Saw: The Final Chapter

It's a rare feat for any franchise with seven films to have as strong a seventh chapter as they had a first, but that is what the "Saw" franchise managed to accomplish. To my eye, there is only one small, insignificant question left unanswered from the whole of the series - all else was developed and realized fully and completely. I have been careful not to list cast members or give character names, as I want to preserve the secrets of these films for those who haven't seen them. And, if you haven't seen them and you are a horror fan as I am, you really really need to, as they are truly excellent. I didn't even mind the extra gore in this, as there is a perfect reason for that too. But there's a reason for everything in this series, if you give it long enough. Magnificent job, and bravo to the team who kept this franchise going so well. 3.5/5

Saw: The Final Chapter on Netflix

Saw VI

Well, when I'm wrong I'll say it, and I was wrong when I thought the "Saw" team was moving too far from its origins in "Saw V", because this film is right back in the pocket. In my review of "Saw V" I mentioned the one big question from the series, one from the end of film three, that hadn't been answered and I thought never would. Well, they answered it in the sixth film in brilliant fashion. I am completely stunned by the seamless nature of this franchise. There are no holes, no mistakes, no gaping problems, no hiccups in the plot or the characters. It's impossible for me to believe this whole story wasn't scripted from the beginning, but, were that true, there would be a "story by Leigh Whannell" credit and there isn't. I have read that they planned to go to eight films but ended at seven, so I'm just dying to see how this ends. Only after I watch the last film will I search out to see if this was all plotted from the beginning. As it is, I truly understand why this is such a beloved horror franchise, because it's just brilliant. 4/5

Saw VI on Netflix

Saw V

This installment of the "Saw" franchise was a bit of a let-down for me, especially after the rather exceptional fourth film. This film was neither directed by Bousman nor written by Whannell and I felt the lack of their input. The plot of this was limited in scope and tenuous at best. It relied very heavily on flashbacks that reinterpreted past films instead of filling in the questions left behind as every previous "Saw" film has done. There are still two elements - a small question from the second film and a huge one from the third - that I hope get answered, but I'm now a bit worried this team is moving too far away from the original vision of the films. It was even in the little details that should have been simple to get right. For example, Jigsaw always ends his tapes with "Live or die. Make your choice" - but in this film he altered those crucial few words for no apparent reason. I do love how Tobin Bell's character died in the third film but the team always finds ways to bring him back like an omnipresent ghost. This is the weakest "Saw" film so far, and I really hope they can pull it together for "Saw VI". 3/5


Saw V on Netflix

Saw IV

Well now, things just got interesting, didn't they? This is the first "Saw" film I haven't already seen, so it was all new to me. I admit I spent the first half of the film rather confused. The ending of "Saw III" was so ripe for an immediate sequel that I couldn't understand why we were seeing the story we were. And then, as they always do, the pieces started falling into place, and it was absolutely amazing how all of the first three films were tied in together for this installment. I was shocked that Whannell didn't write this, but it's clear that those who did paid a great deal of attention to his details. Director Darren Lynn Bousman, who has directed all but the first film, has really come into his own in this film. And the excessive gore problem I had with "Saw III" is gone here - this went right back to the thriller roots. I really enjoyed this and am in wonder at the ending. Well done, and I just got "Saw V" today, so onward! 4/5

Saw Iv on Netflix

Saw III

In many ways, this movie is just a solid and well thought out as the original. That's not a surprise when you note that Leigh Whannell and James Wan wrote it together, just as they did the first film. The plot is very tight and well controlled, with twists coming quickly throughout the film. I didn't remember the ending, and I was at the edge of my seat with it. The problem for me with this film is that the amount of violence and sheer gore rose dramatically from the first two films. The first two were violent, but you didn't see a ton of the violence on camera, just the aftermath of it. This film was gore-tastic the whole way through, and it added nothing. I hope the filmmakers remember that, at its heart, "Saw" was as much of a psych thriller as a horror film, if not more so. This was the last "Saw" film I watched, so I'm moving into uncharted territory next week. 4/5

Saw III on Netflix

Saw II

According to Netflix, I originally gave this film only three stars - I'm going to bump that up to three and a half. This was not directed by James Wan and it shows - the feel of the film was more superficial and generic than the first film. However, the acting is definitely superior to the first film, and the plot held together extremely well even on second viewing. Of the three main twists at the end I only remembered two of them, and even knowing the other two didn't diminish the flourish of the reveals. I think this film is a worthy successor to the original in nearly every way. I'm glad Leigh Whannell was around to co-write this script - he really kept it on track. "Saw III" coming up this weekend. 3.5/5

Saw II on Netflix

Saw

My regular readers will know I recently declared my intention to finally watch the entire "Saw" series in my effort to catch up on many of the horror franchises I have been missing. I have only seen the first three installments of the "Saw" series, and I remember none of them well enough, so I'm starting from scratch with the first film. I remembered many of the twists of this rather ingenious plot, in particular the dramatic ending, so I was curious if the film would hold up even knowing what I did. Surprisingly it did. I remember being substantially confused when I first saw the film as the narrative changes and plot twists had me rather confused at times. It was much easier to follow this time through, and I found there were so many small details I had missed originally that jumped out at me now. I still found the acting to be pretty awful, and Wan has grown a lot as a director since this film, but it's a solid piece with suspenseful elements that weren't present in much of the horror of the day. I enjoyed this reviewing and am looking forward to the rest of the series. 4/5

Saw on Netflix