Jigsaw

Jigsaw

Starring Matt Passmore, Tobin Bell, Callum Keith Rennie, Hannah Emily Anderson

Directed by Michael Spierig & Peter Spierig

The Story:
The film takes place over two different settings.  In the one setting we get five strangers who have to combat a series of tests supposedly designed by Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) to help them confess their sins.  As they go from room to room in an abandoned barn, they encounter the tests and either pass or fail depending on their willingness to confess.

The other setting is at the police station, where Detective Halloran (Callum Keith Rennie) and his partner investigate the murders of different people who have similar wounds from those who were trapped in the barn, and rely on forensic pathologists Logan Nelson (Matt Passmore) and Eleanor Bonneville (Hannah Emily Anderson).  As their investigation intensifies, they discover that the murdered victims were at the hands of Jigsaw - even though he's been dead for ten years.

The Synopsis:
Back in 2004, "Saw" revolutionized the horror franchise and helped give birth to a new subgenre - torture porn.  Basically, it was a film where the main theme is torture, and people were tortured in horrific and barbaric ways in order to cleanse them of their sins.  It was unique and fascinating, with a surprise twist that barely anyone saw coming.  It was a breath of fresh air in the horror genre, and "Saw II" added to that motif by throwing a bunch of people in a literal house of horrors. 

Then there was the third film, which was alright, but also seemed to obviously end the franchise for good.  Until the fourth came out.  Then the fifth.  And sixth.  Finally the series ended in 2010 with "The Final Chapter," after turning what was once an amazing film to a laughable mess that no one really cared to see anymore.  Finally, it seemed that the Jigsaw legend was dead and buried.

However, like the series itself, not even death can stop Jigsaw.  In 2017, "Jigsaw" was released, and reminded audiences as to how insanely stupid the franchise has become.  What was unique about the first two films was that the traps were designed to be won - Jigsaw wanted the victims to survive and appreciate everything they had because of it.  However, as the sequels kept churning, that concept went by the wayside in favor of bloodier traps, more gore, and pretty much no means of escape.

Unfortunately, it also prevented any real story to be told.  If the series had ended after the third (which it was supposed to), it would've been a perfect beginning, middle, and end.  It could've been heralded as one of the best horror trilogies in modern history.  However, due to the insane amount of money they made, they continued the franchise despite the notable fact that the killer was dead (that's a spoiler, yes, but it also happened back in 2006, so if this is a surprise to you, you probably shouldn't have even read this review).  Now that the killer - who wasn't supernatural like Freddy, Jason, or Chucky - was dead, there really wasn't much more that could've been done, but somehow they managed to do so.

There are two things I really enjoy: Escape Rooms and films that tell a mind-bending tale, and "Jigsaw" tries to tell both stories.  I love Escape Rooms (which didn't exist really when the first "Saw" came out) because they require wits and knowledge to piece a puzzle together to get out.  When we see the five people who are subjected to Jigsaw's Escape Room, they use their wits to make it from room to room, but unfortunately they're not the smartest people on the planet.  When subjected to torture and death or just confess their sins, they opt for the torture instead.  If I was faced with that same conundrum, I would be singing like a bird.  There's no good qualities about these people that make you care, and the film doesn't even try to.  The directors know we want to see them all suffer in excruciating ways, and that's what we're given.  We've just become so desensitized to it that we don't really care anymore.

Not to mention the fact that these traps are so convoluted and could backfire at any moment.  Anyone who ever played the game Mousetrap knows this - even though the game is set up perfectly to catch the mouse at the end, something always goes wrong and we realize we've spent an hour wasting our time.  At any moment, one of the traps could malfunction, the wrong person could die in the wrong place, or any other incalculable errors could occur.  Plus I find it hilarious that no one ever questions how Jigsaw gets his equipment - no store finds it weird that someone purchases yards of piano wire, or a crap-ton amount of saws, or anything like that?   

When it comes to mind-bending tales, "Jigsaw" tries that with the detective story.  We're left to wonder how the heck Jigsaw can be killing from beyond the grave, and try to piece the puzzle pieces together.  That is, until the final moment, and we're given a ten minute expository dialogue about how everything that we've seen is supposed to make sense - but it still doesn't.  It's another sign that the franchise had no idea where it wanted to go after the third film, so they try to logically connect a weaving narrative, but instead prove that they aren't as smart as they think they are - and the audience isn't as dumb as they think they are.

The Summary:
After eight films, the "Saw" franchise has become a complete pun on itself - now we're the ones who suffer at the hands of filmmakers who just want our money, subjecting us to the boring torture of seeing the same thing again and again with a weak explanation and a false hubris that it doesn't deserve.

The Score: D+