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From what it appears, Jigsaw is a reboot of the SAW franchise – but a bit less gruesome and with less interesting “victims.”
| Director(s) | Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig |
| Writer(s) | Pete Goldfinger, Josh Stolberg |
| Noted Actors | |
| John Kramer | Tobin Bell |
| Eleanor | Hannah Emily Anderson |
| Detective Halloran | Callum Keith Rennie |
| Detective Keith | Clé Bennett |
| Anna | Laura Vandervoort |
| Logan | Matt Passmore |
Summary
It has been 10 years since John Kramer died and yet it seems the killings have started again. The idea is that it is a copycat killer. After all, John Kramer has quite the following on the darknet. Hell, the second in command at the morgue, Eleanor has even recreated many of John Kramer’s traps since, you know, “A girl needs a hobby.” However, it isn’t clear when it comes to Detective Halloran and Keith’s investigation if she is the rebirth of Jigsaw. All they both know is people are dying and the public is scared. That and the fate of a few people are in their hands.
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- What happened to John Kramer’s body?
Criticism
While There Are Jump Scares, And Gruesome Moments, The Traps Are Lackluster
If there is one thing the SaW [External] series is known for, it is the traps. The original, released over 13 years ago in 2004, pretty much started the revival of the horror genre by presenting what some called “Torture Porn.” Since then, it has become well known for its gruesome traps, becoming a perennial franchise, of which all but one reached over $100 million worldwide, and gave birth one of the few horror icons of the 00s.
However, the spirit of the first few, much less 7, just isn’t there. As SaW seeks to be like Friday The 13th [External] and the many other legends in the horror genre, you get this sense that the series should have just remained dormant. For while you do have to give them credit for waiting 7 years so that the last entry wasn’t fresh in our minds, the coffin they open contains nothing but rotten flesh.
The reason I say this is because the film seems kind of neutered. We have nothing but the most basic of traps, if only because these traps are all supposed to represent Kramer’s first real game. One before even the first SaW. So what we get are a lot of basic traps. Chains being pulled and people dealing with chainsaws, almost getting hanged, wires cutting people’s limbs off, and others. None of which seem like the type you’d put forward if you had plans to revive the series.
Though, perhaps the biggest issue is that, once again, there is some kind of attempt at having a protégé of Kramer take over for him. As if any horror franchise could really pass the torch unless the monster is a masked freak. For John losing his wife, getting cancer, and being meticulous about his victims, there was a certain style to that. Now, all we get are people who want to take justice into their own hands. Folks who have too much ego in it and, if I recall right, John warned each and every one of them about this.
Yet, that is who we get stuck with once again as it is clear there is a desire to make a sequel in which Keith likely will be the one to hunt down the new Jigsaw killer.
On The Fence
No Intriguing Stories or Characters
There is something weirdly soap opera like about Jigsaw. Minus the drama of who slept with who, we deal with people who refuse to confess crimes. Some of which, like Anna’s, really do act as an eye-opening tale. However, others like selling someone a bike with bad breaks, stealing money from someone and not giving them their inhaler when they were having an asthma attack, and things like that, was just disappointing.
However, it becomes worse as we deal with the people who could appear in sequels. Keith and Logan’s relationship, being veterans and all, seemingly was supposed to be interesting. Especially since Logan was captured and tortured. Then we have Eleanor who recreated many of Jigsaw’s traps and, for a time, was a suspect. I could go on but if you have watched the series thus far, you will likely feel that you’ve seen these same characters before performed by other actors. It is just now there have been the slightest of alterations.
Overall: Negative (Skip It)
Jigsaw doesn’t really offer much no matter how you want to look at it. For those who miss the violent traps and kills of SaW, this doesn’t seek to appeal to you. Those who enjoyed the back stories of those playing the game? You don’t get anything interesting there either. How about the twist? Well, it isn’t horrible but after the shock of the first SaW, how could any compare?
But what perhaps really makes Jigsaw worth being labeled negative is that it screams that it wants to be a sequel but gives you no reason to ask for one. The new Jigsaw doesn’t have the appeal Tobin Bell brought to the role. The first traps we saw out of him were all basic, based on the more intricate things we saw throughout the series. Then, the people who are to be Jigsaw’s allies or his pursuers, you just are given no reason to invest in them or their motivation.
Thus leaving you with nothing but what seems like nothing but a money grab.
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