Horror movies of the 21st century have been known for there terrible writing and dialogue and predictable story-lines. movies such as Prom Night and Black X-mas are just a couple of the many dreadful horror/suspense movies that have plagued the movie industry for sometime. That was the norm for some time until one unexpected cult film came seemingly out of nowhere. Sure its sequels aren't nearly as good as the one that started the franchise, but it is still one of the only recent horror movies that is even remotely memorable. Unlike most horror films of late, this movie requires your immediate attention in order to understand figure out how and why the mysterious psychopath know as Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is committing these murders and how is latest victims, Adam (Leigh Whannel) and Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) are connected to all of the recent murders that have taken place. From the beginning, you are immediately thrown right into the thick of the story with Adam and Dr. Gordon first finding out that they have been taken captive and chained in some room which can only be described as desolate and an almost unnervingly perfect locale to entrap these men. From there its just a matter of these two characters trying to figure out why they have been placed here and what they have in common would place both of them in this situation. At first you get the feeling that the plot is going the usual route of most horror movies (victims find out where they are, proceeding to panic and trying to break the bonds which they already know are impossible to break but still doing in anyway because they fail at first to ask themselves the obvious question: "why are we here?"). Thankfully however, this doesn't last long with the characters eventually coming to grips of what their in for and ultimately trying to find a way out of this small, enclosed tomb. Of course, the whole movie doesn't take place in this one little room, rather it is simply there to state that "this is the present, this what is happening now", with other sequences that take place outside of the room being past events to help flesh out each of the characters backgrounds and purpose while moving the plot along in a gripping and suspenseful fashion.
You'll notice right from the beginning that the majority of the actors in this film aren't really anyone you'll recognize as an A-list celebrities or someone who as been in any recent films. Sure Cary Elwes definitely known for his roles in The Princess Bride and Robin Hood Men in Tights, two films which are seemingly opposite from the gruesome violence of SAW; and Danny Glover, who was most well known for his bad-ass cop attitude in the Lethal Weapon Films, which carry over nicely into this film as he does reprise the role as an older and more experienced cop. However, for the most part, the actors in this movie are mostly new acting scene and for the first time appearing in a now well-known cult classic, to a pretty outstanding job in their individual roles. Sure its not necessarily Emmy award winning by any means, but for a couple of has-beens and unknown actors to be able to pull off a memorable in a twisted and complex plot, its quite impressive how easily these actors can immerse you in this disturbing tale of violence and deceit.
Story wise, this is by far one of the most well though out and complex stories that I have ever seen in a horror movie in a long time. It keeps you guessing from beginning to end while making sure to effectively fill you in on whats going on with all of the characters and how they are all connected in this tragedy. The result is a film that is both highly entertaining and complex with just the right amount of gore and horror to give you the sense of the twisted and disturbed mind of Jigsaw. That's another thing, while you do get to see the disturbing and actually cleverly though ways of Jigsaw's traps and purpose behind them, you don't really actually ever get to see Jigsaw himself. At first this may a seem a bit unusual to slasher fans who are used to seeing the killer within the first 30 minutes as slices and dices his victims. Instead, Jigsaw takes the more subtle approach and instead allows the victims to kill themselves in his playground of terror while he simply sits back and watches his victims satisfying perish because of their own stupidity. In a way, this is actually what makes the movie so enticing, in that this killer never has to show himself to scare and destroy the morality of a person. Instead he simply leaves a brief recording of his voice and a description of what the victim must do in order to survive. This makes each well thought out trap and demise of each victim extremely gruesome and satisfying to watch because it is just simply unbelievable how one man could orchestrate so many things at once in order to not only teach victims a lesson but to ultimately never be caught or suspected of such sadistic and twisted malice.
In the end, SAW is a film that captures the imagination and emotion of what a horror movie should be. Between its complex and captivating story to its expertly written dialogue to its surprisingly memorable characters, SAW is simply a movie way ahead of its time. Sure its not a genuine classic like Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm Street, but then again, its hard to compare the complexities of saw to wanton violence portrayed in the latter films. So, if your like me and have been waiting for a captivating horror movie to come around that has all the violence with a great story SAW fits the bill in almost every way. From the films somewhat confusing beginning to its epic and jaw-dropping conclusion, you'll be glad you immersed yourself in this menacing tale of a serial killer who hides in the shadows.
