PopHorror Let's Get Scared
So far, 2017 has been quite a year for popular horror franchises to get sequels or prequels. With films such as Leatherface (read our review here), Cult of Chucky (read our review here), and Alien: Covenant (read our review here). All of these installments have the horror community divided. People seem to either absolutely love them or absolutely hate them.
So when Jigsaw premiered this past Friday, I knew I had to review it since Saw is one of those franchises that I hold near and dear to my heart, ever since I went to go see the original on opening night. Some sequels to the franchise were, in my opinion, not needed, such as the 4th and 5th films. I am one of the few that actually enjoyed Saw 3D: The Final Chapter. My favorite out the series is part 6, as I feel it made the most sense of why Jigsaw played these games. So where did this latest film rank among the rest for me? Let’s discuss Jigsaw.
Official Synopsis of Jigsaw:
Bodies are turning up around the city, each having met a uniquely gruesome demise. As the investigation proceeds, evidence points to one suspect: John Kramer, the man known as Jigsaw, who has been dead for ten years.
What Works
Let the games begin. Jigsaw offers a whole new mystery to the franchise. We start off wondering if it really is John Kramer aka Jigsaw playing a new game after he’s supposedly been dead for all these years. Is it him? Is it one of his many followers such as Amanda, Detective Hoffman, or perhaps even Dr. Lawrence Gordon? It seems as if Kramer is becoming a cult leader of some sort. That element of the movie kept me guessing and was a lot of fun.
The traps in Jigsaw are not nearly as clever as some of the other films. They felt like they were just quickly put together. However, the film was still enjoyable to watch. My favorite trap was the grain trap that you can see in the previews. There wasn’t quite as much bloodshed in this one either, which may turn some people off. Those horror fans who aren’t really into torture porn horror may find this timid version more entertaining.
I also thoroughly loved Paul Braunstein as Ryan and feel like he stole the show. He’s definitely one of the reasons to check out this film.
What Doesn’t Work
Unfortunately, quite a lot. The characters in this film are beyond dumb to the point of me rolling my eyes probably a hundred times. I know it’s a horror movie and they are supposed to be dumb… but my God, these people were the fucking worst.
I also hated the opening sequence. In the other films, they always opened with some elaborate trap to set the stage for the carnage to come. This one did not and fell short on nearly every level. There was also some confusion with the timeline in this one that I really can’t go into detail about without spoiling the whole damn movie. (Insert eye roll).
Final Verdict
I know it may seem as if I didn’t like Jigsaw. I actually did like it and I rank it higher than 4 and 5. However, I just felt as if something was missing. The plot felt rushed and a bit of lackluster. You could place your money as a sure thing that I would go see 100 more of these damn films though because they are a lot of fun. I would need to see a follow-up film to this one to tell you if Jigsaw was necessary or just trying to make Lionsgate money.
If you are a fan of the Saw franchise, you will enjoy this film, but you also might be disappointed with certain elements of it like I was. I really hope they go somewhere with this plot and that this isn’t game over for Jigsaw.
