| Josh Hurtado, 27 May 2007 |
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| The first Saw film was something unusual, a serial killer who never actually kills anyone himself, instead relying on his victims cowardice to do it for him. Saw 2 was a typical slasher sequel with more victims and a more convoluted storyline. Saw 3 attempts to scale back the story a bit, but not too much. The film focuses on a few main characters, including Jigsaw's protege and his grooming process. While I think that this film had potential, it seemed to be too interested in providing the audience with Grand Guignol style setpieces than substance. Don't get me wrong, I love a good gore scene as much as the next guy, but I was missing something in the way of motivation to finish watching the film. The film has its twists and it dumps all of them on you in the final 15 minutes, I believe my head was supposed to be spinning, but I had figured all of the twists out in advance. In the end, Saw 3 has become what true horror buffs lament, a setup. It is a setup for Saw 4, which will in turn become a setup for Saw 5, on and on, ad infinitum. I'll keep watching, because I think the series and the premise has promise, but I don't expect to be shocked like I was the first time ever again. |
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| John Pettigrew, 13 Mar 2007 |
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| I was really impressed with the original film, Saw. Taken as a gory but clever puzzle of a horror film, it achieved a high level in modern schlock. Unfortunately, the eagerly awaited sequel felt like a disappointment, being nothing more than a gory race-against-time with very few twists and chills.
Thankfully, however, this third film in the trilogy returns to the wow-factor generated by the original. Containing just as much gory blood scenes (including live brain surgery!) the film could have so easily have been just another gore-fest. Thankfully, the writers managed to make the viewrers sit bolt upright with this one! Just as the film winds to a close, the twists and turns sweep the carpet from under you and the flashbacks show you weren't paying close enough attention!
Scary, gory and intelligent - recommended. |
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