Saw is known for a few things after seven films. Blood and gore is one of them along with plot twists (as well as Charlie Clouser’s soundtrack) and they are present in this film to satisfy franchise and genre fans.
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One of the most successful horror franchise reboots itself after seven years to revive its central antagonist (played by Tobin Bell) for Halloween. Jigsaw is back with new victims for another set of games for them to confess and fight for their lives.
Saw is known for a few things after seven films. Blood and gore is one of them along with plot twists (as well as Charlie Clouser’s soundtrack) and they are present in this film to satisfy franchise and genre fans. What sets Michael and Peter Spierig’s Jigsaw apart from the first Saw by James Wan and Leigh Whannell is the lack of the lingering chill factor and an effective screenplay.
Screenwriters Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg who came from Piranhas 3D and Sorority Row resulted in the need for creative game design. The lack thereof only means that the emphasis would be on blood and gore, which is not unique to the franchise.
Speaking of blood and gore, there is plenty to go about albeit blood and flesh sacrificed in vain. The victims are mostly petty criminals whose actions resulted in the tragic fate of others. “It’s not my fault! I’m innocent!”, Jigsaw is only interested in serving justice and instilling the value of human lives. One of which was worth slightly over three dollars – lesser than the price of cinema ticket one pays to watch this film.
In the meantime, Jigsaw’s games get sidelined to increase the pace for onscreen characters to point fingers at one another. They include forensic pathologist Logan Nelson (Matt Passmore) and Eleanor Bonneville (Hannah Emily Anderson) as well as police detective Halloran (Callum Keith Rennie). It doesn’t really matter because the narrative intertwining these characters is negligible.
With nowhere to look towards, one ends up waiting for the iconic plot twist that the series is known for. While it is served for a quick high, the effect also rapidly dies off to reveal a cheap thrill fooling the audience to pass off as something brilliantly surprising.
After eight films with a palpable possibility of seeing a ninth, Jigsaw could use good talent to help strengthen its reboot ambition (for instance - build a new “Jigsaw Universe” to bolster its appeal). Here is an advice to Jigsaw: Live or die, make your choice.
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