Review of Jigsaw (2017) by Kevin P — 19 Oct 2018

Strengths: When you go into a Saw movie, you kind of know what to expect. Gore, inventive traps, and at least a few plot twists to leave you guessing. We did get some inventive traps in this one and more than a few gory moments that are fitting of the franchise. The special effects used during those scenes are very well done, making the most of the film's budget. There also happens to be a solid pace to this. They get right into the meat of the story and don't really waste much time, allowing things to move along smoothly. Tobin Bell (John Kramer) continues to excel in his role.

Weaknesses: It's hard to root for any of the characters when they make such terrible decisions. It happened in Saw II, but at least there were a few level-headed people in that one. This group of characters just continually makes dumb decision after dumb decision. Matt Pasamore (Logan Nelson) isn't a great choice for the lead, as his performance isn't very convincing. Characters like Mitch (Mandela Van Peebles), Ryan (Paul Braunstein), and Anna (Laura Vandervoot) are in the traps and all make bad moves you can't relate to. The same goes for Carly (Brittany Allen), who honestly deserved to die for her stupidity. The twist at the end feels like you can see it coming from far away. Hannah Emily Anderson (Eleanor Bonneville) is an interesting character, yet she's just a red herring who randomly disappears in the third act.

Overall: If you're here for the cool traps and gore, Jigsaw mostly delivers. It's just hard to get past the awful characters. They make it so you can't appreciate much beyond the visuals.