The Marvels

THE MARVELS
2023 | Dir. Nia DaCosta | 105 Minutes

"You can stand tall without standing alone."


A crisis erupts in space brought on by a vengeful Kree leader with a grudge against Carol Danvers, inadvertently cosmically entangling Carol with her estranged family friend Monica Rambeau and the heroic Captain Marvel fangirl Kamala Khan. The trio of light-based-superpower-wielding women must join forces to protect the very fabric of the universe.

More than any Marvel Studios film before it, The Marvels is bafflingly inaccessible for casual viewers while the picture as a whole only serves to tease potentially exciting overarching plot developments to come for devotees of the cinematic multiverse. As a sequel to Captain Marvel, it's surprisingly disappointing, offering frustratingly thin character development for Carol Danvers who has made seemingly very little progress to recover her lost memories since her last appearance. The plot only scratches the surface of the inherent drama behind a superpowered being capable of making horrifyingly terrible mistakes -- such as destroying an evil planet-controlling AI by committing what may be considered an intergalactic war crime in the process! Though it's understandable that the overall tone of the picture is meant to be light and fun, this plot revelation is dark and intriguing, and the film more or less handwaves it away by the time it wraps up its narrative. Conversely, The Marvels does an excellent job of furthering the ongoing story arcs of Monica Rambeau and (especially) Kamala Khan, rewarding devotees who adored the WandaVision and Ms. Marvel miniseries on which they respectively had starring roles, with Monica finally resolving her issues with Carol and Kamala learning her idol isn't totally perfect while accepting her as a friend. However, such storytelling decisions mean little to anyone who wasn't onboard for those shows, and are decidedly not an ideal fit for the structure of a complete film.

The Marvels is at times a puzzlingly flawed ride for a project with a blockbuster Marvel Studios level budget. From the shoddy editing (Kamala switches from being in street clothes to her superhero costume and inexplicably back again between spatial swaps at the start of the film) to the hit-or-miss broad humor (the middle act features a planet where the primary language is song) to the under-baked ideas (the climatic battle is intercut with a satellite evacuation by Flerken ingestion), too much of the picture just doesn't quite gel from scene to scene. However, the action set pieces are undeniably a lot of fun courtesy of the randomized swapping of the heroic trio, notably the multi-location fight scene in the first act and the three-against-one climatic battle.

Returning as Carol Danvers, Brie Larson does her best to bring emotional weight to the all-powerful but less-than-perfect Captain Marvel, her greatest challenge is evidently wrestling with a script that requires her to be flip-flop radically between funny and dramatic while offering little in the way of tangible character motivation. Completing her character arc that began in earnest on WandaVision, Teyonah Parris gives a convincingly heartfelt performance as Monica Rambeau, genuinely touching in her portrayal of a woman overcoming her resentment towards an estranged family member. The indisputable MVP of The Marvels is Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan, bringing an overabundance of infectious enthusiasm to the screen, Vellani with her natural charisma is more often than not the saving grace for scenes that don't quite work. Zawe Ashton fills the thankless role of sky beam generator antagonist Dar-Benn, a villain who is interesting and nuanced in theory but barely registers as an actual character in the grand scheme of things. Samuel L. Jackson once again returns as Nick Fury though ill-fittingly in a much more over-the-top comedic capacity than ever before. The cast also features Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, and Saagar Shaikh reprising their Ms. Marvel roles as Kamala's family in a few scene-stealing moments, and Park Seo-joon in a small part as Carol's secret singing alien prince husband.

Objectively, The Marvels is a disjointed, haphazardly structured film that is a textbook example of all of the shortcomings of the Marvel Studios machine. The picture is simply a woefully incomplete experience on its own. However, diehard fans of the mega-franchise should find the fantastic action and the sillier-than-usual hijinks amusing enough, particularly those invested in the characters established on the various ancillary miniseries -- which likely limits the intended appeal of the feature to a rather exclusive audience.


MID-CREDITS STINGER
Monica Rambeau awakens in another world, meeting a young variant of her mother and a furry blue scientist (Kelsey Grammer). The beastly genius examines Monica and deducts that she is from a parallel universe.


FRAGMENTS
- The Marvel Studios logo that opens the film primarily features footage from Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan's past MCU appearances

- While it's neat that Laura Karpman's score features references to Kamala Khan's theme from Ms. Marvel, Pinar Toprak's theme for Carol Danvers from Captain Marvel which was also referenced in Avengers: Endgame is sorely missed

- I usually don't have any issues with MCU tonal shifts, but seeing such a dour Nick Fury on Secret Invasion (which takes place directly before this film) switch to super silly Nick Fury gives me major tonal whiplash

- Kamala's brother Aamir got married during the events of Ms. Marvel but his wife oddly does not appear in this film, and while he is presumably on the phone with her when the Khans relocate to the SABER satellite halfway through the movie, she is neither seen nor heard even during the epilogue when the Khans move into the Rambeaus' former home in New Orleans

- The cameo appearances by Valkyrie and Kate Bishop are absolutely delightful


007 CONNECTIONS
- Lashana Lynch (Nomi in No Time To Die)
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Saw X

SAW X
2023 | Dir. Kevin Greutert | 118 Minutes

"This is not retribution. It's a reawakening."


As his cancer spreads rapidly, Jigsaw travels to Mexico for supposedly highly effective experimental medical treatment. However, he discovers too late that the alleged miracle cure is an elaborate con designed to defraud the terminally ill. With assistance from Amanda, Jigsaw places the fraudsters who deceived him in his latest game.

The first true Saw sequel in over a decade, Jigsaw and Spiral writers Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg return to pen a surprisingly moving previously untold chapter in the story of Jigsaw Killer John Kramer that slots neatly between the events of the original Saw and Saw II. For the first time in the long-running franchise, John Kramer is the main character, and this reasonably self-contained story shows a softer, more sympathetic side of the civil-engineer-turned-death-trap-mastermind. Before the bloody game is underway, the narrative spends the entirety of its first act with a bitter cancer patient who finds precious hope, a Jigsaw who is open to friendship, who fixes bicycles for children, who is ready to discard his cruel work for good, and it all comes together rather nicely to convince the viewer to care about the infamous boogeyman. It's a welcome sight to really see the humanity of John Kramer when he genuinely smiles for purely wholesome reasons. While his methods for teaching bad people warped self-mutilating lessons are beyond extreme, one can't help but understand his justifiable rage when that newfound hope is stripped away. Of course, once the games begin, challenges that happen to feature some of the nastiest traps of the series, the picture becomes an honest-to-goodness Saw movie, and one of the best ones at that. Making this sequel even better, the return of hot-tempered Amanda in the second act allows the story to further explore the deep bond she shares with Jigsaw. Amanda's judgmental attitude and barely-concealed fragility provides ample drama, giving her character more dimension than ever before. As a necessity for audience buy-in, this John Kramer centric sequel appropriately provides a primary antagonist who is far more despicable than Jigsaw - the sociopathic woman orchestrating the scam operation - and the climatic twist gives both her and her scumbag partner their toxic comeuppance in truly one of the most crowd-pleasing Saw endings.

Returning as both director and editor, Saw series veteran Kevin Greutert does his best work for the franchise yet, setting a deliberate pace that gives dramatic scenes plenty of room to breathe and resonate with the audience. For the trap sequences, Greutert aptly turns up the intensity considerably to give them the patented Saw look and feel. The trap set pieces delivered by production designer Anthony Stabley are delightfully disturbingly imaginative, perfectly emulating the grimy aesthetic of early series entries using mostly practical gore effects. Highlights include the finger-breaking eyeball vacuum game, the razor wire amputation bone marrow trial, and the harrowing brain matter challenge that plays like a crazy gamified take on the emergency open skull surgery from Saw III. Series composer Charlie Clouser's latest remix of the Saw theme music, incorporating excellent new elements written for this film, perfectly complements the climatic montage.

