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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Saw II (2005) in Movies
Jan 8, 2020
Against The Clock
Saw II- continues off of the first one. More games, more victims and more torture. I like the story, I like donnie Walhburg, I like tobin Bell and I like Shawnee Smith. I like the twist and turns thoughout the movie. I like the psychological espect of the film. So much of the first film is in this film which is good.
The Plot: On the hunt for the twisted vigilante and serial killer Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) and his team must apprehend the elusive murderer to rescue eight people trapped in an abandoned house, before they succumb to his torturous and murderous games. One twist to this task is that Matthews' own son, Daniel (Erik Knudsen), is among the eight people Jigsaw has chosen to test for their lack of morality. With nerve gas pumping through the house, every second counts.
A good sequel to a fantastic first film.
The Plot: On the hunt for the twisted vigilante and serial killer Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) and his team must apprehend the elusive murderer to rescue eight people trapped in an abandoned house, before they succumb to his torturous and murderous games. One twist to this task is that Matthews' own son, Daniel (Erik Knudsen), is among the eight people Jigsaw has chosen to test for their lack of morality. With nerve gas pumping through the house, every second counts.
A good sequel to a fantastic first film.
Andrew Kennedy (199 KP) rated Saw II (2005) in Movies
Aug 30, 2019
The best of the Saw sequels and the only one I went to the cinema to see.
The original Saw is fantastic and the twist you dont see coming ending is one of, if not the best I have ever seen.
Saw 2 is nearly as good. The main house trap is a stroke of genius and the solo traps for each of the victims are so well planned and just look so devilious.
Darren Lynn Bousman directs (as he will the new Saw reboot involving Chris Rock) as Tobin Bell, with that amazing voice, retruns to play John Krammer/Jigsaw and he is hunted down by Mark Whalbergs detective Eric Matthews.
This leads to a tense standoff in Jigsaws lair as Matthews discovers his son, Daniel is one of the participants in the house trap. A house slowly filling with nerve gas.
Also returning is Shawnee Smith as Amanda who is also playing the game again in the house.
As the film twists towards its shocking ending you realise all you have to do is follow the rules to win the game.
Game Over
The original Saw is fantastic and the twist you dont see coming ending is one of, if not the best I have ever seen.
Saw 2 is nearly as good. The main house trap is a stroke of genius and the solo traps for each of the victims are so well planned and just look so devilious.
Darren Lynn Bousman directs (as he will the new Saw reboot involving Chris Rock) as Tobin Bell, with that amazing voice, retruns to play John Krammer/Jigsaw and he is hunted down by Mark Whalbergs detective Eric Matthews.
This leads to a tense standoff in Jigsaws lair as Matthews discovers his son, Daniel is one of the participants in the house trap. A house slowly filling with nerve gas.
Also returning is Shawnee Smith as Amanda who is also playing the game again in the house.
As the film twists towards its shocking ending you realise all you have to do is follow the rules to win the game.
Game Over
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Saw II (2005) in Movies
Oct 3, 2020
Out of the slew of sequels that followed in the wake of the success of the first film, Saw II is easily the most watchable.
Everything is upped - more blood, more victims, more absurd traps for them to escape from - but it succeeds where the other sequels miserably failed, keeping it all fairly reigned in for the most part, assuring that the plot carries a substantial amount of intrigue, instead of getting buried under gratuitous torture.
We get to see more Tobin Bell this time around, which is certainly a good thing. His increased presence as antagonist Jigsaw is a high point of the movie. Donnie Wahlberg and Shawnee Smith have a little more to do in the franchise going forward, but the rest of the cast are hugely dull and forgettable, obvious cannon fodder for Jigsaws' games.
The various traps are imaginative without going overboard as well, and are effective - the pit of syringes, the pig carcasses, and especially the lockbox with wrist slicing blades, are all pretty memorable without throwing heaps of gore at the viewer.
Saw II is a half decent follow up to the great original. You could happily watch the first two and not bother with any of the others, and still be suitably satisfied, unless, like me, you're a glutton for punishment.
Everything is upped - more blood, more victims, more absurd traps for them to escape from - but it succeeds where the other sequels miserably failed, keeping it all fairly reigned in for the most part, assuring that the plot carries a substantial amount of intrigue, instead of getting buried under gratuitous torture.
