Tarantino Marathon Part IX of IX, 3rd Viewing
Yes, I finally sat down and watched the three and a half-hour long Netflix cut of The Hateful Eight. My experience of seeing this film for the first time is an unforgettable memory. It was during the winter of 2015, and Tarantino released the 70mm extended cut of the film in select theaters. I had gotten a beautiful brochure for the movie at the cinema, and the showing even had a classic intermission in between the premiere—and thank golly for that, cause the movie is quite lengthy. Nearly weeks later, I watched the theatrical cut in wide-release theaters, and was greeted with just as riveting of an experience as I had had that first viewing.
Weirdly, however, I’ve never wanted to go back and rewatch The Hateful Eight until I started this Tarantino Marathon. It’s May of 2020, amidst the appalling COVID-19 outbreak. Families are forced to barricade in their homes as of now, and coincidentally, I’m now finally rewatching Quentin Tarantino’s claustrophobic “who-dun-it?” feature-length at the hands of my Netflix account. What’s even funnier though, is that I‘ve completely forgotten some of the motion picture’s most crucial plot points, so if anything, this viewing was like a tasty refresher rather than a dying urge to see some enthralling events play out like I had remembered them.
I’ve come to reason that The Hateful Eight is a pretty great movie. What could’ve been more than three hours of wasted potential based on an old-fashioned enigma premise, turns out to transpire as a decently paced marathon of rewarding entertainment. It’s got above and beyond memorable and sinister new Tarantino characters, and the fact that it all crops up essentially in a moderate-sized sweets shop makes the affair even more ironically delectable. In spite of this, I have discovered a couple of flaws that may have tugged me back from adoring Quentin Tarantino’s 8th/9th film to death.
A solid portion of the hastily coming comedy and dialogue feel awkwardly forced, which is peculiar since Tarantino is often a natural at executing sly conversation. It is plausible that the movie having been originally written as a play could have something to do with this. As one can expect, a translation from stage material to theatrical material doesn’t necessarily equate to smooth-sailing, and it partially protrudes in The Hateful Eight. The reveals are sometimes substituted for uncreative exposition and the ongoing themes of the project occasionally appear too hazy in plenty of its parallels rather than dedicated. And yeah, Tarantino’s pointless narration and the crazy sack of writing coincidences scratch points off the film too.
Howbeit, the intriguing mystery and the INSANE events that follow it, plus the countless formidable performances in the motion picture, outweigh what would have made me feel unsure about the final product. An Ennio Morricone-brimmed score furthermore certainly doesn’t tug down the excitement that charges me when watching it. And oh boy, is Major Warren’s big “dingus” story one of the greatest pieces Tarantino has ever written.
To be frank, however, the amount of coffee that’s spilled on the floor in this movie is unforgivable. Smh.
Verdict Change: A- —> B
“The Hateful Eight” is now available to stream on YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime, Vudu, iTunes, and Netflix.
Burning the Celluloid 
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