Stephen King Called This Quentin Tarantino Masterpiece “Tepid” and “Narcissistic”

Stephen King has never held back when sharing his movie opinions, and his 2007 review of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 1 was particularly blunt.

Writing for Entertainment Weekly, King described Tarantino’s fourth film as “tepid” and “pretty blah”, saying it ultimately “doesn’t matter.” He criticized the movie’s humor, action sequences, and overall tone, calling some of the fight scenes “like an Esther Williams swim routine” and the atmosphere “dull.”

King also took a shot at movie critics, noting: “You probably saw some good reviews of it, possibly even in this magazine. Steve says don’t you believe it. Steve says you should remember that movie critics see movies free. Also, they don’t have to pay the babysitter or spring 10 bucks for the parking. They’re thus apt to rhapsodise over narcissistic stuff like Kill Bill, which announces itself as Quentin Tarantino’s Fourth Film, ain’t we la-di-da.”

While he acknowledged Uma Thurman’s efforts, King argued that her character was more a label than a person: “It’s just dully full of itself. Uma Thurman tries hard, and she’s the best thing in the movie, but in the end, she’s stuck playing a woman who’s a label instead of a human being: She is, God save us, the Bride.”

He also critiqued the ending, writing, “There’s not even an ending you can hang your hat on; we’re just told to stay tuned for more — more karate kicks and throws, more falsetto birdy-sounding battle cries.”

Even so, King admitted that the film had some strengths. “It’s certainly well made, and the story garners some of our interest as it goes along,” he said, though he insisted that “dull is still dull, isn’t it?” He summed up his overall impression as “the sense that you came to be entertained and instead found yourself warming your hands at the bonfire of Quentin Tarantino’s vanities.”

Despite King’s harsh words, Kill Bill: Volume 1 received generally positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports an 85% approval rating from 238 critics, with an average score of 7.7/10. The site notes, “Kill Bill is admittedly little more than a stylish revenge thriller – albeit one that benefits from a wildly inventive surfeit of style.” On Metacritic, the film has a score of 69 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews, and audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave it a B+.

Critics praised Tarantino’s skill and style. A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote, “While being so relentlessly exposed to a filmmaker’s idiosyncratic turn-ons can be tedious and off-putting, the undeniable passion that drives Kill Bill is fascinating, even, strange to say it, endearing. Mr. Tarantino is an irrepressible showoff, recklessly flaunting his formal skills as a choreographer of high-concept violence, but he is also an unabashed cinephile, and the sincerity of his enthusiasm gives this messy, uneven spectacle an odd, feverish integrity.”

Manohla Dargis of the Los Angeles Times called the movie a “blood-soaked valentine to movies” and praised Tarantino’s homage to cinema, though she found the story less compelling. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a perfect score, writing, “The movie is not about anything at all except the skill and humor of its making. It’s kind of brilliant.”

Cultural historian Maud Lavin noted that Thurman’s character, the Bride, gives audiences—especially women—a way to explore fantasies of revenge and personal aggression, adding a deeper cultural resonance to the film.

While Stephen King found Kill Bill: Volume 1 underwhelming, many others praised its style, energy, and impact. Personally, I think King’s critique highlights how differently people experience movies. Even a film that impresses critics and fans can leave some viewers disappointed.

What do you think about Kill Bill: Volume 1? Did it live up to the hype, or do you agree with King? Share your thoughts in the comments.