Jigsaw

Back in the early days of the 80´s, my grandmother Maj used to be the one who talked about horror movies. She would let me watch horror films, that i was not supposed to see. Thankfully, this was my beginning to a whole new world of horror films. She lived in a small town, where a smaller video store rented out some really fun cheesy horror films. So yes, my grandmother made me the horror geek i still am today. Ever since my youth, i have watched so many horror films, from the VHS generation, and developed through dvd´s, and in present day it is of course blu rays that please me most. I love brutal, gory, bloody horror films, maybe because i have always felt like one of the Mormons, i love walking around in fancy clothes, wearing extreme smiles. So let´s go back in time, to the year of 2004, and let´s talk about one specific film. Am i thinking about the film Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2? Uuhhm...no. This is in fact a film that should not exist. I would like to talk about a film called Saw. Directed by James Wan, we were delivered a horror film, that looked like nothing we have seen before. Saw proved that it was still possible to make intelligent horror films, and director James Wan showed everyone that he knew exactly what he was doing. The plot about 2 men, locked up in a room, where they have to play a deadly game, where only one can survive. It may not sound very original, but when you start to watch the film, you realise that there actually is an intelligent unexpected twist beneath all the secrets. Saw became a world wide hit in theatres, so of course the film studio had to make more sequels. Saw 2 and Saw 3 was actually not that bad, but when Saw 4 kicked in, you could tell they were running out of ideas. More sequels came along, and it seemed that it would never stop. Until in 2010, with the release of Saw 3D: The Final Chapter. I will admit that the character Jigsaw ( played by actor Toby Bell ), was one of the highlights of the Saw films. But it seemed like it was the right thing to do, to end the Saw film franchise. For a long time it semeed like we would not see another Saw film, until another sequel to the Saw films were announced. That film would be called Jigsaw. I was not really excited about this, but decided to see the film in cinemas anyway. Do we finally have a good sequel of the Saw franchise after so many years, or is this supposed to be flushed down the toilet with all the turds ?

Edgar Munsen ( Josiah Black ) is hunted down by police. He is wearing a triggered device, and warns that if he is shot, he will let several people be killed in a game. Police shoot him down, and the game begins. 5 people wake up in a special designed barn. As they begin to hear the voice of John Kramer ( Toby Belle ), they have to play a game. If they play by the rules, they will survive. Detectives Halloran ( Callum Keith Rennie ) and Keith Hunt ( Clé Bennett ) are on the hunt for a serial killer, where they have found clues from bodies, that Jigsaw might still be alive. This seems impossible, until they dig deeper into the truth. 5 people will loose their lives, unless one of them have what it takes to survive every game.

I kind of knew what i would expect going into the cinema for this film. We would get gory scenes, we would get to see Jigsaw play games again, and we get to see people scream. So there you go, this is most of the plot of this film. There are a few scenes, where they try to do something different compared to the precious Saw films, but it feels like this film was just made to please the big fans of the Saw franchise. To make this film interesting, you would have needed a much more intelligent plot, and not focus all on the brutal traps. What could have been an interesting chapter of the Saw franchise, feels pretty dull and uninspired. I do like seeing Toby Belle back in his role as Jigsaw, he still is the great key to these films, and his unique voice makes the character Jigsaw feel creepy. Nice to see actor Paul Braunstein as one of the kidnapped victims Ryan, in Jigsaw´s deadly games. He is actually a highlight in this film, as the cocky, loud Ryan, who don´t take shit from anyone. All the game scenes are not awful, i especially like one scene, where everyone will be hanged, unless someone is injected with acid. Directors Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig ( known as The Spierig Brothers ), have directed 2 good horror films in the past, the Australian zombie film Undead, and the vampire film Daybreakers. They are a good choice for directing a film as Jigsaw, but for some reason, it does not feel like they have made this film with passion for this film genre. And that is such a shame, because i can tell that they have some good ideas behind the script. As the film stands now, Jigsaw feels like another sequel to Saw, that does not bring anything fresh for the audience. It is not completely awful, but lacks of confidence. If you are a big fan of the Saw films, i know you will see this one anyway. The first Saw film will always be the best film of this franchise, no matter how many sequels they make. And i would not be surprised if Jigsaw 2 will come out. My advice, i think you should spend your money and buy the blu ray or dvd release of It Stains The Sands Red instead of watching Jigsaw in cinemas. A zombie film that actually deliver quality, who can say no to that ?

Rating: DD