Reprising the part of Jigsaw, this time in the lead role, Tobin Bell is magnificent. Playing the part with believable heartfelt vulnerability and terrifyingly cold conviction, Bell more than capably carries the film, firmly establishing the fact that he is the Saw series' most valuable asset. Shawnee Smith is a lot of fun in her return as Amanda, incredibly entertaining interacting with the latest players of Jigsaw's game and heartbreaking in her moments of tender conversation with the ailing Jigsaw. As the chilly Cecilia Pederson, Synnøve Macody Lund exudes the perfect level of calm and collected to embody the evil con artist with a talent for speaking with a persuasive air of authority. As Pederson's accomplice boyfriend Parker Sears, Steven Brand makes for a convincing deceptive scoundrel. Renata Vaca is a incredible as the desperate drug addict Gabriela with a performance that demands sympathy. The cast also features Paulette Hernandez as the imposter medical technician Valentina, Octavio Hinojosa as the drug-dealing veterinarian Mateo pretending to be an anesthesiologist, Joshua Okamoto as the cab driver Diego impersonating a surgeon, Michael Beach as the phony cancer survivor Henry Kessler, Jorge Briseño as the innocent child forced by the villains to participate in Jigsaw's game, and Isan Beomhyun Lee as the custodian Jigsaw imagines placing in the elaborate eyeball trap.

Saw X is an exceptional series revival that successfully functions as both a superb additional chapter and a satisfying stand-alone picture. The film not only delivers some of the most brutal traps of the notorious torture-centric horror franchise, it also tells a much more emotionally resonant story than any previous installment of the series. Longtime Saw enthusiasts are rewarded with a narrative fully focused on the saga's diabolical mastermind featuring his fan-favorite associate playing a prominent role, while potential new viewers are treated to a proper showcase of the Saw series' most appealing aspects: intricately-designed gratuitously violent set pieces operating under a twisted ostensibly moral philosophy and seriously exhilarating twist endings.


MID-CREDITS STINGER
In a certain squalid bathroom, phony cancer survivor Henry Kessler, who initially lured Jigsaw into the scam, awakens in chains with a frightening device strapped to his chest. Jigsaw and accomplice Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) prepare him for a game.


BEST TRAP
The razor wire amputation bone marrow trap is merciless and simply gut-wrenching to watch, Valentina working through her reluctance and pain to pick up the pace severing her leg, and the visceral marrow bits pumping out of the stump just take it over the top. She was so close to winning, too.


FRAGMENTS
- I have to admit I was confused as to whether "X" in the title is intended to be the Roman numeral for "10" or the letter "X" -- as it turns out it is the letter "X" based on the multimedia marketing campaign for the film

- Lionsgate did not host a blood drive to promote Spiral due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the distributor revived the Saw series tradition by hosting a blood drive to promote Saw X
 
- Originally scheduled to be released on October 27, 2023, Lionsgate once again broke with the Saw series' October release tradition, as they did with Spiral, by moving the release to September 29, 2023

- It's incredibly strange to see the trailer for Saw co-creator James Wan's Aquaman sequel play before the tenth installment of the franchise he started that began with the film that launched his career


- Pederson seemingly turning the tables on Jigsaw by placing him in a trap cleverly subverts expectations, but naturally it plays out in a way that Jigsaw anticipated despite little Carlos's unexpected participation -- hopefully that giant bag of cash makes up for what is sure to be lasting psychological trauma for years to come

- I never thought I'd be so happy to see Hoffman again considering the terrible way the character exits the series, but the nostalgia is overwhelming




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Spiral: From the Book of Saw

SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW
2021 | Dir. Darren Lynn Bousman | 93 Minutes

"John Kramer was right, the spiral. A symbol of change, evolution, progress. But why limit that to an individual when you can apply it to a whole system?"


Police officers are picked off one by one by a killer taking inspiration from Jigsaw. Unable to trust his corrupt colleagues, hot-headed Detective Zeke Banks struggles to uncover the identity of the mysterious sadistic mastermind. 

Willed into existence by comedy legend Chris Rock, who successfully courted frequent Saw series director Darren Lynn Bousman to return to the franchise and collaborated with Jigsaw screenwriters Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger on the script, Spiral: From the Book of Saw is the acclaimed impish funnyman's curious reconfiguration of the key elements of the Saw series into a grim procedural detective story. As novel as it is to see a one of the most successful former SNL cast members play it straight as the only good cop on the corrupt police force hunting for a Jigsaw copycat, while inserting his brand of observational humor into his dialogue, Spiral is a bit of a mixed bag. The police investigation driving the plot is stock and, most disappointing for long-time fans, the trap set pieces leave a lot to be desired for the most part. The revelation that the righteous hero's rookie partner is the secret perpetrator harboring a personal vendetta against the police department isn't a bad twist at the very least, though his methods inspired by Jigsaw could use a lot more fine-tuning on a creative level.

For a picture taking place in the same world as the horror movie series known for its death traps, the lethal games at play in Spiral generally lack the "wow" factor inherent in the best Jigsaw tests of yore, they are fewer in number, and they are either simplistic and rather dull conceptually - such as the opening tongue-ripping subway trap - or ridiculously over-designed - such as the finger-tearing electrocuting water tank trap. The final set piece puppeteering the crooked retired police chief on cables into a pose that invites a hail of SWAT team bullets works better in concept for some in-your-face social commentary than in execution. Thankfully, the finale is greatly elevated by composer Charlie Clouser's stripped down version of the Saw theme carried over from the mainline series.

Chris Rock truly puts 110% into his performance as the protagonist Zeke, delivering naturally entertaining banter one minute and leaping into dramatic action hero mode the next without skipping a beat. Max Minghella makes for a convincing secret antagonist, his screen presence is deceptively charming enough that when the twist occurs it's genuinely surprising, and he delivers the mad villain monologue very well. The incomparable Samuel L. Jackson is believably intimidating as an unrepentant thug with a badge though it's difficult to care much about his one-dimensional abrasive character. The cast also features Marisol Nichols as the police captain Garza who meets a face-melting end, Richard Zeppieri as the shady-looking detective who loses fingers but still dies by electrocution, Edie Inksetter as his equally shady-looking partner on the force, K.C. Collins as a "crooked piece of shit" cop according to Chris Rock's Zeke, Patrick McManus as a murderous ex-cop who gets a back full of broken glass, and Daniel Petronijevic as the first casualty of the picture during the cold open.

Spiral is a glossy flawed Saw spin-off. Far from subtle in its criticism of the criminal justice system, particularly rampant police corruption, this crime thriller reworking of the retribution-by-death-trap premise wears its social commentary on its sleeve. Unfortunately, the deadly devices featured in this film are some of the least inventive for a Saw movie, severely lacking in what is undeniably the most appealing aspect of the franchise, and the cop-centric drama is generic at best. Despite the picture's famous funny leading man clearly demonstrating his genuine love for the material, this bloody passion project is admirably ambitious but ultimately comes out to be less than the sum of its intriguing parts.


BEST TRAP
The hot wax trap is the nastiest, most outlandish trap of the film, helping it stand out among a selection of less-than-memorable set pieces. Garza suffocating on burning wax is one of the brutal Saw deaths, and even if she had won this game, it's hard to imagine her having much of a life with a severed spinal cord.


