Saw V

I watched Saw V with a good opening night crowd here in Sydney. I've enjoyed all of the Saw films, predictably liking some episodes a lot more than others, and Saw V is, again, very watchable, with some intense moments and no shortage of grisliness. But I'd still say it's the weakest entry in the series to date. The trouble is that the main narrative addition for this episode, which has to sustain half the running time, turns out to be a dramatically weak one. I don't think a Saw film ever previously failed to create excitement or new meaning via one of its big twisty revelations, but Saw V's add next to nothing. The knowledge gained doesn't force any re-evaluation of the past events it concerns; you just see and know a bit more about them, and to no great effect, except for the fact that Tobin Bell's performance is always compelling, maybe even more so when he's talking to people who aren't stuck in Jigsaw's deathtraps.

The Saw films have demonstrated an unfeasibly high success rate over time in terms of pulling off twist after twist and having them nearly all hit home. With this track record, it seems inevitable that there'd be a significant stumble at some point. They've never been bulletproof films (and thrillers are the genre that are hardest to bulletproof), but I'd say Saw V is definitely the stumble. In spite of this, it still keeps in enough with the series in general for me to be ready for Saw VI in 2009 - which I hope will be better work.

Saw V is clever. It knows what the audience wants, and after four solid films, it still continues to fill in the cracks of minor plot inconsistencies and even manages to link itself all the way back to the first movie. The genius of these films is finding out more about the past that directly links to the events in the future. In this respect, Saw V may just be the best film in the whole series, utilizing plenty of flashbacks, insane traps, and a plethora of returning characters. The fifth film stars series regulars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, and Scott Patterson, as well as newbies Julie Benz, Meagan Good, and Greg Bryk. David Hackl, who served as production designer on Saw II through Saw IV, now takes over the director's chair for Darren Lynn Bousman.

This time around, Hoffman, Jigsaw's last remaining apprentice, is trying to tie up all the loose ends, following instructions Jigsaw gave him on his deathbed. Agent Peter Straum is quickly piecing together clues and suspects Hoffman as being tied to Jigsaw. At the same time, five people, Brit, Luba, Mallick, Ashley, and Charles, wake up in a trap and must work together to reach the end. It all builds up to an astounding conclusion that sets the scene for Saw VI in a fantastic fashion.

As always, one of the most enthralling things about the Saw films are the traps, and this one doesn't disappoint at all. It doesn't go too over-the-top with the gore, and yet stays intense and absolutely enthralling the entire time. We get explosions aplenty, a water tank, a falling pendulum, a trap involving electrocution, and several others. There is a particular one involving a glass box that was especially disturbing and crazy.

The acting in this installment is on-par with Saw II, which is actually saying a lot. It seems as if in all of the films, there is always a weak spot except for Saw II, and now this one (Cary Elwes in Saw, Bahar Soomekh in Saw III, and Justin Louis in Saw IV). Julie Benz is an effective heroine, one that is fun to root for throughout the course of the movie. Likable characters abound, with few even approaching annoyances from this viewer. Scott Patterson was great to watch in his race to piece things together. Costas Mandylor shines in his scenes, and takes over Jigsaw's reign quite well. Tobin Bell is in a league all his own, and in all of the flashback scenes (and there's plenty of 'em), he comes nothing short of an absolute pro. After five films, he has 100% nailed the Jigsaw character.

In terms of directing, David Hackl does an excellent job taking over for Darren Lynn Bousman. There is lots of flashy editing and awesome camera angles, and the constant close-up shots that fans of the series have come to love. Hackl's visual style is very similar to that of Bousman's, and that's saying something. Both directors bring an incredible amount of creativity to the screen, and Hackl sprinkles a little flavoring all his own that makes this new Saw flick a feast for the eyes. There's no arguing that's it's well-made, in terms of both acting and directing.

The latter half of the movie is super intense, and although the runtime is very short, the length is perfect. It lays out the carpet for the next film in the series with amazing bravado, perfected after five films. It seems like they finally know how to leave us with a cliffhanger at the conclusion. As promised, the ending is stunning and shocking, but don't expect it to be on caliber with the first movie, an ending which will be hard to ever top. Even after five films, Saw has not grown stale, and continues to enthrall and thrill fans of the series. It is probably the best movie series ever in terms of continuity. As much as I thought I knew what was coming, the fifth entry in the Saw series threw out shock after shock and never ceased to surprise me. Once the credits start, you are left craving more, which will make the next and final entry in the Saw series one that this particular fan will very much be looking forward to.

Yes, the Saw-franchise is beginning to get a bit tiresome. I'm still a fan of it thought but it needs some new fresh ideas fast.

