.
The black-and-white portions of Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2 (we say portions, because scenes are often split with color and black and white) are presented beautifully with a high contrast and almost silver quality that render each frame like a fine art photograph.
Some shots are more impressive than others. Just take a look at the close-up of Uma Thurman in the desert when she faces the California Mountain Snake (Daryl Hannah). It’s an absolutely brilliant image that’s full of texture and detail. But not all the imagery in the two volumes looks the same. The video image quality when the Bride goes to be trained by Pai Mei is appropriately limited in color range, recalling vintage film, cameras, and classic “samurai cinema” films. And, the animation sequence telling the origin of O-Ren definitely has a different aesthetic that you might say isn’t up to par with other scenes in the film.


Audio
The audio hasn’t been given an upgrade from previous Blu-ray discs, except a transition from LPCM 5.1 to DTS-HD MA 5.1. The sound is mainly a frontal approach as expected, and dialogue is crisp and clean throughout in both films. Sound effects like swords clashing and bones breaking have an immersive effect even without Atmos or DTS:X. The scene in Volume 1 when the Bride fights Copperhead features some great surround effects like glass breaking and knives swinging through the air. This was a masterful audio mix from the start, and so without getting gimmicky by adding height effects the soundtrack can simply rely on its native characteristics.




Bonus Features
Special features (all legacy) on the Volume 1 UHD and HD discs include “The Making of Kill Bill Volume 1,” the “5.6.7.8’s bonus musical performances,” Tarantino trailers, and bookmarks. Bonus features on the Volume 2 UHD and HD discs (also legacy) include “The Making of Kill Bill Volume 2,” “Damoe” deleted scene, Chingon musical performance, and bookmarks.
Scores (Vol. 1 & Vol. 2)
Movie
5/5
Video
4/5
Audio
5/5
Bonus Material
3/5
Gallery