FRAGMENTS
- Jigsaw scribes Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger had begun work on a John Kramer-centric prequel before a chance meeting between distributor Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns and unabashed Saw fan Chris Rock prompted them to change course and fast-track this spin-off

- While Spiral is objectively a rather generic title on its own, the From the Book of Saw subtitle is clunky and dumb as hell -- while it's understandable for there to be some brand recognition for marketing purposes, it's baffling they didn't come up with something better 

- Originally scheduled to be released on October 23, 2020, Lionsgate broke with the Saw series' October release tradition by moving the release to May 15, 2020, only to move it again to May 21, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before finally settling on its May 14, 2021 release date

- Much of Zeke's humorous dialogue is reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino's penchant for writing pop-culture-savvy characters with a tendency to ramble, his cynical assessment of Forrest Gump shared during his character's introduction is particularly Tarantinoesque

- Zeke stating so definitively that "John Kramer didn’t target cops" is a bit of an eyebrow-raiser considering the numerous cops he placed in his games throughout the Saw series

- The vault door in the police station basement is clear reference to Pulp Fiction as it prominently displays the name of its manufacturer: "Jules and Vincent"

- Listening to the 21 Savage track produced for the film playing over the closing credits, it's incredibly novel to hear Charlie Clouser's Saw theme sampled so heavily in a song


SUPPLEMENTAL STUFF




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Jigsaw

JIGSAW
2017 | Dir. The Spierig Brothers | 92 Mintues

"I speak for the dead."


A decade following the death of Jigsaw, mangled corpses with cryptic clues are found across the city as a new game targeting an assortment of wrong-doers begins. A crooked detective directs his suspicions toward a pair of pathologists: one a mild-mannered Iraq War vet, the other a secret admirer of Jigsaw's work.

Directed by cult genre filmmakers The Spierig Brothers with a screenplay by Piranha 3D writers Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger, Jigsaw marks a fresh start for the Saw franchise seven years after the release of the awful Saw 3D. Looking a lot more polished, and with a bit more thought invested into its narrative and pacing, this new installment feels more like a complete cinematic experience compared to some of the series' lesser sequels, and it thematically adheres closer to the warped philosophy of the titular long-dead diabolical mastermind: rehabilitation of the wicked and delivery of brutal justice by forcing offenders to choose between various levels of self-sacrifice, some far more severe than others, or a spectacular over-the-top death. Jigsaw's plot beats will undoubtedly play out with familiarity to devotees of the infamous series, though they do not betray nor rely too heavily on established continuity. Regardless, fans watch these righteous gorefests for the traps and the plot twist, and this one delivers some pretty good ones on both fronts, despite the climatic revelations playing like a greatest hits compilation of previous Saw endings performed by a band with more resources.

From the film's opening foot chase leading to a rooftop where a criminal's hand explodes from gunfire, Jigsaw immediately establishes itself as a more conventional-looking horror movie than past installments, foregoing the exaggerated stylish lighting and excessively grimy set design, but without skimping on gore effects. While the picture undeniably loses some the series' uniquely putrid visual identity, the new gruesome death traps belong in the Saw canon without a doubt. Starting with the picture's instantly-memorable bucket head challenge and ending with its head-dividing laser collar trap, the set pieces are rather inspired and visually striking all around. Veteran series editor Kevin Greutert returns to the franchise with a steadier, more deliberate approach, and his satisfying climatic montage is accompanied by a superb reprisal of composer Charlie Clouser's rocking theme for the series.

It's a low bar to clear but, across the board, Jigsaw features much better performances from its cast than past Saw movies. Playing perhaps the most sympathetic main character ever featured in a Saw film, Matt Passmore is genuinely likeable as Logan, and he sells the twist of the pathologist's secret connection to Jigsaw with the right amount of gravitas. Callum Keith Rennie is believably despicable as Detective Halloran but charismatic enough to make his character fun to hate. The picture also stars features Laura Vandervoort, Paul Braunstein, Mandela Van Peebles, and Brittany Allen as the doomed players of this installment's central game; Hannah Emily Anderson as the attractive Jigsaw fan pathologist Eleanor Bonneville; Clé Bennett as perhaps the only good living cop in the series Detective Hunt; and Josiah Black as the pathetic-criminal-turned-Jigsaw-pawn Edgar Munsen. In what boils down to an extended cameo, Tobin Bell is always engaging as the iconic engineer of death, and he is reliably superb in his handful of scenes.

Jigsaw is a worthy long-gap follow-up to the highly-serialized Saw horror series, more consistent in relative quality to the first three films. The production value on display is impressive, the traps are creatively cruel, the quality of the acting is pleasantly above par for the franchise, and the trademark twist ending does as much as it can to justify the existence of this soft reboot. However, despite its efforts to appeal to a fresh audience, it is still difficult to recommend the picture to newcomers. For fans of the initial run of Saw movies though, this one is certainly worth a look.


BEST TRAP
- The Spiralizer is one of the wildest-looking trap designs of the series, and its payoff does not disappoint. It was absolutely winnable had Mitch just pulled the break instead of celebrating pre-maturely when Anna jammed the wheel to grant him those few precious seconds.


FRAGMENTS
- Reviving series tradition, Lionsgate hosted a blood drive to promote Jigsaw -- of note, the campaign featured several models from the LGBTQ community, in protest of the American Red Cross's refusal to accept blood from sexually active gay men adhering to FDA regulations

- It's a bit odd for a Saw movie to not open with the rusty red gears version of the Lionsgate studio logo that's been in use since Saw II, but the updated Twisted Pictures studio logo with a touch of blood is a nice revision that doesn't totally reinvent it

- I know Callum Keith Rennie best from his role as Leoben Conoy on Ronald D. Moore's brilliant reboot of Battlestar Galactica

- Clé Bennett would go on to play John Walker's strike force partner Lemar Hoskins on the Marvel Studios miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

- Laura Vandervoort is perhaps best known for her roles as Supergirl Kara Zor-El on The CW's Smallville

- Mandela Van Peebles bears a striking resemblance to his father actor/director Mario Van Peebles

- Eleanor's collection of recreated Jigsaw traps includes the original reverse bear trap from Saw and Saw 3D, the revolver key hole trap from Saw II, the angel trap from Saw III, the water cube trap from Saw V, and this film's Spiralizer

- The actor who plays drunk idiot teenage Ryan in a late-film flashback, coincidentally named Ryan Manning, is the spitting image of Ryan actor Paul Braunstein, excellent casting


SUPPLEMENTAL STUFF

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Saw 3D

SAW 3D
2010 | Dir. Kevin Greutert | 90 Minutes

"To be able to sustain such a traumatic experience, and yet find the positive in that grisly act, it's a remarkable feat indeed. Remarkable, if not a little perverse."


Thirsting for vengeance after surviving her attempt to murder him, the rogue detective Hoffman hunts down Jigsaw's ex-wife Jill by any means necessary. Meanwhile, a man profiting from falsely claiming to be a Jigsaw survivor wakes up in a genuine Jigsaw trial.

Saw 3D is a mess. Also known as Saw: The Final Chapter, designed to be the series finale with a screenplay plagued with problems by returning writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, the seventh Saw film is full of underdeveloped ideas and head-scratching leaps in logic. Directed by veteran series editor and Saw VI director Kevin Greutert, though none of his ingenuity translates onto the screen, the film starts off well enough by flashing back all the way to the ending of the original Saw to reveal that Dr. Gordon survived, confirming years of fan speculation. However, the picture quickly shows its hand as a lesser sequel when it immediately cuts to a Jigsaw trap targeting a bickering love triangle, bizarrely in public and in broad daylight, operating under a grossly misogynistic premise. This push to prioritize splatter lacking in Jigsaw's signature brand of warped justice is apparent throughout the feature, as Hoffman goes full-slasher and shockingly succeeds in unceremoniously murdering Jill after taking out what seems like the grungy city's entire police department, and phony motivational speaker one-off protagonist Bobby is forced to watch his innocent wife, who was entirely unaware of his deceptive backstory, horrifically roast alive. The pacing is all over the place in the worst way, as the movie shoehorns Jigsaw traps into the narrative without much thought for how they serve the story, such as Jill's gratuitous nightmare sequence and the awesome but out-of-place white-supremacist-destroying body shop set piece. The revelation of Dr. Gordon as a secret Jigsaw apprentice, with at least two other additional acolytes, fulfills fan expectations in an amusing if somewhat obligatory way. However, with minimal build up, the twist comes too little too late, and it doesn't take the edge off some of the more senseless deaths during the picture's final act, killings that fly in the face of the franchise's twisted core tenet of rehabilitation through suffering.

