Review: Saw 3D (The Final Chapter)

Saw 3D (2010)

The final chapter in the Saw saga, Saw 3D bringing us Saw in the third dimension for the first time, aims to close the franchise on a well deserved high. After all, it wouldn’t be pretty to see a series that has ran for six films prior to look like it was scraping the barrel would it? Unfortunately, it does. Bringing us one final twist to the drama, should Saw 3D be welcomed by the fans of the series as a fitting finale?

The main game in Saw 3D is for the fourth time out of seven a set of challenges faced by one man on his “road to recovery/redemption” in which he must save friends, foes or relatives from having their lives taken by Jigsaw. This time the subject is Bobby Dagen, a survivor of Jigsaw who is using his tale to sell copies of his motivational DVDs. This commercialisation of Jigsaw isn’t kindly looked upon, so he must face the ultimate test to prove himself, and save his fiancée from being incinerated. The set of games that Bobby faces are somewhat disappointing, the standout game being one where he must guide a blindfolded friend across a series of beams.

While Bobby’s game is ensuing Hoffman has turned his attention to Jill Tuck and the business of killing her. Jill becomes paranoid and starts to have nightmares of her slaughtering, while Hoffman has turned into a psychopathic monster whose purpose is to kill. It is disappointing since Hoffman had turned out to be quite the protagonist (in my opinion) in Saw VI, and now he turns evil, not looking the slightest bit human. It would have been nice if this Jill Tuck vs. Hoffman fight had been more of a fight and less like a cat and mouse chase, Jill should have stood her ground with Hoffman more often.

Offering Jill protection is the most Neanderthal of police forces. Detective Matt Gibson (Chad Donella) is welcomed to the franchise inexcusably late, and a bad choice of character to be brutally honest. Far less experienced or tough than his fallen predecessors, the generic detective falls way short of the standard that the ultimate last man standing officer in the Saw series should have. Also, where is Detective Fisk? A case file showed that he was working on the Jigsaw murders since the very first case, he featured in Saw IV and V, so why not have returned a friendly face for the last instalment?

Highlights of this film are a cameo appearance from Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) in a trap that if he fails will triggers a nasty sequence of events involving an out of control car. The first (and only) ever public Jigsaw trap, where a love triangle must decide which lover dies a blade spinning related death, and the appearance of Cary Elews as Dr. Lawrence Gordon, who returns for a very short amount of screen time. Tobin Bell hardly gets a mention either, appearing in one... possibly two scenes throughout the entire film.

The film ends on a ridiculous, farfetched note that barely even makes sense. Some of the scenes are almost laughably bad, one in which Hoffman encounters a police station, which involves plenty of stabbing, is just stupidity. I feel let down by Saw 3D. Apparently its use of 3D cinema is decent but not the best, I however didn’t watch Saw 3D at the cinema. Why even include “3D” in the title, it just throws you off course. Call it Saw 7 at least for goodness sake! Whatever they called it, it wouldn’t have made a difference, this film was really poor.

Score: 3.0

Recommendation: Almost ignore, but maybe a cheap rental if you’re a devoted Saw fan

Review: Saw VI

Saw VI (2009)

 

In my review of Saw V I appear to have made an error of judgement. I said that Saw V was slightly better than both of its sequels (Saw VI and Saw 3D), but after re watching Saw VI I have changed my mind. Saw VI is definitely better than Saw V, and although I’m adamant that I won’t change my mind regarding Saw 3D, this makes Saw VI the 5th best Saw film and not the 6th. So obviously I was pleasantly surprised by what Saw VI had to offer, maybe Strahm’s death in Saw V was a blessing in disguise?

Saw VI revolves around an incredibly cold hearted unethical insurance group “Umbrella Health”. William Easton is the man to be tested in this film, the man who chooses who lives and who dies in the health insurance business. Now he must do the same, but the dying part is right there for him to see. He must reach his family within 60 minutes otherwise he will never see them again. Hoffman on the other hand is trying to cover his tracks by setting 

Strahm up as the Jigsaw accomplice, but runs into some trouble when he makes a mistake.

The detective force behind the Jigsaw investigation is the most veteran for some time. Dan Erickson returns to partner up with the alive Agent Lindsay Perez who was thought to be dead in Saw IV. Hoffman plays detective but only to cover his tracks as he tries to stop his secret being revealed. The protagonist in Saw VI, William Easton goes from zero to almost hero. Unlikable, cold hearted, bastard at the start of the film, becomes much weaker and more human by the end, as he faces his “road to redemption” set of challenges.

Saw VI boasts a rather decent set of traps, especially since everything that could be done looks like it has been done. “Versus” traps are unsurprisingly prevalent, now becoming the trademark of the Saw series. The best trap has to be “The Carousel”. It places six employees of William Easton on a spinning carousel, and four of them must be shot. The decision is up to Easton, who can save up to two of them by piercing through his hand. The goriest trap is probably the first. Simply, who will shed the most flesh to survive? Two people had to cut off as much of their flesh as possible and place it on scales with bloody consequences.

