Review of Saw VI (2009) by Tinnia S — 25 Jun 2011

Saw VI is everything wrong with the series since Saw III. It's gory, hard to believe, and lacks nearly every form of subtlety known to humanity and some species of dolphin.

Why then did I rate it five stars and hold it in high regard as my favourite Saw movie, and one of my favourite horror films post-millennium?

While Saw VI may be everything wrong about the series, it's everything wrong about the series done RIGHT.

You see, the reason I like Saw VI so much more than, say, Saw II or Saw V is that it approaches the subject matter with an air of fun and a little dark humour, as well as some legitimately good political criticism (The main plot is about a corrupt group of health-care providers... does that remind you of anything?) to give the series a little more edge to it after two lackluster movies.

It's also quite well written, too. The dialogue is believable without ever descending into the standard hysterics that fall into the horror genre, and the basic set up this film is genius in itself (All the ties to the number 6, and having to choose between one thing or another), often pitting people in one of Jigsaw's tests against each other to survive, adding tension and drama not seen since the first film. It's a surprisingly deep, intelligent film that's not afraid to say what it has to say.

While not arguably the "Best" Saw film, it's my personal favourite and overall a film that shouldn't be missed.