For all of Saw 3D's narrative flaws, the 3D gimmick is rather fun and the overabundance of death traps featured in the film make the most of it. Though perhaps as a side effect of shooting the entire film in RealD 3D, all of the blood in the picture takes on a super distracting pinkish hue. Production designer Tony Ianni pulls out all stops, bringing eleven traps to the screen, a series high, with the Speak No Evil test and the automotive chain reaction trap standing out as real highlights. Composer Charlie Clouser's main theme for the series is as good as ever, and for this entry it really does most of the dramatic heavy lifting during the climax.

Series star Tobin Bell returns all too briefly as Jigsaw, featured in only a handful of audio and video recordings, and appearing in just one absurdly short scene shared with the imposter Jigsaw survivor Bobby. Adhering to the way the role was written, Costas Mandylor gives a bland performance as Hoffman passionlessly stalks and murders his way through this sequel, his character unfortunately devolving into a nigh unstoppable killing machine like so many generic horror movie slashers. On the other side of the bad acting spectrum, Chad Donella is laughably terrible as the internal affairs officer Gibson, making an already poorly-written character worse with exaggerated line delivery and a generally unpleasant screen presence devoid of charisma. Not only is she a victim of multiple Saw traps in this installment, Betsy Russell's Jill is also a victim of having to fill a thankless role with almost zero agency, spending most of the picture as a damsel in distress until her gruesome end. As Bobby, Sean Patrick Flanery isn't bad but ultimately less than memorable, his performance overshadowed by the surrounding insanity and absurdity. Though his return is brief, Cary Elwes is clearly having a hammy slow-clapping good time as Dr. Gordon. The cast also includes Naomi Snieckus, Rebecca Marshall, Dean Armstrong, and Gina Holden as Bobby's entourage; Sebastian Pigott, Jon Cor, and Anne Lee Greene forming the love triangle in the opening hardware store display trap; and Chester Bennington of seminal nu metal rock band Linkin Park, Gabby West, Dru Viergever, and Benjamin Clost as the racist fodder for the gnarly garage scene; and Oluniké Adeliyi as a featured Jigsaw trap survivor.

The alleged final chapter is the very worst Saw sequel yet, a disappointingly poor conclusion that does a great disservice to the admittedly silly but remarkably intricate overarching story of the series. Saw 3D eschews narrative logic for cheap thrills, many of which are unjustifiably mean-spirited, evidently in a rush to cobble together a grand finale. The cheesy fun novelty of 3D doesn't overcome the shabby acting and bad storytelling that's of such low quality as to be truly shameful even by the Saw franchise's already disreputable standards.


BEST TRAP
The Speak No Evil trap is a rather clever appropriately themed punishment for a greedy publicist. It's easily the most nerve-wracking set piece featured in Bobby's trial, and arguably the most imaginative trap featured in this trash fire of a Saw movie.


FRAGMENTS
- The Saw series was originally planned to end with two sequels following Saw VI, but the relatively low box office total for Saw VI forced the production to cram story ideas from the intended eighth installment into this film, and it really shows considering the frantic pacing and rushed feel of this movie

- Series production designer and Saw V director David Hackl was originally slated to direct but dropped out late in pre-production prompting Kevin Greutert to reluctantly return to the director's chair, struggling to integrate his own ideas into the story with sets for traps already built

- Oddly, breaking with series tradition, Saw 3D was the first Saw film without a promotion Red Cross blood drive held by distributor Lionsgate

- Playing the lead role in what is widely considered the worst Saw movie, Young Indiana Jones and Boondock Saints star Sean Patrick Flanery really fell far

- In addition to Dr. Gordon and the survivors of the opening love triangle trap, the support group for Jigsaw survivors also features cameo appearances by catacombs survivor Mallick from Saw V; and from Saw VI, gallows survivor Addy, shotgun carousel survivor Emily, acid trap observer Tara, and flesh scale survivor Simone who is still justifiably angrily protesting the logical fallacy of Jigsaw's philosophy

- Just as Tanedra Howard won her spot in Saw VI, Gabby West was awarded her face-destroying role in this film for winning the second and final season of VH1 acting competition reality show Scream Queens

- Curiously, the film never depicts or elaborates on the trap for the Jigsaw survivor whose testimonial inspired Bobby to fabricate his story

- Though I've always hated that Hoffman murders Jill, seeing the classic reverse bear trap do what it was built for is undeniably gratifying on a visceral level

- I laugh during every single rewatch of this stupid movie when Cary Elwes says "I don't think so" and tosses the hacksaw right into the camera


SUPPLEMENTAL STUFF

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Saw VI

SAW VI
2009 | Dir. Kevin Greutert | 90 Minutes

"You think it's the living who will have ultimate judgement over you, because the dead will have no claim over your soul, but you may be mistaken."


Detective Hoffman struggles to cover up his crimes as he sets up one more deadly game with assistance from Jigsaw's ex-wife Jill. Driven by profit and lacking in empathy, a health insurance executive and his staff are the latest Jigsaw test subjects.

Directed by series editor Kevin Greutert, Saw VI is a stand-out sequel that breathes new life into the series after the lackluster Saw V. From its opening self-mutilation contest targeting predatory money lenders, Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan's screenplay takes on a much more topical approach in this installment with incredibly satisfying results. Flashbacks depicting the cancer-stricken Jigsaw pleading for medical coverage with the head of a health insurance company, this installment's ill-fated one-off protagonist, serve to illustrate a tragically relatable situation, particularly for a Saw movie. While the exec deserves at least some sympathy as he stumbles through a series of Jigsaw games forcing him to choose between life and death for various members of his staff, a setup similar in structure to Jeff and Rigg's trials from Saw III and Saw IV, it's undeniably pleasing when he meets his gratuitously disgusting end because of his heartless obsession with the bottom line. Even the continuation of the series' overarching plot is more fulfilling in this picture, featuring the welcome return of Amanda and culminating with Hoffman rather haphazardly murdering the FBI agents who begin to see through his deception. Jill placing the sociopathic detective in an upgraded version of the iconic reverse bear trap according to Jigsaw's video will makes for an absurd but amusing bloody conclusion.

Editor Andrew Coutts matches Greutert's previous work on the series very well, doing particularly fine work on the intense oxygen crusher sequence and the customary closing montage. For Saw VI, production designer Tony Ianni steps up his game delivering some of the best traps yet including the disturbingly simple pound of flesh trap for the opening set piece, the totally bonkers shotgun carousel and, perhaps the most sickening Saw trap ever, the gut-melting acid trap in the final room of William's trial. Series composer Charlie Clouser provides a fantastic significantly expanded take on the climatic Saw twist theme featuring elaborate new additions.