The weak point to Saw VI however is the story. For however strong it is on traps and characters, it lacks in a whole lot of the legacy’s progression. Jill Tuck, Jigsaw’s ex-wife, features far more in Saw VI than she ever has done before, and her involvement is probably the main piece of the Saw puzzle that Saw VI provides. Remember that box she inherited in the prior film? That is key in this instalment. As Hoffman’s character develops and flashbacks reveal more about John Kramer and Amanda, Saw VI will mean far more to fans of the series than anyone else, which probably makes sense since their onto their sixth film.

Anyone who has watched and enjoyed the first five Saw films should not be put off renting Saw VI. It isn’t stronger than the first four films, but it beats Saw V with far better traps, returning characters and a twist at the end which is actually pretty good. Flashbacks reveal more about how Saw VI came to be and we find out what was on that letter than Hoffman wrote to Amanda back in Saw III.

Score: 6.0

Recommendation: Rent if you’re still a Saw fan

Review: Saw V

Saw V (2008)

Since I’m now into watching the later Saw films, I can tell how far the cast has changed. What was initially a cat and mouse chase between Tapp and John Kramer has transformed into a battle between Strahm and Hoffman. So does Saw V have the ingredients of a good Saw film? Or is it the point where Saw really starts to look weak? Well, I’m afraid it’s the latter. Saw V isn’t quite as bad as its two sequels but it’s a long shot from its four predecessors. So with David Hackl now head of the realm, just how far has Saw fallen?

Firstly, the story of Saw V is effectively a cat and mouse chase between Special Agent Strahm and Mark Hoffman. Hoffman has to prove his worth as the new Jigsaw and sets up his first game. The game known as “The Fatal Five”, sees five connected people go from room to room in order to survive. It takes the “versus” traps from Saw IV to another level, but there’s more to the game than there initially seems. Quite a lot of the story is told through flashbacks, so Saw V may strictly be a fans only affair.

The new characters to Saw V are once again rather average, with “The Fatal Five” being fronted by a woman called Brit, and a somewhat psychopathic journalist. These two are probably the most interesting from the relatively dull bunch that have all had an “advantage” from birth. Dan Erickson is the designated new detective for Saw V, but he’s a little older than those that have gone before him. At least this makes him stand out. It is a little irritating though how fast the police force changes in Saw, leaving you ultimately unattached from the protagonists. Detective Fisk makes an almost cameo like appearance, far less airtime than the man who has been on the case since day one should get.

The traps of Saw V are again utterly average. A trap that involves Strahm held in a cube that fills up with water is probably the most notable, but it isn’t great. An actual saw returns to the Saw franchise. A spinning saw that the tested must run their hand through. “The Fatal Five” makes up for most of the traps, but they aren’t very conventional. Losing in “The Fatal Five” is fatal, but winning doesn’t cost the tested anything, not even a scratch. So really, there aren’t many actual traps in Saw V. Even the opening trap isn’t an actual trap, Strahm’s cube trap isn’t a conventional trap. So Saw V certainly does things differently, and mostly in a bad way.

Most of the story takes place in Strahm’s mind. He’ll go from one place to another with a document of evidence and analyse it, recounting the possibilities in his head. Once in a while he might actually discover something that will enlighten the viewer, but most of the time he seems to aimlessly tread water.

The ending of Saw V is probably its strongest point, but that doesn’t take much. There’s no shocking revelation or even a surprise at the finish, but it is more of an action-orientated finish, and it speeds up the pace of a film that’s really slow for the Saw franchise. Overall, an enjoyable finish to watch at least.

Saw V is a testament to just how many movies a franchise can put out before it becomes stale. Hackl  tried to mix things up with the ultimate “versus” trap, but in the end it just meant that there wasn’t one conventional trap in the film. Just a lot of half-traps, that aren’t true to the roots of Saw. The twist that goes with “The Fatal Five” is decent (albeit obvious), and the ending is at least an action packed one that involves microcassettes. However, the rapidly changing cast, lack of any real traps, and the slow pace of the detective work in the film fail to impress

Score: 5.0

Recommendation: Rent if you’re still a Saw fan

Review: Saw IV

Saw IV (2007)

I label Saw IV the transitional film of the Saw series. After so many characters where killed off in Saw III, new characters had to be called in to fill the void. Just like so many times before in Saw, new characters are as abundant as the gore they inevitably shed and seemingly no one is safe from the chop. It is unfortunate that Saw IV is the film to signal the first decline in standards for Saw, as it isn’t such a bad film, just unable to complete with Saw III, of which it takes place with side by side. I’d also like to apologise for a criticism I made of Saw III. I said that the detectives weren’t featured enough, however, since Rigg and Hoffman are kidnapped in Saw IV, it only makes sense that they don’t have a part to play in Saw III.

