Skip to main content

A Review of “Saw X (2023)”

 

image

SAW is one of those franchises that I feel like it should have ended long ago. SAW III had the iconic villain die but nope the franchise continued. SAW 3D was titled the final chapter but nope the franchise continued. Somehow, this franchise managed to get to its 10th entry but is there any worth to it or is this just another pointless cash grab?

image

Firstly, I love how this entry does something different. For the first time in the series, John Kramer himself is the main protagonist. Previous entries would usually have a protagonist who is trying to survive his traps. We get a lot more insight into his moral code and we get to see a more human side to him. One thing this film does well is make us fully in support of Jigsaw. Sometimes Jigsaw will make certain people be involved in his games but it is very questionable whether they deserve it. This is not the case in SAW X as the antagonists are just vile human beings who prey on sick individuals. Additionally, having this movie set after SAW I but before SAW II was a good choice. This meant not having any of the convoluted baggage of entries after 2.

image

Tobin Bell returns as Jigsaw and he gives a great performance. I loved seeing him portray these new sides to John while also showing his anger towards these scammers. Shawnee Smith also returns as Amanda and seeing more of her relationship with John was a big focus in the film. Amanda is having doubts about being able to follow in his footsteps but John being a mentor and encouraging her is surprisingly heart-warming in a torture movie. I do like they also explore the idea of whether one truly deserves it or not. The scammers all have different levels of involvement in the scam, does someone with minimal involvement deserve to be in the game? They also raise the question of his moral code. John believes everyone deserves a second chance which is why his games have a chance of surviving. However, these scammers are terrible and one of them is truly unforgivable. It is doubtful they would changed if they survived. Both of these are raised by Amanda to John and build up their eventual conflict. The biggest reason anyone is watching these movies is the traps which are enjoyable enough in SAW X. They are not overly ridiculous and gratuitous like some previous entries but they are gruesome enough to make you want to look away.

image

Nevertheless, the film does have some problems. There is a twist in the 3rd act that is a little questionable. You have to wonder why the characters bothered to take that risk when it could easily go wrong. Additionally, the conclusion is not very satisfying because it not giving a proper closure to a certain character. John also has a thing against bringing innocents into his games but in future films, chronologically, he brings people who made honest mistakes and even used a player’s child as bait. John is very flippant with his code.

image

Overall, this is one of the best SAW movies in a long time. It brings something fresh to the franchise and feels like a coherent movie. I still don’t think there should be any more in this franchise but the studio is obviously going to make more. However, if it is of a similar quality to SAW X then I might warm up to the idea of more SAW.


 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A “QUICK!” Review of “Boy Kills World (2024)”

  Bill Skarsgard in an action movie? Yes Please! The story is a generic revenge flick with an interesting concept of a mute and deaf protagonist. The main character has an inner voice which is voiced by H. Jon Benjamin of Archer and Bob’s Burger fame. This sounds interesting on paper but the problem is that the lines are so obnoxious and there are too many. It is always some kind of stupid quip or stating an obvious. It has a lot of comedy but most didn’t land for me. However, you are here for the action and it delivers on those. It has a lot of gore, gunplay, martial arts and over-the-top set pieces. It really shines in the 3rd act in both the story and the action. The final fight is a top-tier choreographed fight. In the end, Boy Kills World knows what it is and gives you exactly that. A bloody, fun action comedy!    
Post a Comment
Read more

A “QUICK!” Review of “Badland Hunters (2024)“

  Ma Dong-Seok is one of the coolest dudes in Korean cinema. I do think the film is a little disappointing as the post-apocalyptic setting isn’t used in an exciting way. The plot is also nothing special. It is incredibly dumb and predictable while also having minimal explanation about anything. The characters are also very bland. There is barely any exploration of any of the characters including the main character. Due to this, they all come off as one-dimensional and this makes it very difficult to care about anyone. However, it has some incredibly well-choreographed and fun action sequences. Who doesn’t want to see Ma Dong-seok kick ass!
Post a Comment
Read more

A “QUICK!” Review of “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)”

  When I found out after watching, that this was based on a Manhua (Chinese Comic book), it started to make sense. Characters that feel straightforward, the action scenes that defy physics in every way, the power of friendship, straight-up superpowered abilities, and countless flashbacks. The film suffers from juggling too many things. We have this fish out of water, self-discovery story with our main character. We have this gang conflict between those in the Walled City and the Triads. We have a revenge plot. We have a man dealing with his past—the growing of bonds. Unfortunately, the story is all incredibly predictable and lacks real depth. The constant talk about the past conflict sounded more interesting than the main plot. The ending is lacklustre and the final fight is so weird with the unexplained superpowers. However, if you like martial arts movies then there is certainly fun to be had here.
Post a Comment
Read more