However flimsy the justification at this point, any excuse to bring Tobin Bell back to the Saw series is welcome, as his Jigsaw is always compelling, even when he is preaching about the broken American health insurance industry. Costas Mandylor scowls his way through another installment as Hoffman, though his prickly interactions with Betsy Russell's Jill and Shawnee Smith's Amanda give his character some much needed flavor. Unessential for the plot though an absolute treat for fans, Shawnee Smith's return as Amanda in Hoffman and Jill's flashbacks show just how detrimental her absence from Saw IV and Saw V was to those sequels. As the health insurance boss William, Peter Outerbridge is one of the better Saw protagonists, giving a more subtle performance than most. To tie up loose plot threads, or to get murdered by Hoffman in other words, Mark Rolston and Athena Karkanis return as FBI agents Erickson and Perez. The cast also features Samantha Lemole as investigative journalist Pamela Jenkins; Gerry Mendicino, Janelle Hutchison, Shawn Ahmed, Caroline Cave, Larissa Gomes, Karen Cliche, James Gilbert, Melanie Scrofano, Darius McCrary, and Shawn Mathieson as William's doomed staff; George Newbern as an unfortunate client of William's who was denied health insurance coverage on unreasonable grounds; and Shauna MacDonald and Devon Bostick as the mother and son who decide William's ultimate fate. Billy Otis also briefly reprises the role of the slimy drug addict Cecil for more fun overacting.

Overtly taking the heartless American health insurance industry to task, Saw VI is a refreshingly topical application of the franchise's twisted philosophy to a specific real world issue. A showcase of some of the best traps of the series with a satisfyingly gruesome ending that ties up major plot threads, it's hands down the best Saw sequel since Saw III. 


BEST TRAP
The shotgun carousel is one of the most twisted and iconic traps of the series, standing out even in a sequel that features so many good traps. The melodrama of William's most cherished, most merciless staff members pleading for their lives and the look of anguish on William's face as he makes each life or death decision is simply delectable. A set piece like this one is an especially welcome surprise considering how this is an astounding six installments into the franchise's run.


FRAGMENTS
- Tanedra Howard who plays the desperate Simone to perfection in the opening trap scene won the role on the first season of the short-lived VH1 acting competition reality show Scream Queens -- also, kudos to Simone for calling out how Jigsaw's philosophy is total bullshit

- The chain-smoking janitor and the loner file clerk are among Jigsaw's least deserving victims

- As a child of the 90s, it's surreal to see Darius McCrary, the erstwhile Eddie Winslow from the long-running ABC sitcom Family Matters, appear in a Saw movie

- Melanie Scrofano who plays insurance inspector Gena would go on to star in the Western horror series Wynonna Earp in the titular lead role -- she also has a recurring role on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as Starfleet Captain Marie Batel

- The retconned revelation of Amanda's involvement in the incident that caused Jill's miscarriage, and Hoffman blackmailing Amanda with this information, feels very hat-on-top-of-a-hat, but for better or worse it adds extra dimension to her decision to shoot Lynn at the end of Saw III

- Hoffman's desperate solution to the reverse bear trap shows as about as much gritty determination as Detective Matthews's solution to the escape the bathroom in the opening scene of Saw III

- The unrated cut of Saw VI features a post credits stinger that takes place during Saw III in which Amanda tells Jeff's daughter not to trust the one who saves her


SUPPLEMENTAL STUFF

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Saw V

SAW V
2008 | Dir. David Hackl | 92 Minutes

"Tonight, you'll see the difference between killing and rehabilitation."


After narrowly surviving a Jigsaw trap, FBI Agent Strahm closes in on Detective Hoffman who is carrying on Jigsaw's work. In the latest Jigsaw game arranged by Hoffman, a group of strangers discover their secret criminal connection as they are subjected to a series of lethal traps.

Series production designer David Hackl makes his capable directorial debut with Saw V, but unfortunately for him it's the least compelling Saw yet due to Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan's script giving Hoffman a rather hackneyed origin. Following up on the twist ending of Saw IV in the most uninspired way, most of the feature is spent filling in story gaps explaining Hoffman's involvement with Jigsaw by shoehorning the corrupt detective into the overarching narrative going as far back as the first Saw. Hoffman's backstory is a sad one, but his role in Jigsaw's plans just isn't as intriguing as Amanda's due to its foundation on blackmail rather than a twisted sort of surrogate familial bond. Making this story thread even worse, the conceit of Strahm's present day investigation as a vehicle for Hoffman flashbacks gets tiresome fast. The picture clearly telegraphs Hoffman's plan to frame Strahm for his crimes, and Strahm's FBI supervisor Erickson just comes off as the biggest federally employed idiot for taking the bait. It's almost insulting that the movie presents this frame up as its big twist, truly the least satisfying ending for a Saw film yet. Even the climatic glass box trap is a bit too straight-forward for a Saw showstopper. The best thing about this installment is the multi-trap game similar to the one in Saw II but with a better, more organized structure, focusing on a seemingly unrelated party of five who discover they were selected by Jigsaw due to their involvement in an arson plot gone horribly wrong.

Saw IV art designer Tony Ianni takes over production design and does a fine job of maintaining aesthetic continuity with past entries. Nothing looks out of place for a Saw film, particularly the series of cleverly designed catacombs trap rooms. The water cube trap for Strahm is notably impressive on a technical level, and the pendulum trap that opens the picture is an all-time Saw classic. Charlie Clouser's remix of the main theme for this installment's climax is a back-to-basics take that makes the weak sauce ending slightly better.

Though his role is now limited to flashback scenes with Costas Mandylor's Hoffman, Tobin Bell’s imposing but engaging presence as Jigsaw makes the homicidal detective's involvement in Jigsaw's work seem a bit more credible. Mandylor is mostly fine as Hoffman, but outside of a handful of emotional flashbacks his character is too busy running around the city covering his murderous tracks for the audience to invest any real interest in him. Scott Patterson's Strahm returns and makes for a poor protagonist, offering nothing appealing to the audience, though Strahm's makeshift tracheotomy at least gives Patterson something to work with, allowing him to add some raspy voice flavor to the role. The cast also features Joris Jarsky as pendulum victim Seth; Julie Benz, Greg Bryk, Meagan Good, Carlo Rota, and Laura Gordon who are all much more memorable than much of the cast as the players of the catacombs trap games; and Mark Rolston as the rather dopey senior FBI Agent Dan Erickson. Betsy Russell's Jill appears rather briefly, her only purpose to set up the next sequel, one of her two short scenes shows her open a literal mystery box.

A well-structured central game isn't enough to elevate Saw V out of being a rather dull origin story for Hoffman, and his scheme to cover up his crimes comes off as pedestrian compared to the intricate machinations that made past Saw films so enjoyable. It's a lesser sequel designed to validate the existence of a replacement for the franchise's iconic boogeyman, and unfortunately this rogue cop just isn't nearly as interesting as the original Jigsaw. For a horror series built on its excellent twist endings, it doesn't help that this one ends with the weakest twist so far.


BEST TRAP
Though it's another unwinnable game, the pendulum trap inspired by Edgar Allan Poe that opens the film is as appropriately terrifying as it is captivating to watch. You can't say the asshole who murdered Hoffman's sister isn't one of the more deserving death trap victims in the series.


FRAGMENTS
- The police press conference announcing the close of the Jigsaw case while addressing the deaths of so many officers always comes off as totally bonkers to me -- besides Hoffman, is there anyone left in their police department's homicide unit do detective work unrelated to Jigsaw?

- On that note, just how many buildings did Jigsaw own as a civic engineer? What's going on in this city?

