I’ve been a fan of the idea of stitching Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2 together since I saw them originally in the theatre, and now, a little late to the party, I’ve added the new 4k release to my collection. And it’s awesome.

Spread over two discs, with an actual intermission card, Tarantino’s epic film is very much an homage to the films of yesteryear. Honestly, all it seems to be missing is an overture at the beginning of the film, but I don’t think that would be too in line with the exploitation films this one seems to be honoring and delivering homages to.

The whole story is here, including the newly computer animated The Lost Chapter (which I could take or leave in all honesty), and watching it as a cohesive whole it’s a pretty wild experience. There are some snips here and there, most notably during the Crazy 88 sequence, now in colour, with less needle drop and more bone-crunching sound, as well as the reveal that he Bride’s aka Beatrix Kiddo’s (Uma Thurman) daughter is still alive.

This was originally delivered at the close of the first volume, but now, that’s tucked further back into the second half of the film.

The Whole Bloody Affair seems to be a celebration of all the genres and styles that Tarantino loves. There’s westerns, kung fu, and wushu. And it wouldn’t be Tarantino without its crude, and oftentimes tack smart dialogue.

It had been forever since I watched this, perhaps the last time was when Vol. 2 was released to DVD. So while I remembered the main chapters, I didn’t remember all the dialogue, and great little action beats and character moments.

And to be honest, the Crazy 88 sequence, in colour, works so much better than the black and white version. It just pops, and is so over the top you just have to sit back and enjoy it.

Thurman is top-notch in this film, and absolutely captivates, but we also get great turns by Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox and David Carradine. But there’s also genre superstars like Sonny Chiba, Michael Parks, Chiaka Kuriyama and Gordon Liu.

This version of Tarantino’s film feels, bigger, bolder, and thanks to a beautiful 4K transition, crisper and clearer. I don’t think it was this stunning looking even in the theatre. It’s a beautiful transfer, and I’ll be honest, my first Tarantino 4K. I seem to have most most of his others either on blu or DVD. I’m glad this one was first.

But now I want them all.