The little franchise that could, more commonly known as “Saw,” claims that the seventh film in the series is its last. Am I prepared to hold my breath? Not exactly. The one thing the “Saw” series excels at on a consistent basis, is leaving its endings open for further exploration. “Saw 3D” is no exception.
Critics, as usual, are not receptive to this installment, and although I believe them to be a bit harsh on the series, some of the rationale is spot on. But there’s no doubt that “Saw” is a pop culture icon, with a very strong fan base. So does that mean the critics are wrong? Not necessarily, it just goes to show that given the right opportunity, the right timing, and the right marketing to a specific demographic, mixed in with consistency, success is inevitable.
“Saw 3D” follows suit in its opening, storyline, plot twists and revelations. There are some marked changes that I was not a fan of. Without going into plot details or revealing too much, I would like to point a few of those changes out. The one thing that always made me appreciate the complex and intricate “Saw” story lines was the fact that it was always revealed to the audience why each person who was caught in a Jigsaw trap was put there. That’s not the case in the opening of “Saw 3D.” In fact, the opening really had nothing to do with anything else in the film.
Anybody who has seen any of the “Saw” films knows that the Jigsaw legacy has substance, positively twisted motives and a morally-correct message. Well, it did until the 3D sequel anyways. Jigsaw’s legacy is thrown out the window and the senseless, vengeful, more classic motives take over. Traps aren’t really meant to be gotten out of, and personal vendettas are the front runner.
As for the traps, there are a few that are really credible in their uniqueness, grotesqueness and cringe-worthiness. My personal favorite was one involving a car, and a close runner-up was one which consisted of a fish hook. Neither of which needed enhancing by being in 3D. Was the 3D cool? Yes, it was aesthetically pleasing and some blood flying at your face never hurts a horror flick. Was it necessary? I honestly don’t think so. I am not a fan of filming in 3D for the sake of filming in 3D. It didn’t add anything super fantastic to the film. Sure, it’s cool, but the “Saw” films are successful because of so many different factors. The seventh film, I honestly believe, would have been equally effective had it not been in 3D.
In the end, it’s not my favorite in the series, but it’s better than “Saw V.” Cary Elwes (Dr. Gordon) makes his return and I loved his portion, although it was a bit small, and by a bit small, I mean I needed more than two minutes of his storyline. If you have seen the first six films, you might as well see the seventh. But unless you are a crazy fanatic, it really isn’t vital to spend the extra dough on the 3D, the old-fashioned 2D should suffice just fine.
On the Jess-O-Meter, “Saw 3D” gets a “Sure it’s played out, but is it really GAME OVER?”
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Follow Jessika Owens on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jessika.
Agreed 3d stinks don’t do it. I have to say I wasn’t really excited but when I saw Sean Patrick Flanery was in it I was very happy and for me I thought it was the best of the series.
I <3 Sean Patrick!