SAW VI
RYAN: I just saw “Saw VI.” Did you saw it?
CAROLINE: Mercifully, I did not saw it. I saw the original “Saw” and vowed never to saw again. This franchise is way too gory for me.
RYAN: This movie didn’t screen for critics, as usual, but Lionsgate did provide a courtesy screening for us. I’ve seen all the previous “Saw” movies so I figured I’d check this one out for free, even though I didn’t really want to. Let’s be honest, if you saw one “Saw” movie, you saw ’em all.
CAROLINE: That’s what I figured.
RYAN: But after seeing this one, I have to say it’s quite different.
CAROLINE: How is that possible? Doesn’t every single one feature two people trapped in a room with an appendage shackled to a pipe and they have to figure out how to get free thus invariably winding up sawing a limb off?
RYAN: [laughs’ That’s exactly how this movie begins. And one of the girls featured is the winner of that VH1 show “Scream Queen.” So for the opening scene, I was like, “Ugh, more of this again?”
CAROLINE: I guess that’s sort of the premise of these movies.
RYAN: And it’s so gory. I think I puked a little bit in my mouth, which I really don’t appreciate. But this movie, unlike the others, really focuses on one man’s story. It explains the pathology and history behind Jigsaw and all his craziness and evildoing. It actually felt like a real ending to the franchise, so maybe they’re not planning a “Saw VII.”
CAROLINE: Well, given that it couldn’t beat “Paranormal Activity” this weekend, maybe that’s not a bad idea. You have to pull the plug at some point. And the fact that they’ve even had six “Saw” movies is kind of a miracle to me.
RYAN: It’s become a Halloween tradition to have a new “Saw” and they always make tons of money. But this is the first one in a while to not open at #1. I’m sure they’re disappointed, but this movie just doesn’t have the buzz that “Paranormal Activity” does.
CAROLINE: There’s no one famous in it, right? I just remember Cary Elwes being in the first “Saw,” and thinking, “What happened to his career?”
RYAN: No one really famous but I recognized one girl from several previous “Saw” movies.
CAROLINE: Is there any plot to speak of?
RYAN: Quite a bit, actually. Unlike the others, this movie has a lot of dialogue and real scenes. It has a little less of the torture stuff, but still enough to totally gross me out. It’s kind of unbearable to watch. I’m not an advocate of turning away from the screen in movies, but if I was ever going to, it’d be here.
— BOTTOM LINE —
RYAN: It’s gory and disgusting, but better than I expected it to be. It’s actually watchable due to a more consistent plot and some dialogue. It’s only 91 minutes, which is always a plus. But some of it’s just not very good.
— RATING —