- Perhaps best known for playing Darla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, it's a bit odd to see Julie Benz do a Saw movie, though she is one of the best features of this not-so-great sequel

- Strahm revisiting the nerve gas house from Saw II, now cleaned up and looking quite nice, is quite a trip

- The Saw series is definitely a guilty pleasure for me and my siblings, we refer to the ending of this one as Hoffman turning Strahm into a "pa-Strahm-i" sandwich, our silly macabre reference to a classic scene from the original Capcom survival horror video game Resident Evil


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Saw IV

SAW IV
2007 | Dir. Darren Lynn Bousman | 93 Minutes

"You think it's over just because I'm dead? It's not over. The games have just begun."


FBI Agents Strahm and Perez take on the Jigsaw case, deducing that there is another accomplice in addition to Amanda. Their investigation leads them to Jigsaw's ex-wife Jill. Meanwhile, Officer Rigg must play Jigsaw's game in an attempt to save the lives of two missing detectives.

Written by Feast screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan with Darren Lynn Bousman returning again to the direct, Saw IV feels very much like a step down from the previous installment on a creative level. While Rigg's series of tests is structured like Jeff's from Saw III by design, in line with one of the late film twists, the traps just aren't as inspired as the ones from previous films with the sole exception of the totally bonkers head-smashing final set piece. On a story level, Rigg is the closest the Saw series has ever delivered to an uncompromised purely heroic protagonist, and his character flaw targeted by Jigsaw in no way fits the fatal punishment he receives at the end. Posthumously - and the opening moments of the picture make it abundantly clear that Jigsaw has indeed passed away with an extended graphic autopsy sequence - the film tacks on an additional layer of tragedy to Jigsaw's origin story revealing that his wife Jill had a miscarriage accidentally caused by a desperate drug addict at the methadone clinic she runs. It's a somewhat melodramatic development but the gravitas Tobin Bell brings to the flashbacks makes it work, convincingly illustrating civil engineer John Kramer's transformation into the Jigsaw Killer despite some ridiculous overacting from Jill's FBI interrogator and the sleaze ball junkie who set the tragedy in motion all but undercutting the drama. Though the sequel as a whole is somewhat lacking, it features an abundance of signature clever Saw twists, chiefly the revelation that, aside from the autopsy scene, the events of this movie take place concurrently with Saw III. The twist surrounding Rigg's game is similar to the secret waiting game of Saw II but with far bloodier, viscerally satisfying results. Hoffman revealed to be a secret Jigsaw accomplice doesn't have nearly as much of an impact as the Amanda reveal in Saw II, mainly because the audience is in the dark about his motivations, but it supplies the ending of this chapter with a bit of intrigue if nothing else.

Spinning so many plates managing the continuity of the series, the fact that editors Kevin Greutert and Brett Sullivan manage to keep it all coherent is nothing short of a magic trick, particularly during the final act that seamlessly intercuts footage from the climax of Saw III. One transition in particular featuring Rigg tossing the scalped pimp Brenda through a mirror straight into the following scene featuring the FBI agents at the police station deserves special mention, simply brilliant work from the editors and production designer David Hackl. The score by series composer Charlie Clouser features a superb new variation of the series theme music that serves as the origin theme for Jigsaw as well as an awesome extended remix of the theme that plays during the climax of the film.

Even after his character's death, Jigsaw remains the most engaging character of the film thanks to Tobin Bell's dedication to the role, and this installment gives him the opportunity to truly play a more tender side of the character, albeit incredibly briefly. Lyriq Bent takes the spotlight as Rigg after appearing as a bit player in the last two installments, and he really makes the most of it, filling the role of a courageous lawman very well. After making a cameo appearance in Saw III, Betsy Russell returns as Jill, gracefully playing the part with much more nuance than most Saw actors. Scott Patterson is a prime example of fun bad Saw acting, portraying the impatient Agent Strahm with as much subtlety as a wrecking ball. Athena Karkanis does a much better job at embodying a believable federal agent as Strahm's partner Perez. The supporting cast also features Billy Otis as the unhinged dope fiend Cecil, Costas Mandylor as the mysterious secret Jigsaw collaborator Detective Hoffman, Justin Louis as the slimy lawyer Art, and Donnie Wahlberg and Angus Macfadyen briefly reprising their roles as Detective Matthews and Jeff to inflate the body count and tie up loose ends during the grand finale.

Saw IV is an entertaining if less than stellar sequel. Despite doubling as a decent prequel and leaning into some clever twists, the traps featured in this installment, the main draw of the franchise, are somewhat uninspired, particularly in comparison to what's come before. The ending provides more questions than answers, and unfortunately some of the excitement present in previous installments is absent from this picture.


BEST TRAP
It's incredibly satisfying to see Detective Matthew's head crushed by two big blocks of ice. Perhaps it's because the ultimate fate of his character had been left dangling since Saw II. Perhaps it's because Matthews was such a despicable, irredeemable, one-note character. It's most unfortunate that Rigg was shot in the process though.


FRAGMENTS
- Making cameo appearances, patients at Jill's methadone clinic include razor wire maze victim Paul from Saw, death mask victim Michael from Saw II, peep hole revolver victim Gus from Saw II, and chain trap victim Troy from Saw III, while razor box victim Addison from Saw II propositions John outside the clinic

- Kim Roberts returns as the nurse who reprimanded Lynn for being emotionally absent in Saw III, responding to Jill's medical emergency in this installment

- The crime scene photographer getting arrowed in the face by accident is simply senselessly brutal

- Tying Jigsaw's signature pig masks to his fascination with the Chinese Zodiac is an odd bit of over-explanation that's symptomatic of lackluster prequel storytelling

- Jeff was never the best protagonist, and Strahm shooting him dead before he even gets a chance to play Jigsaw's game to save his daughter seems oddly fitting

- In the theatrical cut of the film, there's a shot of Hoffman tearing off his binds and rising from his chair in the final trap room during the twist montage, but this shot is strangely absent in the widely available unrated cut


SUPPLEMENTAL STUFF

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Saw III

SAW III
2006 | Dir. Darren Lynn Bousman | 109 Minutes

"Suffering? You haven't seen anything yet."


On his deathbed, Jigsaw holds a lethargic surgeon captive to prolong his life for one more night while his helpless apprentice Amanda's mental state deteriorates. Meanwhile, a depressed father mourning the loss of his son in a hit-and-run is forced by Jigsaw to confront the people who deprived him of the justice his craves and to question his thirst for vengeance.

Written by original Saw co-writer Leigh Whannell with a story assist from Saw co-creator James Wan with Saw II helmer Darren Lynn Bousman returning to the director's chair, Saw III plays like a love letter to fans of the first two films. The gratuitous fan service is most evident in the numerous flashbacks depicting Jigsaw and his secret apprentice Amanda, building upon the biggest revelation at the climax of Saw II, setting up traps featured in previous installments of the series. Arguably, beyond the function of delighting devotees with fun callbacks, these scenes serviceably illustrate Jigsaw and Amanda's unconventional, surprisingly affecting bond. This sequel also manages to deliver some of the most creative and varied traps yet, from the imaginative freezer room to the disgusting pig vat to the exceedingly cruel rack, easily topping the majority of the set pieces that came before in intensity and originality. Notably, the gore extends beyond Jigsaw's traps this time, as the filmmakers subject the audience to graphic open skull brain surgery that the surgeon Lynn reluctantly performs on the ailing Jigsaw. The multiple twist endings, though less shocking than previous ones, hammer home Jigsaw's distorted worldview that is ostensibly humanist, pleading to Lynn, Jeff, and Amanda to cherish their lives and the lives of others, to be more empathetic people. Naturally, Jeff and Amanda fail in spectacular fashion.

Looking much more polished than Saw and Saw II, production designer David Hackl and editor Kevin Greutert are at the top of their respective games. On the technical level, Saw III improves upon the gritty aesthetic of the series while also seamlessly recreating the look and feel of past entries to fill in new facets of an overarching narrative. It's apparent how much love the filmmakers put into this one considering the level of detail to maintain series continuity. Charlie Clouser's third Saw score utilizes the main theme in more variations than before, particularly gratifying to hear during the Jigsaw and Amanda flashback scenes.

