Django Unchained(2012)- User Reviews

Following Inglourious Basterds success Tarantino creates another fantasy revisionist revenge film. If you liked Inglourious, you should like this movie. There are so many stylistic similarities, anachronistic musical choices, homages to earlier Hollywood pieces, witty dialogue and ultra-violence... its hard for me to not think of it as the same movie, repackaged, reworked and retold.*

The similarities dont stop there either, the story of a historically mistreated minority rising up to face the injustice they have suffered, is another thing that these movies share.
Their core's are "justifiable revenge" tales based on inhumane treatment springing from racial prejudice.
They are so similar in fact, that I find any criticism you hold for Django can and should be applied to Inglourious... and not doing so, shows the true prejudice in the viewer. (dont be that guy)

I find much of the negative reactions to this movie to hold little merit. Many negative reactions are based on people feeling guilt over being reminded that slavery was a big part of American history, they would rather slavery never be mentioned again and pretend it never happened, having to watch anything that does not gloss over the barbarism induces a strong negative reaction.

There are however many negative reactions that I do find acceptable. Many negative reactions are to the ultra-violence portrayed in the movie. Which I do not hold against those who cannot stomach the amount of gore involved.

What makes a good movie?
A good story?
Good dialogue?
Good characters?
The actors delivering immersive engaging performances?
Because thats what youre going to find in this movie.
Youre also going to find Taratino style and formula.
That is where most valid criticism will come from, disliking Tarantino's style. He likes 70's style exploitation; racially charged subject matter and dialogue, witty interactions between characters, situations that are both humorous and appalling, and of course a little of the ole' ultra-violence.

If you like Tarantino style, this movie is for you, if you dont, you wont.
If you are uncomfortable with being confronted by obligatory racism and slavery, this movie is not for you.

I enjoyed this film thoroughly, it has wit, charm, humor, great acting, tension, suspense, action, and drama.
What more could you ask for in a film?

I have only one criticism for the entire movie, and that is Jamie Foxx is terrible with a whip. Slo-mo editing and sound effects were not enough for me to not notice how ineffective he was at what was passed off as "whipping." It was closer to bludgeoning then whipping, and all I could think of when I saw it was how awful it looked.

*Some may feel this to be a negative remark, I dont.
If Tarantino took the same outline for Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction and reworked them into new movies, id be happy to watch those films.