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In order to get to the review of the new
Bluray of "Saw VI", I think I
need to revisit the time I reviewed the
first film, then a little bit on the second.
In part because this set actually INCLUDES
the first film as an added bonus. I’m
not going to get into each film as they
all started to run together after a while.
As the original movie “Saw”
opened, we found two men seemingly alone
in an old, rundown warehouse bathroom. Each
was chained at the leg to pipes on opposite
sides of the room. Between them lay a dead
body, an apparent suicide victim. Who they
were, and why they were there was only a
tiny part of the puzzling story that was
“Saw.”
The two biggest problems I originally had
with reviewing a film like “Saw”
were in the name and the plot. In talking
to people about the film (writing as is
the case here), I found it hard not to say,
“I saw Saw,” or “I went
to see Saw.“
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I know it’s a silly problem, but try saying
it a few times and you’ll see (Saw). As
for the plot, it was filled with so many complex
plot twists, that I couldn’t say much about
the film directly or it would give away any one
of a hundred important plot points.
My wife and I went to see “Saw” (there
it is…) right before it officially opened
at a packed screening. Neither one of us knew
much about the film other than the fact that it
was supposed to be dark, disturbing and gory.
Suffice to say it hit on all cylinders, and turned
out to be the most intense film I had seen that
year. We were totally on the edge of our seats
the entire time, either with anticipation or simply
trying and spot clues that would reveal all of
the film’s secrets. At one point, the suspense
was so thick that my wife actually jumped and
screamed (which is something she rarely does at
a movie), which in turn almost made my uneaten
popcorn fly through the air.
I’ve had a few people ask me back then why
the film was called “Saw”, my first
assumption was that it alluded to a particular
cutting instrument that figures prominently in
the film. But in retrospect, I had to wonder if
writer/actor Leigh Whannell was more subliminally
alluding to the fact that the film was one big
jigsaw puzzle.What I can tell you about the story
was that it involved a ‘serial killer’
who puts his victims into intricately designed
deathtraps and gives them the opportunity to escape.
The only problem is, sometimes their only escape
involves self-mutilating methods. The cops that
were after him were actually considering if he
could be really called a killer, as his victims
ended up killing themselves. As involved as that
may sound, the plot actually went much further
and deeper than that.
When word spread of a sequel coming out the following
year, I rolled my eyes figuring they were probably
going to run a good story into the ground. And
as the identity of the killer was revealed by
the end of the film, I couldn’t really figure
out how they could come up with a second story
as involving and surprising as the first. Yet,
when "Saw II" came out, I was surprised
to find that it was almost as good as the first.
A lot of my friends disagreed with me, but what
do they know? The characters were a little less
interesting, but I enjoyed the film's payoff.
My wife actually figured out a portion of what
was going on, but was still drawn right into the
ending.
So… "Saw VI” now, huh? Pretty
much after “Saw II”, things started
going steadily downhill for the franchise. They
were obviously churning them out a little too
quickly, without really taking any time to try
and create a new and awesome direction for it
to go in. The writers tried to be clever, and
very occasionally something would click…
but for the most part each sequel lost a little
bit more of my interest. So admittedly I was VERY
much not looking forward to going into this new
rehash… except that I was very surprised
to find out that it actually wasn’t so much
of a rehash. Yes, there are several intricate
torture devices utilized to get you squirming
and hiding your eyes like you would expect and
Tobin Bell is still back in the picture as ‘Jigsaw”…
but there was a whole lot more. Again, I don’t
want to go into the plot too much as anything
I say will give away plot points.
I will tell you the film takes right up from
the ending of “Saw V” and for the
first time in the franchise’s history I
really felt like some important questions were
answered. (Well, important if you are at all into
this series…) Each film purported to deliver
answers about what came before, but usually they
were very vague answers that led to more questions.
Those eternal dangling carrots, as it were. This
time, the writers have actually put together a
satisfying storyline to carry over into a new
arc of films. Suffice to say this is the first
time I’ve looked forward to another sequel
since the original movie. And of course, there
will be a “Saw VII”, and I hope that
it can be as satisfying as this one turned out
to be.
Lionsgate is releasing several different versions
of “Saw VI”, the best for your money
however has to be the Bluray set, as it includes
not only the ‘Unrated Version’, but
as I mentioned earlier, the original “Saw”
as well. Those unfamiliar to the series would
absolutely want to check that one out before watching
this one. This high definition version also delivers
outstanding video and audio. The film is dark
and gritty, but you can see (Saw) every gory detail
the director intends for you to see (Saw). Unfortunately
for the squeamish the 7.1 DTS-HD mix allows fort
every little sound to hit you with crystal clarity.
Be prepared to cringe.
The Bluray also has two separate commentaries,
the first by producer Mark Berg along with producers
Pete Block and Jason Constantine. The follow up
is from director Kevin Gruetert, who is joined
by screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan.
While neither one especially stands out from the
other, both are surprisingly worth listening to.
A couple of the featurettes, “Jigsaw Revealed”
and “The Traps of Saw VI” are pretty
standard additions to a release from this franchise,
as well as the assorted music videos. I did find
the feature “A Killer Maze: Making Saw Game
Over” a pretty good watch, and made me want
to take a trip to Universal Studios. The disc
is also set up for “Lionsgate Live”
and is Touch and Metamenu remote enabled for you
techno geeks. I will say I was a little disappointed
to see (Saw) that ther was no Digital Download
like there was on the previous movie’s release.
Wonder what happened there?
So… before you heave a heavy sigh…
like I did… over the thought of another
“SAW” movie, you may want to check
it out. Chances are you’ll be as pleasantly
(or I should say horrifyingly) surprised as I
was.
Directed by: Kevin Greutert
Starring: Costas Mandylor, Tobin Bell, Mark Rolston,
Betsy Russell, Shawnee Smith
Extras: Includes original Saw movie; Audio Commentary
with Producer Mark Burg and Executive Producers
Peter Block and Jason Constantine; Audio Commentary
with Director Kevin Greutert and Screenwriters
Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan; "Jigsaw
Revealed" featurette; "The Traps of
SAW VI" featurette; "A Killer Maze:
Making SAW GAME OVER" featurette; Music videos
from the bands Mushroomhead, Memphis May Fire,
Hatebreed and Suicide Silence; Original theatrical
trailer; Lionsgate Live; Touch and Metamenu Remote
enabled
Specification: 1080p High Definition (1.78:1);
English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: 01/26/2010
MPAA Rating: R
http://www.lgf.com
We'll give Saw VI (Bluray) a B+.
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