Directed by: Kevin Greutert
Written by: Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan
Starring: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell
I watched all of the other Saw a few times movies years ago, but for some reason I never got around to this one.
*Warning: Spoilers Ahead*
This movie is a far cry from the first.
The conflict between Hoffman (Mandylor) and Jill (Russell) left unresolved at the end of the sixth movie continues. Most of their story involves Jill going to new character detective Gibson (Chad Donella), and then hiding in a safe house while the rest of the movie happens. Hoffman continues as Jigsaw, now known as such to the police. Most of the story, however, focuses on another new character Bobby (Sean Patrick Flanery), a supposed Jigsaw survivor who is now milking the experience with press talks and TV spots.
As it turns out, Bobby faked the experience in order to make a lot of money, and he and his cohorts who were complicit in this deception get set up in a complex game of their own.
Let's start with what it did well. This is definitely one of the most horrifying entries in the series, with plenty of truly cringe-inducing torture. The new traps are certainly inventive and complex; the most noteworthy of these involves a car that crushes one woman under tire, rips a man's arms and jaw out with chains, crushes another man as it drives through a garage door, and throws a fourth man out the front windshield after that man has tore himself away from a super-glued seat. The films may not be what they once were, but at least they never let up in this regard.
Unfortunately, there's nothing else good to say about the film.
The traps may be well-made, but the motivations have gone completely out the window. Jigsaw's killings aren't built on the self-righteous idea that people are learning to be grateful to be alive, and a lot of them aren't set up so that their victims can escape, they simply ensure the death of at least one person.
The character of Gibson is given development for no apparent reason; he's given a history with Hoffman that never does anything for the movie, because he's killed off within minutes of this revelation. The whole plot involving Bobby also feels completely manufactured, like they didn't have enough material with Jill and Hoffman to make a full movie so they invented characters that hazily fit in with the story. Speaking of which, they also re-introduce Cary Elwes' Dr. Gordon, unseen since the first movie. While I love seeing him on screen, the eventual reveal that he's actually the one to continue Jigsaw's legacy, not Hoffman, is not only obvious given his pronounced return which serves no purpose up until the reveal itself, it's also truly forced. It goes against the last three movies, and is essentially the same twist from the end of the second and fourth movies.
The Verdict: Saw 3D is easily the weakest entry in the series. The gore isn't enhanced by the 3D, and while the traps continue to be interesting in design, the motivations and set ups for these traps have become so ridiculous that it hardly balances out. The new characters are paper thin, and the old characters have been effectively drained of any interest. I love Cary Elwes, but even he can't save this one. Watch it if you're a fan of the torture horror subgenre, or you've seen the other six and need closure like I did, but otherwise this movie won't be for you.
Rating: 3/10
Published July 23rd, 2016
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