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Suffering? You haven't seen anything yet....
A review of
SAW III
by
Carlos R Savournin
Jeff Reinhart wakes to find himself in a dark box – one that’s been locked. He has several minutes to get himself out before doom falls upon him. With the key nowhere in sight, Jeff scrambles to understand his situation, and save his own life before he falls victim to another one of the incomparable Jigsaw’s traps.
So begins the third installment of the multi-million dollar horror franchise, SAW.
SAW III , out on DVD now, is still not as good as the original, but it certainly comes close. Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), has once again, disappeared along with his new apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith) – and it’s no secret now that he is dying. In order to keep him alive, Dr. Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh) is kidnapped and forced into a twisted game only Jigsaw can create. Meanwhile, another one of his victims runs rampant through a maze of horrifying traps that, not only makes him face his own past and fears, but risks the lives of people that have haunted his life.
The film is suspenseful and downright horrifying at parts (you’ll know exactly what scene made audience members faint during a screening in the UK), but the tension is at its best when Amanda and Jigsaw begin to bump heads – Amanda, the eager student, Jigsaw the patient teacher. And when it all begins to fall into place, plot elements of all three films are combined giving an explanation of unanswered questions that make you slap your thighs and wonder why you hadn’t thought of it before.
The plot is less complicated than it sounds, and the traps (which are a huge part of the SAW series) are as original – and brutal – as fans would expect. The twist endings that are also a staple in the series are less shocking in this film, but fans will welcome it, for it is the darkest of all its predecessors.
The unrated edition of the DVD is loaded with hours of special features such as a documentary titled “The Traps of SAW III” any Goldberg variant fan will cream over, and the usual commentaries and deleted scenes. For fans of the first two, this is definitely a must have.
One can only hope that this will be the last of the SAW series. Just once, it’d be nice to have a horror trilogy that ended when it was at its best. But, since SAW IV is already in pre-production, it seems the movie execs have fallen into their own traps. We can only wait to see if they come out alive.
Face your fears. Rent or buy SAW III today.
With superior being a bright full moon, this DVD rates:
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© Savournin, 2007
