And thus far, it’s been quite a mixed bag, if anything edging towards the negative. The Guardian, meanwhile, hated it, calling it a “colossal armour-plated turkey from hell”. It continued: “It is achtung-achtung-ach-mein-Gott atrocious. It isn’t funny; it isn’t exciting; it isn’t a realistic war movie, yet neither is it an entertaining genre spoof or a clever counterfactual wartime yarn.” It praised some of the performances, but ultimately damned the film because “everything is just so boring”. Variety is more upbeat, describing the film as a “violent fairy tale”, calling some moments “vintage Tarantino”. It argues that the film is “Never less than enjoyable and more than that in the second half”, given that it “invests a long-simmering revenge plot with reworkings of innumerable genre conventions, but only fully finds its tonal footing about halfway through, after which it’s off to the races”. BBC Entertainment, meanwhile, sent out a Twitter update on the way out of the film. “Just emerged from the Inglourious Basterds premiere in Cannes,” it said. “Surely Tarantino’s best film since Pulp Fiction.” Showbiz 411 argues that the film is “big, sprawling entertainment”, and “the most ambitious American movie at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and definitely the best in competition”. It argues that “Tarantino fans won’t be disappointed, but they may be challenged more than in the past as this film is more thoughtful and textured in its approach than Tarantino’s other famous efforts”. Click on the links below to jump to the full reviews, and the film makes it to these shores in August. MovielineThe Guardian Variety IndiewireShowbiz 411 Screen Daily
title: “Inglourious Basterds First Reviews Roll In” ShowToc: true date: “2025-07-03” author: “Joseph Crowley”
And thus far, it’s been quite a mixed bag, if anything edging towards the negative. The Guardian, meanwhile, hated it, calling it a “colossal armour-plated turkey from hell”. It continued: “It is achtung-achtung-ach-mein-Gott atrocious. It isn’t funny; it isn’t exciting; it isn’t a realistic war movie, yet neither is it an entertaining genre spoof or a clever counterfactual wartime yarn.” It praised some of the performances, but ultimately damned the film because “everything is just so boring”. Variety is more upbeat, describing the film as a “violent fairy tale”, calling some moments “vintage Tarantino”. It argues that the film is “Never less than enjoyable and more than that in the second half”, given that it “invests a long-simmering revenge plot with reworkings of innumerable genre conventions, but only fully finds its tonal footing about halfway through, after which it’s off to the races”. BBC Entertainment, meanwhile, sent out a Twitter update on the way out of the film. “Just emerged from the Inglourious Basterds premiere in Cannes,” it said. “Surely Tarantino’s best film since Pulp Fiction.” Showbiz 411 argues that the film is “big, sprawling entertainment”, and “the most ambitious American movie at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and definitely the best in competition”. It argues that “Tarantino fans won’t be disappointed, but they may be challenged more than in the past as this film is more thoughtful and textured in its approach than Tarantino’s other famous efforts”. Click on the links below to jump to the full reviews, and the film makes it to these shores in August. MovielineThe Guardian Variety IndiewireShowbiz 411 Screen Daily
