I took my wife (no fan of Tarantino) to see this film in the cinema and she loved it and she didnt even complain of it being too long. She particularly loved the creepy german guy (Col. Landa). The cinema scene was funnier (in parts) to us than most recent comedies.
This has to be one of the best films released this year (2009), not because it is a Tarantino movie but because of what he does with the material. The sum is definitely greater than the parts and it would take too long to identify all that he does.
There are many references to the war classics (as in the cinema scene which used background music taken from Kellys Heroes) but he subverts the entire genre. In this film it is us (the brits and the yanks) that are the bad guys. Its not overt, but all the clever and brave characters are german. This is the opposite of a film like Where Eagles Dare where none of the germans notice Burton and Eastwood in the tavern. The scene is brilliantly recreated in this film but… more »

I took my wife (no fan of Tarantino) to see this film in the cinema and she loved it and she didnt even complain of it being too long. She particularly loved the creepy german guy (Col. Landa). The cinema scene was funnier (in parts) to us than most recent comedies.
This has to be one of the best films released this year (2009), not because it is a Tarantino movie but because of what he does with the material. The sum is definitely greater than the parts and it would take too long to identify all that he does.
There are many references to the war classics (as in the cinema scene which used background music taken from Kellys Heroes) but he subverts the entire genre. In this film it is us (the brits and the yanks) that are the bad guys. Its not overt, but all the clever and brave characters are german. This is the opposite of a film like Where Eagles Dare where none of the germans notice Burton and Eastwood in the tavern. The scene is brilliantly recreated in this film but with a more likely outcome.
Tarantino knows the genre and loves it but he uses the obvious absurdities (such as german soldiers cant shoot and the officers are pompous and stupid) to very good effect. This film may not become the social reference point that Kill Bill or Pulp Fiction have, however it will probably acquire a cult following.