'Jigsaw' Review

The Saw Franchise has become synonymous with gore, torture, and violence. Many, though not its own creators, would credit it with starting the modern resurgence of splatter films — colloquially known as "gorno" or "torture porn." As the franchise has progressed, great pains have been taken to assure that newer, more involved, more spectacular traps provide carefully rendered murder. These visuals are hung on an over-the-top, occasionally verging on comical, interconnected frame of parallel plots that follow the trials of the jigsaw victims in his elaborate trap and a related outside world story.

The plot, which faithfully walks the path of a Saw film, is generally predictable. Any viewer opting into a Saw film will be expected to suspend most practical disbelief, and the story stays close enough to the vaguely possible to keep the film chugging forward without alienating any fans. Companion plots of the jigsaw trial and police investigation are a staple of the saw franchise. The plot twists that unfold in the third act are effectively camouflaged throughout the film, partly because all of the characters are somewhat silly or confusing, the culprit's identity will surprise some. The audience is delivered a generic Jigsaw unveil, which does provide a rewarding bouquet of some hints dropped over the course of the film. Even so, it is not impressive enough to make this moment, that is clearly intended to be the bedrock of a reboot, memorable. The film overall introduced little new material, but delivered a familiar package with acceptable quality.

Jigsaw adorns the stalwart, if uninspired, plot with the expected bloody spectacle. The cold open leads with a flash of gore, and effectively sets the tone for the coming film. Disappointingly, the “Buckethead" mechanism which appears early in the film almost identical to the opening mechanism of Saw 5. The jarring laziness in this recycled piece causes the sequence to drag on. This sort of laziness is unexpected and confusing. The subsequent set-pieces were serviceable, if wacky at times, but largely original. The Silo trap is particularly silly. It is impossible to believe that there was no original trap that could be produced, and the “Buckethead” repeat is a totally avoidable stumble in a clear and easy path forward through the story. The set-pieces give a platform for exposition of the middling story elements. The bloody, gross-out aftermath of the respective traps is rendered in the careful detail viewers have come to expect from the franchise. The final trap, wrapped together with the Jigsaw unveil, provides a climax of CGI viscera which some will find flashy and exciting but others will find ostentatious and corny.

There is little burden of performance on the actors in the film, and the majority of the cast delivered exactly what was needed. Paul Braunstein as Ryan is very flat at times. He is placed center stage during the Silo sequence but doesn't manage to deliver anything. Hannah Anderson as Eleanor goes all in with creepy and weird for her character. It is fitting for what the story wants the character to be, and she can't be blamed for the film's ham-handed execution. Any real weakness from the cast is washed away because they rarely stayed on screen long enough to be tiresome. Matt Passmore stood out as Logan, which bodes well for the inevitable forthcoming installments. The design and camerawork do most of the atmospheric heavy lifting and keep the gears turning at an acceptable pace.

Jigsaw is more of the same from a time-honored, battle-tested franchise. It avoids the major pitfalls of the weakest moments of the franchise but does nothing to grasp at the finest moments to come out of the early installments. The film will give you exactly what you expected going in — be that enjoyment, apathy, or disgust.