JIGSAW: Another Undercooked, Disappointing Reboot
The SAW franchise has been around since 2004, known for its gory and uncensored show of blades cutting through the bodies of victims and its use of a variety of gruesome traps and scales.
As I followed the franchise through the years, the latest installment JIGSAW forgot to live up to its name. Directed by The Spierig Brothers, Michael and Peter, the eighth film of the franchise has lost the essence of what it is all about: the serial killer, Jigsaw; Billy the Puppet; and the bloodshed caused by the violent traps.
JIGSAW was censored, with the fact that it was not as gory as the original franchise. There were little amounts of blood shown; the usual traps and contraptions in the “game” that Jigsaw had for his victims were not as good as those before. It definitely failed to
give justice to the franchise.
The actors’ performances were okay, not great but not horrible as well. They weren’t as effective and they lack the horror film charisma.
The franchise is known for its messy chronology, with scenes cutting from one area to another, and this film has it as well. It jumps from Jigsaw’s victims to the detectives then back again, and it may not be confusing, but it is unsettling. The setting of the movie is also off and doubles down on the franchise’s storytelling.
Usually, when the scenes in the movie turn gruesome, people either look away or scream. However, in the cinema I was in, nobody looked away or screamed. The atmosphere was so stale that half of the people who were watching fell asleep.
The movie in a nutshell: Logan (forensic pathologist) was saved by John Kramer aka Jigsaw, continues to do the serial killer’s deeds by “playing a game” with the detective who was the main reason of his wife’s death, Halloran and three other victims.
The plot was far from the original Saw films, that even horror movie junkies can bear to watch. It was lackluster.
Hopefully, this is the end of the Saw franchise and no reboots or sequels to the reboot would be pitched or made again. The current Saw franchise is as good as it is.
