The “Saw” movie series began as something new. When I saw the first one, I appreciated it as the first passable scary movie in awhile. In an age where horror movies are restricted to cheap thrills and special effects, the original “Saw” had a plot device to keep it going for a single movie. Two movies? Maybe. A third movie? Pushing it. Four was where I drew the line, but, apparently, I was the only one.
The star of the movies is a man who calls himself Jigsaw. He has terminal cancer, and since he knows he will die, decides to punish those who he feels do not appreciate life. Punish, however, is an extremely weak word. These movies offered not only a new plot premise to the horror genre, but also a level of torture and sadism rarely seen in previous movies. Jigsaw’s claim is that he only kills those who don’t want to save themselves, but really, he puts everyone in a death trap that only a select few can work their way out of. It is incredibly gruesome, but that’s the main reason so many people flock to see it every year, especially before Halloween. When “Saw V” came out, everyone asked “Isn’t everyone dead?” The answer is — yes! Jigsaw, the star and the mastermind behind the torture, died in the last movie. His prot’eacute;g’eacute; died too, so what way is there to continue?
The movie opens with a torture scene, of course — an extremely graphic pit and pendulum scene. That is the film’s shining moment, because everything gets worse from there. Apparently, the way to keep these movies going is to bring back characters that were never that appealing in the first place and fill up the remaining time with flashbacks. Jigsaw now has a new prot’eacute;g’eacute;, who happens to be a local cop. How he met Jigsaw and devoted himself to Jigsaw’s philosophy is explained in flashbacks, which take up about half the film.
Meanwhile, five new victims have not-so-coincidentally found themselves in Jigsaw’s master trap. They are forced to run through the mousetrap, face the torture devices, and learn how to cherish life if they make it. However, the people who go to see it just for the torture will be disappointed, because the pit and the pendulum scene is the most creative in the movie. The rest, compared to the previous movies, are just quick and lackluster.
Although it is a Halloween tradition to hear Jigsaw’s raspy voice say “I want to play a game,” you are better off staying home and renting the first one this Halloween. Despite what the tagline said, I believe how it ends. What’s more, I could have told you how “Saw V” ended after seeing the first one.