Of course in essence all Saw movies are more or less the same. However all previous movies still knew to keep me interested and guessing throughout the entire movie. It still featured some surprising and interesting elements, while "Saw V" really doesn't feature any. No big surprises or twists here, not even at the ending, which in my opinion was a bit weak and disappointing. Normally the end of a Saw movie provides a big twists that will leave you shocked and stunned in your chair, for a few minutes after the movie has ended. I missed this in "Saw V".

The movie is also the least interesting Saw movie as of yet because it features some lazy writing. Normally Saw scripts are airtight ones but not this one sadly. It often takes the obvious paths.

Like always it is also featuring lots of different plot-lines and characters again, although in this case not all are connected well enough to each other. Seriously, what have all those people going to the Jigsaw-trails have to do with the rest of the movie its plot? It just seems to be there because its a Saw movie and it needs to feature all these sick and twisted games. The story lines don't ever really get together well enough. The movie again is also featuring lots of flashbacks, which shows events that happened in the previous movies, often seen from a different side this time but some of these flashbacks however are quite pointless for the movie once you start thinking about it.

I also blame Hoffman for it that this movie doesn't work out as good and interesting as any of the other sequels. He's the new Jigsaw and as of yet he also is the least interesting one. It probably also has to do with the fact that he is featured a lot in the movie, while Jigsaw normally always remain on the background. Also the reasons why he became the new Jigsaw, as gets shown in this movie, are a bit shaky and not exactly believable.

The movie itself is perhaps also lacking in one clear good main hero and character.

It still is a superior genre movie of course. It's concept alone is already good and interesting enough to please the genre fans and provides the potential for an infinitive amount of Saw-sequels. All Saw movies have a great look and atmosphere over them, though this one works out as the least effective one when it comes down to its atmosphere and horror/thriller elements because of the reason that this movie features very little new elements.

The Jigsaw games themselves also seem less innovative and clever. It's still gruesome and lots of bloods and guts can be seen flying around but it's just less surprising and shocking all.

Lets hope "Saw VI" will have some fresh new good ideas and a better script with some better- and more interesting characters in it.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

After so many sequels, one should expect a series to be driven to the ground. Although it's getting a bit tiring, Saw fans, & for that matter, fans of gore, shouldn't be disappointed with the fifth movie. Saw 5 still follows the same routine of the cat and mouse game... but of course, as always, telling you too much of the plot is a ruining the game for you. Let's keep it at the thin plot description already given: a detective goes out of his way to make sure that his secret is kept, before an agent uncovers his identity. The subplot involves 5 individuals who are somehow connected, and must work their way out of traps.

The traps still prove to be especially cruel, perhaps a little too cruel, but even that is worked into the story. It involves quite a bit of the past, much like Saw 4, it will give you more of the origin of the characters, whether it's needed or not. Minimizing flashbacks, it instead will fill in a number of plot and character holes.

This is David Hackl's directional debut. Considering he's been around since Saw 2 as production designer, this is a solid step forward. There's no doubt that these somehow ingenious, if not over the top story lines that interconnect were made up well after the fact, but that doesn't change the fact that the scriptwriters were keen on at least making an effort to do exactly that. Tie things in, making the package look neater, & hoping you don't think about it too much that you start to see the implausibility of it all.

If you have not seen the previous Saw's, you will be lost here, as you will be left with confusing tie in's and past incidents that mesh too well with the present. It's just not kind to new viewers.

All in all, I can't complain about Saw 5, because I got exactly what I expected. Clever, deadly traps, uncomfortable situations, & of course, the "twist" at the end. There's no denying that one particular actor that's been in all the Saw's is especially good at what he does.

For the most part, I would suggest waiting for a rental. I think that some viewers may grow tired of the series because it comes out every year. The nature of an audience viewing sequels is that it dwindles in number over time, as "sequelitis" sets in. But if you enjoyed the previous Saws & all their abusive, bloody, cruel, & heartless drama, you don't need me to suggest anything to you.

Given that the Saw films are notable for their unexpected plot twists, the fact that this was the most predictable one makes it difficult to see why it scored the "You won't believe how it ends" tagline. Otherwise, it's decent. It blows Saw III out of the water, but I don't feel it really compares to the other three. I can appreciate that they're trying to bring it back to what the original was all about; a brilliant plot with a couple of gory scenes (the previous two have been somewhat gore-laden with little story for my liking), the problem being, unfortunately, that the plot is fairly weak. The intensity of the torture scenes is greatly increased, though, by the rest period between them.

As a horror film, this works, but don't expect Saw - and don't expect to be blown away by the ending, because it is nothing special. That said, if you're addicted to the Saw saga as so many of us are, there's no harm in going out to see it.