We get to see more Tobin Bell this time around, which is certainly a good thing. His increased presence as antagonist Jigsaw is a high point of the movie. Donnie Wahlberg and Shawnee Smith have a little more to do in the franchise going forward, but the rest of the cast are hugely dull and forgettable, obvious cannon fodder for Jigsaws' games.
The various traps are imaginative without going overboard as well, and are effective - the pit of syringes, the pig carcasses, and especially the lockbox with wrist slicing blades, are all pretty memorable without throwing heaps of gore at the viewer.
Saw II is a half decent follow up to the great original. You could happily watch the first two and not bother with any of the others, and still be suitably satisfied, unless, like me, you're a glutton for punishment.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Saw III (2006) in Movies
Oct 8, 2020
The first Saw film is genuinely great. The second I can tolerate. Saw III however is where the franchise started to lose me.
At this point, it's still not as convoluted as the series eventually gets, but it's here where you can clearly see the cracks start to appear, where every entry going forwards tries to ape what made the first film a success, whilst simultaneously becoming increasingly mean spirited - it's the first entry that really hints at the gore and viscera being more important than a decent plot.
The main positive of Saw III is the sheer amount of Tobin Bell we're treated to. Even on his death bed, Jigsaw is still appropriately sinister, and it's hard to see the role belonging to any other actor.
It's also nice to see Dina Meyer back for another turn, but her role here is all too brief.
Unfortunately, everyone else I can take or leave. Shawnee Smith returns as Jigsaws' apprentice, and her character is just so damn unlikable with no redeemable features, and is a far cry from her more compelling teacher, who always had a reason for doing what he did.
Then there's Jeff (Slow Ass Motherfuckin' Jeff to some) played by Angus Macfadyen. Honestly, I struggle to recall a protagonist in a horror movie that is quite as useless as this guy. He's insufferable to the point of sheer frustration.
Everyone else is just hugely forgettable, even Costas Mandylor who would go on to have a bigger role in the series moving forward.
The mixture of these non characters makes for a boring narrative, that ends up relying on gore for any worth.
The various Jigsaw traps seen in these films become more ambitious, theatrical, and disgusting as the franchise waddles along, and that's not necessarily a good thing. With each film, the more minimalist approach to the first film seems further and further out of reach.
As I mentioned, some of the deaths in Saw III are just plain mean spirited. Gore in horror movies really works when the film still manages to be entertaining, something that the bleak Saw III just isn't.
It's still not a terrible film, but honestly, the series just nosedives from here on out in my opinion, and this third entry is the jumping point.
At this point, it's still not as convoluted as the series eventually gets, but it's here where you can clearly see the cracks start to appear, where every entry going forwards tries to ape what made the first film a success, whilst simultaneously becoming increasingly mean spirited - it's the first entry that really hints at the gore and viscera being more important than a decent plot.
The main positive of Saw III is the sheer amount of Tobin Bell we're treated to. Even on his death bed, Jigsaw is still appropriately sinister, and it's hard to see the role belonging to any other actor.
It's also nice to see Dina Meyer back for another turn, but her role here is all too brief.
Unfortunately, everyone else I can take or leave. Shawnee Smith returns as Jigsaws' apprentice, and her character is just so damn unlikable with no redeemable features, and is a far cry from her more compelling teacher, who always had a reason for doing what he did.
Then there's Jeff (Slow Ass Motherfuckin' Jeff to some) played by Angus Macfadyen. Honestly, I struggle to recall a protagonist in a horror movie that is quite as useless as this guy. He's insufferable to the point of sheer frustration.
Everyone else is just hugely forgettable, even Costas Mandylor who would go on to have a bigger role in the series moving forward.
The mixture of these non characters makes for a boring narrative, that ends up relying on gore for any worth.
The various Jigsaw traps seen in these films become more ambitious, theatrical, and disgusting as the franchise waddles along, and that's not necessarily a good thing. With each film, the more minimalist approach to the first film seems further and further out of reach.
As I mentioned, some of the deaths in Saw III are just plain mean spirited. Gore in horror movies really works when the film still manages to be entertaining, something that the bleak Saw III just isn't.
It's still not a terrible film, but honestly, the series just nosedives from here on out in my opinion, and this third entry is the jumping point.