Though most of his performance is on a medical bed, Tobin Bell is all around excellent as Jigsaw, continuing to make even some of the mastermind's more inane musings sound compelling. In her third series appearance, Shawnee Smith establishes Amanda as the manic and tragic misguided heart of this trilogy, delivering an engaging passionate performance. As the emotionally distant surgeon Lynn, Bahar Soomekh does a fine job of supplementing the complicated dynamic between Bell's Jigsaw and Smith's Amanda. On the flip side, perhaps at least partially due to how the character was written, Angus Macfadyen comes off as extraordinarily dull in the role of the vengeful Jeff. Debra Lynne McCabe, Barry Flatman, and Mpho Koaho portraying the victims in the traps that Jeff encounters give far more gripping performances than Macfadyen despite their limited screen time. Donnie Wahlberg and Leigh Whannell briefly return in scenes that elaborate on their characters' respective fates. The supporting cast also features Dina Meyer returning as Kerry who meets a grisly end, Lyriq Bent returning as Rigg, and J. Larose as the victim of the opening trap Troy. 

There is a sick irony to Jigsaw utilizing excessively violent methods to promote empathy, but that's what makes the Saw series so enticing to gorehounds, and Saw III is the ultimate expression of this premise. With more thrilling traps and a story that serves to elevate the first two pictures, this third installment is among the best horror sequels. Saw III offers an overabundance of practically everything fans of these gruesome films could want.


BEST TRAP
Though it was set up to be unwinnable, the ribcage-splaying angel trap is particularly nasty in practice and visually the most interesting trap, a stand-out even in this entry with some of the best Saw traps yet. It's extra upsetting that Kerry managed to retrieve the key from the jar of acid for nothing.


FRAGMENTS
- The film is dedicated to Twisted Pictures producer Gregg Hoffman who passed away unexpectedly shortly after the release of Saw II -- Wan, Whannel, and Bousman were reluctant to return to make another sequel but ultimately made this third installment in honor of Hoffman -- he is also the namesake of Costas Mandylor's shady-looking cop character who is a central player in subsequent installments

- To date, Saw III is the most financially successful entry of the series worldwide

- I have to hand it to Detective Matthews for finding an alternative to severing his foot to escape the Saw bathroom

- J. Larose would go on to appear in various James Wan and Darren Lynn Bousman films

- During his brain surgery induced flashback, Jigsaw saying "I love you" to the blink-and-you'll-miss-her Jill played by Betsy Russell in Tobin Bell's hilariously gravelly voice never fails to make me laugh -- weirdly, creepy Obi from Saw II appears walking in the park during this quick flashback


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Saw II

SAW II
2005 | Dir. Darren Lynn Bousman | 93 Minutes

"Those who don't appreciate life do not deserve life."


Cornering the Jigsaw Killer in his makeshift workshop, a short-tempered homicide detective struggles to maintain his composure when the diabolical mastermind reveals the cop's teenage son is a participant in his latest deadly game. Together with an assortment of lowlifes, including former Jigsaw survivor Amanda, the boy is locked in a derelict house of death traps that is gradually filling with nerve gas.

Written and directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, and co-written by Saw co-creator Leigh Whannell, Saw II is a bigger sequel with slightly more polish that's much more ambitious in scale. The narrative within the nerve gas house is compelling thanks to the genuinely amusing cast of miscreants and the inventive traps that gradually pick them off, though the framing story is less engrossing despite featuring a whole lot more Jigsaw. Tobin Bell's Jigsaw is a pleasure to watch as he divulges more of the origin for his warped philosophy, how he came to believe the best way to rehabilitate those who do not appreciate life is by subjecting them to bodily harm, significantly building upon the mythology of the sadistic madman. However, Jigsaw's scene partner, worst cop ever Donnie Wahlberg, is decidedly less engaging, a character best summed up as a monotonous ball of rage. Following suit with the previous installment, the multi-tiered twist ending is pretty mind-blowing, especially since it is sold so well by Kevin Greutert's clever editing and Shawnee Smith's captivating performance. Revisiting the nasty bathroom from the last film during the climax is already a delightful bit of fan service, but the reveal that Amanda is secretly Jigsaw's apprentice really puts it completely over the top in the very best way.

The production design by David Hackl is very impressive, with everything in the nerve gas house looking appropriately rotten and sickly. The needle pit set piece is particularly excellent in how convincingly disturbing the sequence plays out. Editor Kevin Greutert maintains the intense quick cutting aesthetic of the last installment. Although there are still sequences that come off looking a bit silly due to this editing style, there are far fewer sequences of questionable quality this time. Charlie Clouser returns to score the sequel, and his reprisal of the main theme for the twist ending is fittingly souped-up.

With significantly more screen time, Tobin Bell makes the most of it delivering a nuanced performance that is easily the best in the picture. Conversely, Donnie Wahlberg is woefully one-note, and it doesn't help that his Detective Matthews character remains the same hateful cop from start to finish with zero development. Shawnee Smith is phenomenal as Amanda in a greatly expanded role. In addition to Smith's Amanda, the nerve gas house group consists of Erik Knudsen as Matthews' son Daniel, Tony Nappo in a hilariously brief role as sleazy idiot Gus, Timothy Burd as creepy kidnapper Obi, Glenn Plummer as the level-headed felon Jonas, and Beverley Mitchell as squeamish Laura, with Franky G as big bruiser Xavier and Emmanuelle Vaugier as hot-tempered Addison deserving special mention for giving stand-out performances. The cast also features Dina Meyer returning with more to do as Detective Kerry, and Lyriq Bent as Officer Rigg.

With more traps, a higher body count, and more backstory for its boogeyman, Saw II is a decent sequel that expands upon the grimy world established in Saw. For detractors, this is ostensibly more of the same. For fans, this is a worthy follow-up with a twist ending that teases exciting possibilities.


BEST TRAP
Though barely connected to the rest of the film, the death mask trap from the cold open is classic Saw in its simplicity and in its bloody brutality. As the unfortunate police informant with the device strapped to his head, Noam Jenkins does a fantastic job selling the terror of the situation.


FRAGMENTS
- Saw II began as an unrelated script entitled The Desperate written by Darren Lynn Bousman, who was having trouble pitching it to producers who found it to be too similar to Saw, but luckily Bousman's project was picked up by Twisted Pictures and re-written in collaboration with Leigh Whannell to retrofit it as a sequel to Saw

- To date, Saw II is the most financially successful entry of the series in the United States and Canada

- As Detective Matthews, Donnie Wahlberg's excessively harsh delivery of "Well then go!" to Daniel always makes me laugh

- The explanation for the puzzle flesh pieces cut out of Jigsaw's victims, his namesake, as a symbolic gesture is a bit of a letdown though it'd be amusing in a macabre way if he didn't discard them and secretly pieces them together to form some sort of disgusting fleshy puzzle

- Xavier casually pocketing the skin he sliced from his neck is also hilarious


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Saw

SAW
2004 | Dir. James Wan | 103 Minutes

"Most people are so ungrateful to be alive. But not you. Not anymore."


Two strangers awake in a squalid bathroom, their ankles shackled to pipes. As the pair soon realizes their captor is the infamous Jigsaw Killer, they are forced to play a deadly game for survival.

