I can remember a time when Saw was but a small, gore-horror b-movie with one terrifying premise: how much pain would you endure in order to save your life from and even more grizzly demise? Director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell’s cinematic debut with Saw was an instant hit attributed to its unique take on the slasher genre and extreme Mortal Kombat-esque gore. It was a genuinely terrifying film, back in 2004 when I was 11, so much so that I refused to even watch the bloody thing until Saw V (2008) was in theaters. I’ll always remember it for being my first “R” rated movie I snuck into after buying a ticket for High School Musical 3: Senior Year. My 15 year old associate and I couldn’t have been any less scared. Instead we found ourselves punch drunk with gross-out body-horror effects and death that were gruesome yet comical. Naturally, once V was over we decided we had too watch them all, in order, that night; thank god for Blockbuster. For those unfamiliar, the Saw film franchise’s essentially a series of cinematic horror/thrill-rides with extreme ultraviolence set to the tone of a heavy metal concert. They’re fast-paced, brutal, and so over-the-top that you can’t help but laugh your ass off at its absurdity. And here we are in 2017, and a new addition has been made to Saw’s torture-porn repertoire with, Jigsaw.
Now even the most dire fans of Saw understand that the “plot” of any sequel (except for Saw II) is more or less just an excuse to show off new traps and gore effects. Jigsaw’s no exception. Jigsaw takes place ten years after the original Jigsaw killer’s death in Saw III but, (uh-oh) another Jigsaw copycat’s killing moray-gray characters using Jigsaw-inspired gadgets and ploys. The plot’s divided into two narratives: one focusing on the “game,” built for yet another motley crew of morally-gray sheep for the slaughter. And the other half involves a group of possible suspects trying to catch the game-master among them down. I wonder who it could be? The young cop, the jaded detective, the pathologist, the pathologist’s assistant with an obsession for Jigsaw memorabilia, or John Crammer the Jigsaw killer back from the dead? Here’s a hint; it’s not the cop. Basically this is just another Saw movie that ultimately boils down to a whodunnit-4-dummies with murder-machine interludes, but this time the game takes place in a barn!
With that being said, Jigsaw’s pretty fun as a cheesy trap-room horror show. Like every other film Saw begot, Tobin Bell returns as John Kramer and is undoubtably the best part of the movie. His screen time’s minimal but Bell’s cold demure once again produces a standout performance of a psychopath who believes, without a shadow of a doubt, in his own twisted philosophy on the agony of breaking physical/personal limitations as a means for spiritual growth (especially if it involves removing something anatomical). It was also a nice addition to make the victims characters at least somewhat intelligent by making them them work together from the get go. Don’t get me wrong, no ones in this film’s exactly the “sharpest knife in the crayon box,” but at least nobody makes overtly dumb decisions for the sake of plot connivence. There are, unfortunately, issues in Jigsaw one must endure to get to the actual gore. For one, and this may come as a surprise to you but the gore is surprisingly light-and by my standards which Saw helped create! With the exception of one or two stellar traps this may be the tamest film in the franchise since Saw II. I’m not sure if this was an intentional choice by the filmmakers as a means to ease new audiences into the fandom but as someone who owns every Saw movie on disc, I was expecting a little more. I also wasn’t sold on the barn as a “game” board; every other Saw films has there “game” in grimy industrial hellhole that creates the horrifying atmosphere of waking up in a hostile, unfamiliar place where you’re forced to fight for your life. I respect the attempt to try something “new” but a barn with studio lightening isn’t all that intimidating. I also found the screenplay to be especially weak with how much the writers clearly borrowed from earlier films. The new characters felt like clones of dead characters from the old movies and there are more than a couple rehashes of all-to-familiar Saw tropes and clichés, which I will list here:
Petty criminals, cops, detectives, someone coerced to begin a “game,” medical workers, voice recordings of John Cramer made before he died, Billy the Puppet, the reverse bear-trap mask, a room full of random Jigsaw machines, swat guys, syringes, acid-IN-syringes, metal head-coverings, loosing a limb, a trick-gun, a John Cramer flashback, apprentices, security cameras, someone wearing a pig-mask and cloak, knocking out a character with a needle, a double-cross, retconning, a character forced to put themselves in their own trap, a “twist” at the end, and gore.
As a whole Jigsaw doesn’t add anything too new or original but is a fun addition to the Saw movie family. The traps are fun, the effects are entertaining, and there’s enough nostalgic easter eggs floating around for fans to catch. I do wish the final product would’ve taken more creative chances but that doesn't seem to be Jigsaw’s goal. I get the feeling Jigsaw was made to be the Force Awakens for the series. It’s a sequel that feels like a soft reboot to reintroduce new audiences to a hibernated film property but in the end Jigsaw makes for an enjoyable Saw reunion-special that’ll satisfy your fictitious bloodlust which is sometimes all that you want for a theatric experience on Halloween.
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