Saw 6 Review

Well, first I should say this: I know this review is quite a bit late. I'm sure by now many of you have seen it, and if you haven't then you probably wont, but I just got around to watching it a second time and I was still impressed by the film. Now, when I say that I enjoyed it, that doesn't necessarily make what I would call a good movie. I guess the better way of putting it is, when you've gotten to the point where you've given up on a series, any spark of creativity will impress. Sometimes you can just allow yourself to have fun with the material that's been presented and sit back and eat a big ol' back of popcorn. Anyways, here's my official review of Saw 6:

Well, after six films people tend know exactly where they stand with the Saw series. They either love it or hate it, I, was one of the few people that started off as a die hard fan of the series, then it took a turn for the worst with Saw IV and a turn for the UBER worst with Saw V. I almost decided to write a letter to Lionsgate begging them to stop while they were ahead, but Saw V showed me that, they really weren't ahead anymore. Anyways, after watching Saw VI, I am glad I didn’t.

Saw VI reminded me why I loved the first three films in this series, why I would look forward to October and prep myself for the next Saw film, and why I would marathon the ones before it so I stayed on top of my Saw trivia. Everything about this movie puts the last two films of the franchise to shame. Everything was on point: the plot, the gore, the trap ideas, and, for once, a twist that made some god damn sense. Best of all, they did away with a lot of the freakin’ flashbacks. The only problems I had with the film are that it still leaves some questions unanswered (what happened to the guy who cut off his foot in the first film!?), and the acting still needs work, but for every problem I notice, I found myself cringing in glee and indulging in a guilty pleasure that I had long forgotten and practically given up on much much more.

Saw VI starts with quite the graphic bang. The first scene starts with two unlucky victims waking up to find they have a device in their head that will bore into their skull if they don’t sacrifice their own flesh. The person with the most flesh cut off, will be allowed to live, the other will get a lobotomy. Gruesome! I found myself actually covering my eyes (granted I had the biggest smirk on my face while doing it)! Yes, I know, me, the man with the greedy eyes that eat everything they see without wincing and the iron stomach that has held down full lunches after watching films like, Cannibal Holocaust, and, Philosophy of a Knife, actually winced. It was an exhilarating feeling, to have to take my eyes off the screen during a Saw movie for a reason other than rolling them. Without giving too much more away I can honestly say that any gorehounds out there will definitely get a kick out of the opening scene and it sets a solid framework for what to expect out of the rest of the film.

For a series known for it’s brutality, this film finally starts to present itself as something more than a one trick pony. The writers bring fresh, heavy, sense of political and ethical drama into this film, and they do a damn good job of it. It gives the film another side and allows the viewer to feel a bit less dirty for liking a series that most blow off as ‘torture-porn’. I appreciated the smart new take on this movie, as well as it’s return to being ballsy and in your face with it’s gratuitous displays of blood and guts.

The director made some good choices with the set production and art direction as well. The scenes were wonderfully directed and the props didn’t look quite as recycled as they had in past films, even the return of a classic trap at the end of this film gets a drastic and very poignant overhaul. With all that being said, I think what shines the most about this film is it’s ability to tie up 90% of all the loose ends, and do it in a way that makes everything logical. I was impressed with the writers’ ability to clean up the mess that was Saw IV and Saw V and redeem the series with something that wouldn’t just keep current fans going, but help bring old fans back.

Overall, I am glad to see this saw isn’t as rusty as I thought, and I am finding myself looking forward to Saw VII. Cheers to our generations’ Friday the 13th.

Final Score: 6.75/10