I’ve been watching the entire Saw film series over the past couple of weeks, and I watched Saw 7/3D in theaters not too long ago. Saw 7/3D is supposed to be the last film in the Saw series, and I’ve always wanted to share my thoughts on this fairly popular horror franchise:
Saw (2004) 5/10- The first Saw film delivers pretty well. The acting was solid, and Jigsaw only had three victims for his games in this one. It was kind of disturbing to watch Cary Elwes saw a hunk of his own leg off. They didn’t let you see this gruesome moment, and I think this was a good thing, because it let your imagination run wild. Just thinking about someone sawing through their own leg with a rusty blade is just sickening. Although, this film has always had this lackluster feel for me. I’ve tried over the years, but I can never get into it.
Saw 2 (2005) 8/10- This is my favorite Saw film. The verbal dueling between Donnie Wahlberg and Tobin Bell was just priceless. Also, the whole “you don’t deserve life, if you don’t appreciate life” ideology was still fresh in this film. There were more victims in this film, and the deaths were a lot more gruesome. And we got to see the rise of Amanda Young, as she was revealed to be Jigsaw’s apprentice in this film.
Saw 3 (2006) 6/10- I LOVED Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young in this film. She was easily the highlight of Saw 3. She did such a good job at playing this psychotic apprentice. She was funny, dark, and creepy. The traps become even more elaborate in this one, and the deaths are a lot more painful to watch. I loved Smith in this film, but she really is the only highlight in Saw 3. This Saw film doesn’t bring anything new to the table. They just crank things up a little bit when it comes to the torture and violence. Jigsaw is on his death bed, and the ending to this film will make your head spin. They throw sooooo much stuff at you in the final few minutes. It will give you a headache.
Saw 4 (2007) 1/10- I hated this movie. Again, they really don’t change the formula too much here. The gore and violence is a lot more intense, Hoffman is revealed as another one of Jigsaw’s apprentices, we get too learn more about Jill Tuck(Jigsaw’s wife) and Jigsaw’s traps continue to pick off more people from the previous films. This film just didn’t do it for me, and I think this is where the Saw franchise started to go on a downward spiral. Also, there were some Jigsaw flashbacks here.
Saw 5 (2008) 4/10- Saw 5 was okay. Here we see more flashbacks of Jigsaw while he was still alive, and we also see what drove Hoffman to the dark side. I enjoyed watching Strahm follow the trail of Hoffman, but again, this film follows the same formula as the previous Saw films, and by now it’s starting to get tiresome.
Saw 6 (2009) 3/10- Yeah, I still couldn’t get into Hoffman as Jigsaw’s replacement. He just doesn’t have the presence that Jigsaw had, and the character is just so plain and bland. We’re in the SIXTH film now, and they still stick to the same formula of kidnapping a bunch of people, and forcing them into situations where they will have to kill another person. The best part about this film is when Jigsaw is shown having a conversation with the health insurance executive during a flashback.
Saw 7/3D (2010) 2/10- Saw 4 really angered me, but this film truly pissed me off. Yeah, the 3D effects were cool, but they threw the same shit at us again. This was supposed to be the final chapter, but Saw 7 just seemed like all of the other Saw films. I was expecting Saw to go out with a bang, but I should’ve known better. And again, a Jigsaw flashback is the best part about this movie. This film was just recently released, and a lot of you might not have seen it, so I’ll add some more thoughts in spoiler tags.
Saw 7 had a very cool movie poster. That’s the only other good thing I can say about this film:
Jigsaw was a different type of horror villain. He was a cancer(and suicide) survivor who wanted to teach people how to value their lives. Then there were the apprentices. Shawnee Smith did an amazing job with the Amanda Young character. You could truly believe she was a brainwashed psycho. I wasn’t too crazy about Hoffman. The character just seemed so bland to me. I know he was supposed to be cold and calculating, but I never felt that. Art Blank( the lawyer in the fourth film) was another person who helped Jigsaw with his dirty work, but he only appeared in one Saw film. Zep(Michael Emerson) was just a victim in the first Saw film, and we didn’t get to see that much of him either. The acting in the first three films was pretty solid, but as more characters were killed off, the quality of the acting went down. Betsy Russell(Jill Tuck) was the only one who was able to deliver some noteworthy performances as the series started to wind down.
I saw the first Saw film on DVD years ago, and I didn’t think too much of it. The Saw series had some potential, and the first three films aren‘t bad, but this series took a dive after the third film. You can only torture and kill people in so many different ways. It becomes stale after a while. Flashbacks of Jigsaw being the highlight of a Saw movie can‘t be looked at as a good sign. The Saw films can be hit and miss, but if you want something to watch around Halloween time, then the Saw films could be what you’re looking for. Now as far as money goes, the Saw films were low budget, but they always managed to rake in a good amount of cash at the box office. Although, a decline in box office profits are reportedly the reason why there was no Saw 8. I don’t think Saw will be mentioned in the same breath as other famous horror franchises as time goes on. There are just too many bad films in this series, and the Saw franchise never did have that one great or very good film.
What do you think about the Saw franchise?
Saw (2004) 5/10- The first Saw film delivers pretty well. The acting was solid, and Jigsaw only had three victims for his games in this one. It was kind of disturbing to watch Cary Elwes saw a hunk of his own leg off. They didn’t let you see this gruesome moment, and I think this was a good thing, because it let your imagination run wild. Just thinking about someone sawing through their own leg with a rusty blade is just sickening. Although, this film has always had this lackluster feel for me. I’ve tried over the years, but I can never get into it.
