Pulp Fiction: 10 Unpopular Opinions (According To Reddit)

When Pulp Fiction was first released back in 1994, it was one of the most talked about movies of the year, set several precedents in Hollywood, and went on to become one of the most celebrated films in history.

It is regarded as Quentin Tarantino’s best movie, and a film with so many credentials doesn’t come without its fair share of haters. Between being pseudo-intellectual, being overrated amongst the director’s filmography, and the musical choices, there are slews of criticisms that sit far outside of the general consensus of the movie.

10 Samuel L. Jackson Carries The Whole Movie

Given that the character of Jules was created specifically for Samuel L. Jackson and it was essentially his breakthrough role, there’s no denying how much of an impact the actor left on audiences. But a select few believe that he is wholly responsible for the movie’s success, as he’s the only good thing about it. Claiming that the only reason people like the movie is because of the speech Jules gives to Brett, the user has clearly forgotten about the music and the pop culture references that fans love Tarantino movies for, both of which come in spades in Pulp Fiction.

9 The Music Is Forgettable

Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino’s directorial debut, established a lot of the filmmaker’s styles, and one of them was the music, which carried over to Pulp Fiction brilliantly.

Arguing that Pulp Fiction isn’t good, one user argues that the music in the movie is completely forgettable, citing that the opening theme is the only thing that audiences remember. But from Mia dancing to “Girl You’ll Be A Woman Soon” by Urge Overkill to Vincent first visiting Mia’s apartment whilst “Son of a Preacher Man” is playing, Pulp Fiction undoubtedly has a killer soundtrack.

8 Jackie Brown Is Better Than Pulp Fiction

Being his unique version of a blaxploitation movie, Jackie Brown is Tarantino’s third film, and it followed Pulp Fiction three years later. Ever since its release, it has always been looked at as one of the director’s lesser movies, even though it has gained somewhat of a cult following.

There is a small minority that believe Jackie Brown is actually better than the 1994 classic. Though it’s agreed by many that Jackie Brown doesn’t get the credit it deserves and is possibly unfairly compared to Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown doesn’t have the iconic moments or classic characters that its predecessor does.

7 Samuel L. Jackson Isn’t Good In The Movie

Being the exact opposite to the user who thinks Jackson is the only good thing about the movie, this Redditor thinks that the actor is the worst thing about the classic. They argue that Samuel L. Jackson plays Samuel L. Jackson in every role he’s in, whether it’s Star Wars or The Hateful Eight, and though that might be true for a movie like Snakes on a Plane, his role as Jules was unlike anything else. Between his biblical speech, handling the robbery at the diner, and even his perm, it has become one of his most iconic roles.

6 Butch’s Storyline Should Be Removed

As Pulp Fiction features several different narratives that intertwine in strange ways, one of the most fascinating is Butch’s story, but one fan believes that the storyline could be completely removed. They argue that Vincent is a much more interesting character and the movie should have focused more on him. But not only is Butch one of the most interesting characters, if any of his scenes are taken away, whether it’s the flashback to him as a child or the taxi ride with Esmerelda, the whole movie would fall apart.

5 “The Bonnie Situation” Is One Of The Dumbest Scenes In History

When Vincent accidentally shoots Marvin in the head, he and Jules hide out at Jimmy’s house, which leads to The Bonnie Situation. In the scene, Winston Wolfe comes to the rescue to clean up after them and dispose of the body, but a Redditor claims that the scene is dumb and makes no sense, as Wolfe is ineffective and made no difference to the outcome. The user isn’t completely alone, as the one and only Stanley Kubrick called it the worst scene in cinema history.

4 Its Non-Linear Narrative Isn’t Revolutionary

One of the reasons Pulp Fiction is praised so often is because of its non-linear narrative, but not everybody thinks it’s revolutionary. One Redditor thinks it was used in a way that’s more of a novelty than anything. But the vast amount of non-linear Hollywood movies that were released in its wake prove that’s simply not true.

The non-linear film style may have been tried and true over the pond for decades, but it had never been done in such a unique way in an English language movie before Pulp Fiction, and there is no doubt that it was massively influential in Hollywood.

3 The Briefcase Mystery Isn’t As Deep As People Think

There are a ton of theories surrounding what is in the briefcase that Jules and Vincent collected from Brett. Some think it’s the diamonds from Reservoir Dogs, and others even believe it’s Marcellus Wallace’s soul. The theories run deep, but this Redditor thinks that not only is it not deep, but it doesn’t even matter. They don’t hate the movie but instead think it’s an entertaining crime flick that is not as complex as fans of the movie make it out to be.

2 Tarantino Got Better And Better After Pulp Fiction

With the exception of Death Proof, the b-movie style experiment from 2007, this user posits that Tarantino has gotten better and better with each consecutive movie since Pulp Fiction. And though there are some incredible movies in the director’s filmography since 1994, none of them are as unanimously praised as the classic. Pulp Fiction is one of the most beloved movies in cinema history, and it has an astonishing average score of 8.9 on IMDb.

1 There Was No Point To The Scene With Captain Koons

As the anthology-like storytelling is what makes Pulp Fiction so unique, there are so many brilliant haiku-like standalone scenes, such as the taxi ride with Butch and Esmerelda and the flashback to Butch as a child.

But one fan believes the latter, in which Captain Koons (Christopher Walken) gives Butch a watch that had been hiding up his father’s ass for years, is unnecessary and there’s no point to it. Out of all the unpopular opinions, this one might hold the most weight, but hearing and seeing Walken talk about hiding a watch up his ass in his typically cartoonish vernacular is the most entertaining five minutes in the entire movie.