Review of Saw VI (2009) by Thomas W — 13 Nov 2011

Hooray Everyone! Its that time of year again! I am not referring to a time when adults get to play dress-up and go to fun Halloween/costume parties and the kids find themselves trekking from door-to-door in hopes of filling hollow pumpkin baskets with candy.

NO ... I am talking about that glorious, yearly moment of American cinema when the world gets another Saw film! I admit that I enjoyed Saw (the first one that came out six whole years ago!!!) because it was original, audacious, primal and bold.

I had never seen a movie before in which the "slashing" was done by those trying to survive. Survival was an option -- death and/or mutilation was the alternative. It was a new and shocking concept .

.. and it worked because it hadn't been done before. Sadly ... the idea doesn't STILL work. People (both the audience and the characters) didn't know what to expect back then; but we do now and this is what makes the Saw franchise failures today.

I do have to give the current writers some credit for still coming up with new and inventive ways to kill and torture those unfortunate enough to fall into one of Jigsaw's traps (them being this creative is actually more frightening than anything); but I am actually surprised that these "bad" people still appear shocked when they actually fall victim to Jigsaw's maniacal ways.

Don't these characters know that it is dangerous to be "not-so-nice" individuals in Jigsaw's hometown anymore ... and so the chances of being a pawn in a Jigsaw puzzle would almost be as routine as a traffic stop.

The fear and desperation might be genuine ... but these quasi-evil individuals cannot really be shocked any longer that Jigsaw and his accomplices have come after them. The story itself has become ridiculous simply because the killer(s) cannot be stopped and those involved from day one never seem to be questioned or suspected by authorities (I actually think ALL of the police department is behind this anyway -- that will al be revealed in Saw XII).

We all know both Jigsaw and Amanda are dead (how many movies has he been dead now?) and their dastardly deeds are still being carried out by eager followers -- so it won't stop. It doesn't even matter who the ultimate baddie is because he/she can be killed and quickly replaced .

.. because as long as new Jigsaw videos surface (they apparently come complete with victim rosters and instructions on how to make these killing devices) all can continue. It is amazing that all of these killing contraptions can still be made and the culprit remains unknown.

These goods are purchased in this town somewhere ... how on earth are two-and-two not being added together to come up with four? The whole city must be in on the entire thing ... after a few movies the premise has done itself and the films in.

Yes, I am talking about Saw films and they are solely made for entertainment ... but it comes to a point when the illogical situation even becomes too much -- my imagination has been stretched too far to allow for some of this to contine (it is as if Jigsaw knew 40 years ago who he'd be able to manipulate and that insurance adjustors would happen to be the It-Villains of 2009).

Yes ... too convenient. It was kind of fun seeing the evil insurance company workers suffer and squirm ... but this is also a major fault with Saw VI. How did Jigsaw know what year to come after the Insurance industry? How did he know these six individuals would still be working for this particular company? This is Saw VI so these aren't plot holes .

.. they are just movie impossibilities. Saw VI was better than a few of the other Saw movies; but ... that doesn't mean Saw VI is a good movie. Hopefully tortune-porn is on its way out (thankfully the Hostel fanchise died a few years ago .

.. how soon will Saw follow?).