The feature directorial debut of writer/director James Wan, co-written with and co-starring Wan's film school partner Leigh Whannell, Saw is a grungy, mostly poorly-acted thriller serving as a vehicle for a series of creatively gruesome horror set pieces. Impressively, Wan and Whannell establish a true cinematic horror icon that stands out in the crowded genre, a twisted mastermind who places selfish and malicious members of society in elaborate death traps intended to impart bloody life–affirming lessons. For what the film lacks in quality performances and technical polish, it compensates with a captivating premise built around a warped moral philosophy at its core. The feature also benefits greatly from its excellent twist ending.

Already benefiting from strong, if necessarily frugal, production design, the various death trap are serviceably intensify by editor Kevin Greutert's frantic cutting, best exemplified during the iconic reverse bear trap scene. Greutert's stylized editing also works to amplify Dr. Gordon and Adam's anxiety, though it does make the footage of Tapp and Zep behind the wheels of their cars late in the film look unintentionally hilarious, drawing unnecessary attention to the lack of camera coverage for what is ostensibly a car chase. The musical score by Charlie Clouser, formerly of Nine Inch Nails, is appropriately atmospheric, though it truly comes to life during the final sequence of the film, revealing the twist to a thunderous rendition of the picture's main theme.

Cary Elwes gives an uneven performance as the hapless Dr. Gordon, believably impatient and wary at the start but devolving into a total mess by the final act in which his American accent disappears entirely from the distraught physician's ranting and raving desperation. Leigh Whannell is humorously bad as the sleazy photographer Adam, though it's clear that he's having fun, the co-writer/co-star giving himself the most outrageous lines in the script. Perhaps the best actor in the film, Danny Glover is a good fit for the seasoned Detective Tapp, though his character actually becomes less interesting after he goes off the rails. As the red herring, Michael Emerson is convincingly creepy in the role of Zep, his eyes incredibly intense. Though she doesn't have much screen time, Shawnee Smith stands out as the reverse bear trap survivor Amanda, really selling the fear while wearing the contraption, and the eerie calm of Jigsaw's questionable brand of enlightenment after the ordeal. Saw also features Ken Leung doing solid work as Tapp's tenacious partner Sing, Makenzie Vega as Dr. Gordon's weary wife Diana, Dina Meyer in a very minor part as police officer Kerry, and Tobin Bell who steals the show when he is revealed to be Jigsaw posing as a dead body lying on the bathroom floor the entire time.

A low budget gory horror flick with more than its fair share of ingenuity, Saw is a flawed picture with a captivating premise and an instantly iconic cinematic boogeyman. The grisly traps are rather imaginative, and while some of the dialogue and acting is laughably bad, as a whole it's not without its charm. The mind-blowing twist accompanied by appropriately sweeping theme music does wonders for the overall quality of the feature.


BEST TRAP
The reverse bear trap will remain one of the most memorable visuals in horror movie history. The rules of the game are easy to understand, and it helps a bit that Amanda ultimately survived the trap, demonstrating that it's possible to win Jigsaw's games in theory.


FRAGMENTS
- Straight out of film school, Wan and Whannell went to great lengths to get this project off the ground, including shooting the reverse bear trap sequence from an early version of the script as a short film in order to pitch the screenplay to studios

- Principal photography only lasted 18 days, and Wan quickly realized he did not film enough coverage during the editing process, forcing him and Greutert to get creative

- To promote the release of the film, distributor Lionsgate held a blood drive for the Red Cross, which became an annual tradition for the series coinciding with the release of subsequent sequels for six consecutive years

- I have fond memories of attending an early screening of this at The Brattle as part of the Boston Fantastic Film Festival in 2004

- I've always admired the gnarly Twisted Pictures studio logo

- Michael Emerson and Ken Leung would later appear on ABC's hit sci-fi adventure series Lost

- In hindsight, this one is relatively quaint compared to how wild and convoluted things get as the series progresses

- After laying the groundwork for the Saw franchise, James Wan went on to create other wildly successful horror franchises Insidious and The Conjuring, while also directing massive crowd-pleasing blockbusters Furious 7 and Aquaman

- Leigh Whannell went on to write and direct the unremarkable third Insidious film, the entertaining sci-fi thriller Upgrade, and the phenomenal updated take on The Invisible Man released in 2020


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Let The Games Begin: Saw

 "Live or die, make your choice."


In the summer of 2003, after failed attempts at pitching the project in their home country, young Australian filmmakers James Wan and Leigh Whannell reluctantly traveled to Los Angeles in hopes of making a scary movie unlike any before it. A bloody thriller featuring meticulously engineered death traps and an ingenious twist ending, Saw would go on to be just the first installment of one of the most popular horror film franchises ever.

Featuring an intriguing diabolical mastermind operating under a warped central philosophy, amusingly shoddy acting, and loads of gratuitous violence courtesy of set pieces that steadily increase in gory intensity with each sequel, it's easy to write off the Saw films as prime examples of the (perhaps deservingly) much-maligned "torture porn" horror subgenre. However, what sets the Saw series apart are the genuinely creative traps featured in the films, the mind-bogglingly convoluted continuity of the overarching plot complete with mind-blowing twists that has remained remarkably consistent, and its incredibly devoted fan base.

At the height of the series' popularity, distributor Lionsgate released sequels every October for six consecutive years following the first film, making Saw a bit of an annual Halloween tradition among devotees. Though genre trends and the tastes of horror fans continue to change, the Saw franchise manages to resurface every few years as it takes interesting creative swings on its way back to cinemas to simultaneously thrill and gross-out audiences.
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Elemental

ELEMENTAL
2023 | Dir. Peter Sohn | 109 Minutes

"Why does anyone get to tell you what you can do in your life?"


For her entire life fire element Ember Lumen, daughter of first-generation immigrants living on the outskirts of Element City, has expected to take over her father's convenience store. A chance meeting with sensitive water element city inspector Wade Ripple turns Ember's world upside-down. As the pair gradually falls in love working together to prevent the city from closing the store due to unexpected safety violations, Ember there are opportunities in the world that better suit her unique talents.

A family-friendly romantic comedy nestled within a broadly-constructed immigrant story, Elemental is a sweet tale that promotes cultural exchange and encourages self-actualization. Though the movie only scratches the surface on issues of racial tension and discrimination, defining the cultural differences of the anthropomorphic elements often in only the vaguest of terms, the film functions well as an allegory about the challenges of interracial dating. One of the very best things about the picture is the believable dynamic between Ember and Wade, a couple that exemplifies how opposites beautifully balance each other out.

Elemental is also one of the best-looking Pixar films yet. Element City is vibrant and aesthetically gorgeous, a world bustling with life. Every location is rendered in loving detail, from the cozy Fireplace fixer-upper convenience store, to the massive Cyclone Stadium sports arena, to the Ripples' luxury apartment that doubles as a giant swimming pool. The set piece featuring the Vivarium in the flooded public gardens is particularly breathtaking.

Leah Lewis delivers a solid vocal performance as Ember, making the quick-tempered fire element a nuanced and affecting protagonist. As Wade, Mamoudou Athie goes big with the water element's frequent bouts of crying but he is very funny and believably sensitive in his passionate speeches. The supporting cast features Ronnie del Carmen as Ember's father Bernie, Shila Ommi as Ember's fortuneteller mother Cinder, Wendi McLendon-Covey as Wade's air element boss Gale, and Catherine O'Hara as Wade's mother Brook.

Elemental carries all of the charm and heart of Pixar's best features, as well as the studio's high standard of visually splendid artistry. Certain aspects of the film's world and story could have been better-defined. However, the burgeoning romance that drives the picture is engaging and genuinely moving.


FRAGMENTS
- Props to the filmmakers creating a Firish language, but Bernie's accent is incredibly questionable

- I found adolescent earth boy Clod pulling flowers grown out of his armpit to impress fire girls particularly amusing
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