Here it comes again. For the fourth Halloween running, the Saw franchise is crawling its bloody way out of the horror-swamp.
Remember the original Saw? A smart, intriguing thriller in the vein of Se7en that was less about gore and more about mystery, it was simple, ingenious, and made by a couple of clever Aussies with a real eye for good horror.
But with every Saw, the watchwords seem to be bigger, better, and more. Based more on grotesque traps to stimulate plot than a riveting plot that happens to include one or two neat traps, Saw IV follows on from Saw III’s decline and arrives in a muddled, if adequate mess on our pumpkin-festooned doorsteps.
Wan and Whannell have jumped ship, and it’s obvious. The former gleeful quick-cutting graininess feels stodgy under the direction of Darren Lynn Bousman and the plot has found itself crammed awkwardly together, with a gaping hole for every revelation. It's an imitation of the franchise's former glory, with emphasis on all the wrong elements. Rather than be intriguing, it’s frustrating. Rather than be rewarding, it’s simply sufficient.
The plot is decent enough, though revealing it here would ruin the mystery, which is threadbare and the film’s saving grace. It is interesting to guess what’s going to happen next, and it makes for an average thriller, but it’s impossible to even summon the vague gag-reflex that made the original (and to a certain degree, the first sequel) so rewarding. There is the occasional satisfying comeuppance, but the endless march of gory, momentary set pieces is desensitising at best, and the rabid puppy of sentimentality gnaws its boring way through every non-violent scene.
In short, it’s too much of not enough. Too much plot, too much violence, but ultimately meaningless.
Remember the original Saw? A smart, intriguing thriller in the vein of Se7en that was less about gore and more about mystery, it was simple, ingenious, and made by a couple of clever Aussies with a real eye for good horror.
But with every Saw, the watchwords seem to be bigger, better, and more. Based more on grotesque traps to stimulate plot than a riveting plot that happens to include one or two neat traps, Saw IV follows on from Saw III’s decline and arrives in a muddled, if adequate mess on our pumpkin-festooned doorsteps.
Wan and Whannell have jumped ship, and it’s obvious. The former gleeful quick-cutting graininess feels stodgy under the direction of Darren Lynn Bousman and the plot has found itself crammed awkwardly together, with a gaping hole for every revelation. It's an imitation of the franchise's former glory, with emphasis on all the wrong elements. Rather than be intriguing, it’s frustrating. Rather than be rewarding, it’s simply sufficient.
The plot is decent enough, though revealing it here would ruin the mystery, which is threadbare and the film’s saving grace. It is interesting to guess what’s going to happen next, and it makes for an average thriller, but it’s impossible to even summon the vague gag-reflex that made the original (and to a certain degree, the first sequel) so rewarding. There is the occasional satisfying comeuppance, but the endless march of gory, momentary set pieces is desensitising at best, and the rabid puppy of sentimentality gnaws its boring way through every non-violent scene.
In short, it’s too much of not enough. Too much plot, too much violence, but ultimately meaningless.
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