SWAT Commander Rigg is the pawn in Jigsaw’s game this time around. It is hard to justify why he’s being tested (too good of a cop?), but he makes for a good protagonist. Rigg has 90 minutes to overcome a series of traps and learn “how to save a life”, to rescue a familiar face anyone who’s watched Saw II will recognise, and Detective Hoffman. That’s the basics of the story, there’s also a twist regarding Jigsaw’s ex-wife’s lawyer, Art Blank, who shares a history with Jigsaw, and the introduction of Special Agent Strahm and Agent Lindsay Perez, who take control of the Jigsaw investigation. 

One particular scene of Saw IV attracted attention: The Autopsy. Quite interesting really, it isn’t the goriest thing to appear in Saw, but sets the atmosphere of the film quite appropriately. It makes it difficult to grasp the chronological order of events between Saw III and Saw IV, and I actually didn’t fully realise the order of events until the end of the film. I didn’t really like how the films took place concurrently, although it makes for a nice ending scene, it leaves the audience slightly confused.

The traps of Saw IV are decent. With the opening trap engaging the viewer with two people competing in competition with each other. One can’t speak, one can’t see. This brings in the introduction of the “versus” traps where one person walks free and the other is killed. Another “versus” trap sees an abused wife having to come to terms with her husband to defeat him by removing spikes from pressure points in his body. Saw IV also takes credit for the scariest scene in a Saw film, which actually provided the first shock I’ve experienced watching Saw.

The ending of Saw IV is conclusive but also rather disappointing, like always a twist occurs but nothing really to surprise me a great deal, and the final scene is just disappointing. It is also unclear what some of the characters are meant to do to survive to game, leading to a “meh...” finale. A far way from Saw III which ended on a high, and really that sums up Saw IV’s problem: It can’t find a niche where Saw hasn’t been. It fails to break free with its own identity and ends up feeling like a supplement to Saw III, and not its own film.

If you’ve watched all the Saw films up to now, then there’s no reason not to watch to number four. It actually seems like the glory days compared to Saw 3D, however this film signalled the decline in quality for the Saw franchise, and it registers the lowest score for a Saw film so far.

Score: 6.5

Recommendation: Rent if a Saw fan.

Review: Saw III

Saw III (2006)

With the box office success of the first two Saw films, Lionsgate made the third with the fourth clearly in mind. Towards the end of the film you can see certain objects prevalent in Saw IV and the ending itself leaves the viewer on a slightly anti climatic cliff hanger. Saw III certainly divided opinion amongst fans of the series. Many praised it for its emotional story and rather epic turn of events, but others slated it as a boring film, moving away from the tense rush of Saw II and swapping it for more character development and time put into the storyline. 

The film entails the first ever “road to redemption” set of challenges which became standard issue in the later Saw films, but Saw III probably did it best. The protagonist is Jeff, a grieving father who lost his son to a careless driver and has been consumed with revenge for far too long. He has to forgive those who accidentally contributed to his son’s death by saving them from various traps. Meanwhile, Jigsaw is on his deathbed, and calls in a doctor to perform life saving surgery all while Amanda watches events unfold.

The characters are certainly some of the best the series has to offer, just shy of Saw II. Mark Hoffman fills the void of Eric Matthews as the new detective, but the police force doesn’t feature outside the first half hour. The minor characters also help move the story onward with the viewer really caring about who lives and dies. While, Jigsaw’s character further develops when he mentions his past and recalls some bizarre memories. Finally, Amanda completes the line up, returning in a far less likeable fashion that usual, going from the hero in Saw II to the villain in Saw III.

Saw III definitely serves up the best collection of traps the series has to offer. One that involves a man drowning in pig fat, while Jeff has to save him must be one of the most memorable Saw traps. Another, known as “The Rack”, which sees a man at the mercy of a bone twisting machine, also goes down as one of Saw’s greatest.

The ending of Saw III is another thing that gives the film an advantage. The twist at the end is excellent and gives this film the honour of best ending in the Saw series. However, it’s the ending that holds the film back from Saw perfection. Despite it initially being a fantastic ending, the last conversation leaves us a cliff hanger that just seemed unnecessary. Still, the ending remains dramatic and even the completely off beat choice of credits music doesn’t detract from the atmosphere.

Overall, I thought Saw III was a fantastic film, and truly the only Saw film that I would qualify as that. The set of characters is solid, the traps are the best in the series, and the ending is the best in the series. The gore returns as prevalent as ever, and a surgical operation never looked so interesting. It would be nice if they featured “the hunt for Jigsaw” a little more, since the new Detective Hoffman hardly features and neither does Rigg. However, Saw III is powerful and truly of the perfect length.

Score: 8.0

Recommendation: Buy w/ Saw I and II.