Movie: Saw 3D
Release Date: Oct. 29
Grade: B+
Six years ago, audiences were first hit with Saw, an intensely thrilling and gory horror film that quickly became a hit with moviegoers and revolutionized the horror genre. It inspired other torture-themed films such as Hostel and Hostel 2.
The series proved to have staying power. Every consecutive year to date, a new Saw film has been released, and every year, millions of fans of the series flock to theaters to see what it will bring next.
This year, director Kevin Greutert (Saw VI) promised to revolutionize the industry once again by filming the final chapter of the series in "eye-popping 3-D," promising that the traps would come alive.
The film picks up immediately after the events of Saw VI, which had Jigsaw's widow, Jill Tuck (Betsy Russell, Saw VI), trying to eliminate Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor, Saw VI) with a reverse jaw trap similar to the one in the first film. Tuck fails to kill him and consequently spends the remainder of the film running from him while he searches for revenge.
Tuck goes to Internal Affairs detective Matt Gibson (Chad Donella, Smallville) for protection. Gibson and his team go after Hoffman while attempting to keep Jill from his grasp.
While these events are occurring, the audience is introduced to Bobby Dagen (Sean Patrick Flanery, Sinners & Saints), a Jigsaw trap survivor who has become a self-help guru by writing a book about his experience.
However, the publicity of Dagen's Jigsaw experiences has made him into a target, and he becomes the center of a new game in which he must pass a series of tests in order to save his loved ones from Jigsaw's traps.
As usual, the plot in Saw 3D takes a backseat to the traps victims encounter. Fans of these movies do not return year after year to enjoy cinematic nuances, character development, or even plot: they come to see how much gorier the traps can get.
Well, it seems they do get gorier.
The film opens with a bang, as the first trap takes place publicly in the middle of a crowded city square. The elaborate trap consists of three people, a girl and the two guys she is simultaneously dating. The trio is forced to decide which one will die in order to save the other two. This sequence satisfies audience members as one of the three participants is split in half with a large spinning saw.
While the traps are inventive and exciting, this film, more than any of the previous ones, lost the thematic resonance that Jigsaw (Tobin Bell, Saw VI) established in the beginning of the series.
The emphasis on lessons of morality seems to be much less evident in this installment. The characters in the original films worked because Jigsaw was intent on teaching them something from their experiences. This does not seem to be the case in this chapter.
Dagen's storyline proves to be the most interesting out of the two simultaneous stories. Viewers will sympathize with him as he fights to save his friends and wife, and while the plot device isn't original, it remains captivating nonetheless.
The 3D, while allowing for a couple of entertaining thrills, is mostly unnoticeable. It really doesn't add anything exciting to the film and the traps don't come alive, despite the tagline's promise.
The film does an excellent job of tying together the whole series. The return of a key character in a previous film proves to be an exciting twist for viewers who have stayed with the series throughout its duration.
Saw 3D proves to be a satisfying ending for fans of the series. Viewers will definitely be pleased with the end result.
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