4.5/5.0
one of the most unique and complex horror movies of the 21st century
Horror movies of the 21st century have been known for there terrible writing and dialogue and predictable story-lines. movies such as Prom Night and Black X-mas are just a couple of the many dreadful horror/suspense movies that have plagued the movie industry for sometime. That was the norm for some time until one unexpected cult film came seemingly out of nowhere. Sure its sequels aren't nearly as good as the one that started the franchise, but it is still one of the only recent horror movies that is even remotely memorable. Unlike most horror films of late, this movie requires your immediate attention in order to understand figure out how and why the mysterious psychopath know as Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is committing these murders and how is latest victims, Adam (Leigh Whannel) and Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) are connected to all of the recent murders that have taken place. From the beginning, you are immediately thrown right into the thick of the story with Adam and Dr. Gordon first finding out that they have been taken captive and chained in some room which can only be described as desolate and an almost unnervingly perfect locale to entrap these men. From there its just a matter of these two characters trying to figure out why they have been placed here and what they have in common would place both of them in this situation. At first you get the feeling that the plot is going the usual route of most horror movies (victims find out where they are, proceeding to panic and trying to break the bonds which they already know are impossible to break but still doing in anyway because they fail at first to ask themselves the obvious question: "why are we here?"). Thankfully however, this doesn't last long with the characters eventually coming to grips of what their in for and ultimately trying to find a way out of this small, enclosed tomb. Of course, the whole movie doesn't take place in this one little room, rather it is simply there to state that "this is the present, this what is happening now", with other sequences that take place outside of the room being past events to help flesh out each of the characters backgrounds and purpose while moving the plot along in a gripping and suspenseful fashion.
You'll notice right from the beginning that the majority of the actors in this film aren't really anyone you'll recognize as an A-list celebrities or someone who as been in any recent films. Sure Cary Elwes definitely known for his roles in The Princess Bride and Robin Hood Men in Tights, two films which are seemingly opposite from the gruesome violence of SAW; and Danny Glover, who was most well known for his bad-ass cop attitude in the Lethal Weapon Films, which carry over nicely into this film as he does reprise the role as an older and more experienced cop. However, for the most part, the actors in this movie are mostly new acting scene and for the first time appearing in a now well-known cult classic, to a pretty outstanding job in their individual roles. Sure its not necessarily Emmy award winning by any means, but for a couple of has-beens and unknown actors to be able to pull off a memorable in a twisted and complex plot, its quite impressive how easily these actors can immerse you in this disturbing tale of violence and deceit.
Story wise, this is by far one of the most well though out and complex stories that I have ever seen in a horror movie in a long time. It keeps you guessing from beginning to end while making sure to effectively fill you in on whats going on with all of the characters and how they are all connected in this tragedy. The result is a film that is both highly entertaining and complex with just the right amount of gore and horror to give you the sense of the twisted and disturbed mind of Jigsaw. That's another thing, while you do get to see the disturbing and actually cleverly though ways of Jigsaw's traps and purpose behind them, you don't really actually ever get to see Jigsaw himself. At first this may a seem a bit unusual to slasher fans who are used to seeing the killer within the first 30 minutes as slices and dices his victims. Instead, Jigsaw takes the more subtle approach and instead allows the victims to kill themselves in his playground of terror while he simply sits back and watches his victims satisfying perish because of their own stupidity. In a way, this is actually what makes the movie so enticing, in that this killer never has to show himself to scare and destroy the morality of a person. Instead he simply leaves a brief recording of his voice and a description of what the victim must do in order to survive. This makes each well thought out trap and demise of each victim extremely gruesome and satisfying to watch because it is just simply unbelievable how one man could orchestrate so many things at once in order to not only teach victims a lesson but to ultimately never be caught or suspected of such sadistic and twisted malice.
In the end, SAW is a film that captures the imagination and emotion of what a horror movie should be. Between its complex and captivating story to its expertly written dialogue to its surprisingly memorable characters, SAW is simply a movie way ahead of its time. Sure its not a genuine classic like Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm Street, but then again, its hard to compare the complexities of saw to wanton violence portrayed in the latter films. So, if your like me and have been waiting for a captivating horror movie to come around that has all the violence with a great story SAW fits the bill in almost every way. From the films somewhat confusing beginning to its epic and jaw-dropping conclusion, you'll be glad you immersed yourself in this menacing tale of a serial killer who hides in the shadows.
4.5/5.0
one of the most unique and complex horror movies of the 21st century
Jakob187: yea its a shame this series went to such a waste... could have been so much better. I think I have heard of Feast... don't really know much about it but the title alone sounds intriguing. thanks for the heads up!
Fr0Br0: Don't think I have heard of Cube but from you've told me it sounds pretty gruesome and enthralling to say the least. thanks for the suggestion!
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