Movie review: Saw V

You won't be that sawrry.

by Shawn Parikh

Every Halloween means something special to me, and it has nothing to do with candy. My sweet tooth is surpassed by the joy of a new Saw releasing in the movie theaters. Call me sick, but like many horror fanatics, I line up to see it opening day in hopes that the genius that was the first Saw will be re-created. But it never happens. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. The series gets progressively worse.

Saw V sort of broke the trend this time, only because it is slightly better than the third and fourth, but worse than the second, and much inferior to the original. Whereas the third and the fourth focused more on gore, this one goes back to its roots and shows us the clever games Jigsaw creates.

If you don’t follow the series and have no intention of watching the beginning part of the series, the Jigsaw killer is not really a killer. He finds immoral people and puts them in contraptions that will kill them if they choose to let it. Otherwise, they can stop the contraption by performing some gruesome act, such as finding a key in intestines, sawing a foot off, or throwing someone in a pit full of syringes. If the person survives, they have a new outlook on life and will cherish it.

The games and contraptions are what give the series its edge. And Saw V had a good time creating different ways for people to kill themselves or others. Although incredibly gory, the opening scene was quite effective. I won’t give it away, but it’s impossible for you not to cringe, and it sets the tone for how carefully planned the games will be.

Saw V picks up right where Saw IV left off where Jigsaw and his new protégé are attacking the cops in the city. Jigsaw is now dead and the movie follows his protégé attacking a group of people, trying to get the cops off his back, and learning how to be the new Jigsaw through a series of flashbacks.

The best part of the movie is following Jigsaw’s student's newest game, in which he traps 5 people in a room that are all somehow connected. All five of them must work together to get to the next room, but each room has a clever game causing one person to die. This part of the storyline is the most intriguing, only because there is no way to know who is going to die and how.

The movie lost its momentum since it was intercut with flashbacks to show Jigsaw teaching his new student all the tricks of the trade. Because we have seen all these games before, it fell flat and unfolded at a snail pace.

It was less of a horror movie but more of a thriller with a ton of gore. The film focuses more on the chase than the killer. Also, the Saws are pretty much known for a twist ending. But when the trailers say that “You won’t believe this ending,” I expect something respectable. With an abrupt ending, just know you will be disappointed.

As far as the acting, it’s all so-so. Tobin Bell is still creepy as ever as Jigsaw, but the new pupil, Costas Mandylor isn’t threatening. His motivation to kill is a little cliché and doesn’t really drive the rest of the movie. Julie Benz (of Dexter fame) is a surprise addition to this movie and adds some complexity to her character.

Altogether, the movie is a good Halloween view, but don’t go in expecting something amazing. I will say this: it is decent enough to wait for next year’s Saw VI.