Out of all of the 6 (and soon to be 7) Saw movies out there, this is the best, and trust me, I’ve seen them all. Since each one isn’t worth its own review, I talk briefly about each one here, then review Saw as a stand alone film. The whole series starts with a killer named Jigsaw, who puts people in death traps- games- that in order to survive, they need to be taught a lesson. Such traps would be where in the first movie, Amanda is put in the iconic “reverse bear trap”, where the device on her head will rip open her jaw if she doesn’t get the key from her half-dead roommate’s stomach. Jigsaw put her there, since he wanted her to appreciate life. Obviously, these tests are greusome and torturous. (why do I enjoy this stuff!!) Without giving much away, Amanda becomes Jigsaw’s apprentice, and in a nutshell, all the films are about someone becoming Jigsaw’s apprentice. There, I didn’t give anything away. Personally, the 3rd movie would’ve been a good place to stop, but of course in the end, it’s the money that matters. There was a good place to end the series in the 6th installment, but no. Saw 7 should be nice in 3D.
So, I’m going to talk about the first film alone. It was actually pretty good, since it’s not your typical horror movie. Just in case you’re worried, the first film doesn’t have nearly as much violence as the others, but you must see it to understand the sequels. The movie feels more like a mystery than horor. Sadly, this isn’t the movie where Tobin Bell gets a huge appearance, but he does make a great twist ending. I think if they just made this movie and didn’t continue the series, it would be looked upon as a somewhat classic horror movie.
A lot of the acting was pretty cheesy and bad.
Considering most of the film takes place in an old, dirty bathroom, the quality is pretty good. The music is fantastic, as in all the Saw movies. The visuals were done very well.
In the first, and only the first, there isn’t too much violence. Most of it is very quick, or it is implied. In the other ones however, everything is shown in full-blown detail.
It seems somewhat real, although at times far-fetched