Jigsaw

Since the Saw franchise is one of my biggest guilty pleasures when it comes to horror, I've been hoping for a new installment ever since The Final Chapter was supposed to end the franchise back in 2010. Even though the movies got progressively worse, there is something about this franchise that always draws me back and makes me want to re-watch it.

I had high expectations for Jigsaw because of two reasons: one, the producers stated in an interview that they were offered more than a hundred scripts for a new movie from different writers, but had never been pleased with any of them until they discovered a script so good, which ultimately got picked to be adapted; second, the Spierig brothers, Jigsaw's directors, had previously directed Predestination, such a smart and enticing sci-fi time- travel movie that I liked quite a lot.

After seeing Jigsaw, I left the theater disappointed. I'll start with what I enjoyed:

The score by Charlie Clouser is just as fabulous as it has always been and manages to go in line perfectly with each scene.

The performances didn't bother me at all, although none of the actors really gets to shine. Laura Vandervoort and Paul Braunstein stood out here, with the latter generating some funny moments worthy of admiration.

The direction was very polished and the movie was competently filmed, but the Spierig brothers weren't given much to show their creativity on. This leads me to the negatives.

The CGI is very good. There is, however, one scene in which I was feeling as if I was watching one of the most recent Resident Evil movies and that didn't really work for me.

What I didn't like:

The ideas in this movie and its overall plot are somewhat underdeveloped. I know that this is supposed to be a new "beginning" for these movies, but as a franchise starter, I wanted more to be explored. The plot falls flat because the movie cuts from scene to scene so swiftly and tries to cram multiple narratives into 85 minutes, that ultimately none of them makes an impact.

Saw is known for its visceral traps and torture devices, so I was looking forward to seeing more of that. However, the game presented in this movie has next to no memorable traps. That is because they are a lot tamer than what we've seen before and they simply can't hold a candle to all the ingenious traps from the past movies.

The character development is another issue in this movie. The characters are so uni-dimensional, with some of them being there only to fill the screen. And I'm referring to some of the main casting here. Also, character arcs are left unfinished and the movie felt like it ended when the most important part of the story was about to happen.

The editing undermines what could've been some very suspenseful scenes because of its sloppiness, by cutting from one narrative (the game) to the other (the investigation) at random moments.

Now, it all comes down to the twist. Was it good and unexpected? Well, no, not really. It's not necessarily because you can predict it from miles away (for which the movie offers hints throughout the run-time) due to its small set of characters, but because it had no resonance for me. It didn't blow me away and you could've predicted it from the marketing of the movie alone. Just like with the traps, it just doesn't have the same visceral feel as the past movies and it doesn't really make you crave for the release of the next chapter.

Overall, Jigsaw sets itself apart from the previous movies in the series with the help of the two directors who manage to make the movie look stylish and slick, but ultimately, it doesn't succeed in creating the sense of urgency that some of the old movies had and, sadly, disappoints on almost every other level. And yes, there are fan-service moments, but as a fan of this franchise, I felt very little excitement when they happened.

Hopefully, if the movie does well in terms of box office, the sequel will improve upon this franchise "reinvention".

When a string of dead bodies begin to manifest themselves, the police and a small team of doctors begin to investigate. However, when both doctors and police begin to look in to things further all the evidence points to John Kramer being the suspect despite him seemingly being dead for 10 years...

Like everything that preceded it, Jigsaw is a fun entry you meet the usual antagonists...or are they protagonists??? They all have to face off in Jigsaw's fun house (oddly enough Pat Sharpe is nowhere to be seen on this occasion). Although it's the usual shlock that you'll have seen in the earlier films if you bear with this one then it does have a point and has a story to tell...

One negative, which plagues a lot of these Saw films is the general unlikeability of its leading actors; did you once care for any of these people?? If the answer is No then neither did I... I understand that a lot of Saw films are set up this way, but with this one I really struggled connecting to the characters.

It's also fair to say that the Saw films strain plot credibility, but this one really pushes the boundaries and may make you think "What the hey" Well if it did it for you then it did it for me.

Anyway all joking aside it was nice to see everything tied together here and I have to admit that I was never bored whilst watching this film.

It's a decent ride, but the franchise is skating on thin ice by now. I'm curious about the new film Saw X to see where things are going here, but I'm starting to think that the franchise is getting a bit long in the tooth by now so won't be setting my hopes too high with the latest film.

This is worth a look for the fans, but as with everything that proceeded it if you're watching it then keep your expectations on the low side.

I kind of liked Jigsaw. It's almost a bit of a reboot/legacy sequel, and functions like a decent one early on. As it gets into its final half-hour, it begins to feel like a more traditional Saw sequel, for better or worse. It gets ludicrous when it tries to tie itself more to those past sequels, heading away from the reboot route, but those Saw sequels could also be stupidly fun when they continue trying to justify their existence. I guess that leaves Jigsaw functioning as an alright reboot, until it comes - by this series' standards - a good enough sequel.

I'm sure things would fall apart upon closer inspection, but the movie's fun in the moment and satisfies in the ways some of those older ones did. I don't think it's anywhere near a low point for Saw as a whole, and I did quite like the fact this one looked like an actual movie. Some of those past Saw movies looked terrible and cheap, outside the gory special effects (even those weren't always perfect), but this one's visually sharper and looks like it had more of a budget. Of course, if you prefer these movies looking grungier/sludgier, then that could be an element that proves to detract from this.

I was a huge fan of the original series, although as more films were released the thrill lessened. The first is a Classic and may have one of the best twists of all time, and that's what makes it such a great film. It wasn't about the horror.

This one, although entertaining, same awkward acting by many characters, same grizzly traps, and most of all a twist, which I believe everyone expects, however I feel there's some major plot holes that leaves me feeling dissatisfied. Of course I won't ruin for anyone, but this film reaches far, way too far, in my humble opinion.

Very reminiscent of the original, but fails in the end. Maybe they'll do better next time because a new Saw film is always welcome to take a swing.

Note: the red headed coroner was super hot, even before she let her hair down and took her glasses off. Way too hot to be a coroner. (not being sexist, just keeping it real)

Jigsaw packs a punch like the other SAW movies.

I don't know why people are criticising the film the twist were usually what you expect from the franchise as a huge SAW fan. I really enjoyed the film also Seeing Tobin bell as jigsaw again on screen really what got me watching it in the first place. Also Charlie Clouser's Score is like a cherry on top.