This horror tip contains the fifth installment of the Saw franchise, from 2008. As for the story, it plays out rather predictable and follows the Saw franchise blueprint, to the letter.
That disappointed me a bit, since I expected a bit more originality from it. Nevertheless, you’ll know what you’ll get and if you liked the previous Saw movies, you will like this one as well. Besides, I think it’s perfect as a weekend DVD horror experience.
I really liked the first Saw movie, mostly for the moral of the story; what are you willing to do, to survive and why don’t we appreciate our lives, until it’s too late? Those things and the writer’s creativeness when it came to kill the characters made Saw cutting edge and set a new standard for horror movies.
However, that was a couple of years ago, and if you have followed the Saw series, you haven’t seen anything new, just variations. So I got a bit excited when I heard that Saw V should be as good as the first one. I know, it dangerous to see a movie with a bag full of expectations, often you end up with disappointment.
The plot for Saw V is that the jigsaw killer plans a game, before he dies, that makes his apprentice Mark Hoffman, a hero for saving a little girl. Agent Strahm survives and slowly he relies that Hoffman has actually been helping the jigsaw killer, to commit all the gruesome murders.
While Strahm digs up every lead about Hoffman and the jigsaw killer, a five people will learn the meaning of teamwork, in a game designed by the jigsaw killer. Hoffman and Strahm are closing in on each other, until the final bloodshed is bound to happen; the only question is who designed the end and which one is to trust?
The focus in the movie is on Agent Strahm, that survives a game in the beginning, and starts to investigate Hoffman and soon he understands all the pieces and how they fit together, like how the death of Hoffman’s sister played a key role when Hoffman decided to join the jigsaw killer.
Strahm’s investigation doesn’t feels believable, there, too many holes and it’s very strange that everyone else has missed, the things he stumbles on just unexpectedly. It feels like that part of the movie is there just to fill out the minutes.
More interesting are the flashbacks that play while Strahm does his investigation. We’ll get to see the moment when Hoffman decides to be the jigsaw killer’s apprentice, of course with a little bit of help from the jigsaw killer. The discussion and debate who has the right to kill whom, and what’s right and what’s wrong, is memorable.
5 persons that have severely misused their advantages for their personal wealth, play the main game in Saw V. The instructions that they get from the jigsaw killer are more than enough to understand how they should play the game, to get everyone out alive. Moreover, it’s unfair just to blame the story, the actors flat performances, doesn’t help much either.
The movie accelerates fast and you’ll find yourself on the highway, so you will not be bored. However, you’ll clearly see the end sign and as you turn of the highway, the movie slows down, but by then you’ll have everything sorted out and you think you know how it will end.
It is then it happens, the one thing that made the first Saw movie to a success, the end. I will not spoil anything for you, so don’t worry, however I can tell you this; the end isn’t as good as it could be, but it manages to save the day…
Photo: Copyright © Lionsgate
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