Saw 2 (2005) 8/10- This is my favorite Saw film. The verbal dueling between Donnie Wahlberg and Tobin Bell was just priceless. Also, the whole “you don’t deserve life, if you don’t appreciate life” ideology was still fresh in this film. There were more victims in this film, and the deaths were a lot more gruesome. And we got to see the rise of Amanda Young, as she was revealed to be Jigsaw’s apprentice in this film.
Saw 3 (2006) 6/10- I LOVED Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young in this film. She was easily the highlight of Saw 3. She did such a good job at playing this psychotic apprentice. She was funny, dark, and creepy. The traps become even more elaborate in this one, and the deaths are a lot more painful to watch. I loved Smith in this film, but she really is the only highlight in Saw 3. This Saw film doesn’t bring anything new to the table. They just crank things up a little bit when it comes to the torture and violence. Jigsaw is on his death bed, and the ending to this film will make your head spin. They throw sooooo much stuff at you in the final few minutes. It will give you a headache.
Saw 4 (2007) 1/10- I hated this movie. Again, they really don’t change the formula too much here. The gore and violence is a lot more intense, Hoffman is revealed as another one of Jigsaw’s apprentices, we get too learn more about Jill Tuck(Jigsaw’s wife) and Jigsaw’s traps continue to pick off more people from the previous films. This film just didn’t do it for me, and I think this is where the Saw franchise started to go on a downward spiral. Also, there were some Jigsaw flashbacks here.
Saw 5 (2008) 4/10- Saw 5 was okay. Here we see more flashbacks of Jigsaw while he was still alive, and we also see what drove Hoffman to the dark side. I enjoyed watching Strahm follow the trail of Hoffman, but again, this film follows the same formula as the previous Saw films, and by now it’s starting to get tiresome.
Saw 6 (2009) 3/10- Yeah, I still couldn’t get into Hoffman as Jigsaw’s replacement. He just doesn’t have the presence that Jigsaw had, and the character is just so plain and bland. We’re in the SIXTH film now, and they still stick to the same formula of kidnapping a bunch of people, and forcing them into situations where they will have to kill another person. The best part about this film is when Jigsaw is shown having a conversation with the health insurance executive during a flashback.
Saw 7/3D (2010) 2/10- Saw 4 really angered me, but this film truly pissed me off. Yeah, the 3D effects were cool, but they threw the same shit at us again. This was supposed to be the final chapter, but Saw 7 just seemed like all of the other Saw films. I was expecting Saw to go out with a bang, but I should’ve known better. And again, a Jigsaw flashback is the best part about this movie. This film was just recently released, and a lot of you might not have seen it, so I’ll add some more thoughts in spoiler tags.
THEY KILLED OFF JILL TUCK!!!!!!! I really enjoyed her in the Saw films. Betsy Russell did a good job with this character, and I hated to see her go.
Dr.Gordon leaves Hoffman for dead, and he is the one who will carry on Jigsaw’s legacy? Really? And who were the other two people in the pig masks?
Saw 7 had a very cool movie poster. That’s the only other good thing I can say about this film:
Jigsaw was a different type of horror villain. He was a cancer(and suicide) survivor who wanted to teach people how to value their lives. Then there were the apprentices. Shawnee Smith did an amazing job with the Amanda Young character. You could truly believe she was a brainwashed psycho. I wasn’t too crazy about Hoffman. The character just seemed so bland to me. I know he was supposed to be cold and calculating, but I never felt that. Art Blank( the lawyer in the fourth film) was another person who helped Jigsaw with his dirty work, but he only appeared in one Saw film. Zep(Michael Emerson) was just a victim in the first Saw film, and we didn’t get to see that much of him either. The acting in the first three films was pretty solid, but as more characters were killed off, the quality of the acting went down. Betsy Russell(Jill Tuck) was the only one who was able to deliver some noteworthy performances as the series started to wind down.
I saw the first Saw film on DVD years ago, and I didn’t think too much of it. The Saw series had some potential, and the first three films aren‘t bad, but this series took a dive after the third film. You can only torture and kill people in so many different ways. It becomes stale after a while. Flashbacks of Jigsaw being the highlight of a Saw movie can‘t be looked at as a good sign. The Saw films can be hit and miss, but if you want something to watch around Halloween time, then the Saw films could be what you’re looking for. Now as far as money goes, the Saw films were low budget, but they always managed to rake in a good amount of cash at the box office. Although, a decline in box office profits are reportedly the reason why there was no Saw 8. I don’t think Saw will be mentioned in the same breath as other famous horror franchises as time goes on. There are just too many bad films in this series, and the Saw franchise never did have that one great or very good film.
What do you think about the Saw franchise?
is this?! I was a mix of shock and awe. I was amazed by this. Then the 2nd one came around, and Donnie Wahlberg was amazing in his internal struggle against Jigsaw. Tobin Bell was the perfect person to play this villain. I mean, you almost were cheering for him, even though you knew these people were suffering horrible tests. But then, as each series chapter was presented, 3rd, 4th, then 5th...I was starting to get a little more "Huh...?" The plot would get even more jumpy, and seem to find the slightest loopholes and exploit that to the Nth degree, just to get as much juice and gore as possible. Then I broke down and finally checked out Saw 6 on dvd, I figured, it was in the 99 cent pile. It wasn't as bad as the previous ones, I liked the moral play behind it, the life insurance person, having to go through this moral maze, of life or death at each corner, realizing that he was a VERY integral part of many of the atrocities, and that everyone in life is an integral part of a grand plan whether they intend to be or not. I mean, sure it was gory, and that is the main plan, but I liked the deeper meaning underlying in the sub-plot. However, now I do still want to see the Saw 3D, I was a HUGE fan of the Cary Elwes character and how it was just left hanging after he supposedly sawed off his foot, we never knew what happened to his family? So I'm looking forward to finishing up this chapter.
