Each time I will have to binge watch the entire Saw franchise, it must be delightfully surprising to be a Saw fan. Man, because each installment can be a wild ride from beginning to end without subtlety or keeping the story consistent to keep me engaged. Saw is built on a visual medium. A mainstream shock horror series designed for you to have plenty of FUN. And I certainly had fun watching this. Biting my nails until they break fearing for the character’s safety in getting out of the steamy, crooked, smelly, rotten also incredibly ugly environment there placed in. With the stakes becoming more personal than mean. Character arcs seem to have a point in being here especially John Kramer himself. Nobody’s a deep but cynical mastermind than Kramer, and his arc here is, he’s on the verge of death one way or another. 

Once the first trap is executed where a man must get a key from his bloodied eye before his face ultimately gets crushed by a metal face mask sets the tone for the entire movie. Foreboding but terrifying in it’s own right. We see this guy die in the opening scene. After that we get introduced to Detective Matthews. He has a pretty solid character arc himself. You actually sympathize with Matthews, having to sacrifice his life to save his son from John Kramer. But, behind closed doors, the father/son relationship is plucked right out of a lifetime movie but it gives the movie stakes that I find quite interesting here. Various ideas come right at us than the gore itself. 

There’s the commentary on death, life, acceptance John Kramer is so madly in love with. He wants to test people on there internal suffering. The suffering they’ve inflicted on themselves because there life is all too great. John Matthew’s innocent son literally has nothing but diagnosed with severe daddy issues. Amanda from the first film deals with the fact she was a heroin addict before she fell into John’s hands. The other characters being entirely criminals. Most importantly the characters trapped in the building are the people who despise Detective Matthews. Providing unique themes and ideas about guilt and empathy, remorse within the characters here. 

In one scene Amanda has to throw herself into an infinity pool of needles. Not only is needles such a crucial integral part of the trap, but it does symbolize Amanda’s addiction becoming way too powerful for her to even control. She had doubts. She hated her lifestyle. Even before she got kidnapped by Jigsaw, she let her intentions get the better of her by trying to lull herself. Suicide is something of an emotional core here, one scene in particular dives deep into John Kramer’s backstory of some sorts, he too has left life too little to be desired attempting to kill himself because his cancer is killing him one by one. Providing themes of mortality and death John is so in love with. 

Whether you take Saw as just shock value gore fest. It barely gets into it. Considering tension builds it’s way up to the traps where they come alive. The gun door trap is easily one of the most brutal, but I have to admit the needle pool scene is easily one of the most disturbing traps I’ve ever have to witness in this series. What I like about this sequel is it focuses on the characters more, fleshing them out, while there not entirely well-written characters, and some of the acting can be really bad, they still have their moral dilemmas and problems or actions they caused as to why there here in the first place. The movie focuses also on Detective Matthews’s beef with John Kramer while also trying to save his son from Kramer’s little traps. And the interaction between them gets more and more terrifying and raw as the film progresses. 

Nothing usually happens in the movie. I love the fact the movie takes place in one location until the final act kicks into high gear. And by high gear I mean the twists and turns Saw is so famous for starts to get under your skin than just dropping your jaw. Bad people just doing good things and good people just doing bad things. The idea of the characters having two hours to survive in a steamy intoxicating smell of a house shows the ideas of mortality. And it does it in a brutal personal level. 

Although much of the emotional resonance from the first film is missing. 

Although you do care about Detective Matthews’s plea to save his son after the film establishing there estranged relationship. Matthew’s son also being a troubled teenager. Seeing how Matthews goes to great lengths to protect his son, despite the hatred he has for him for his actions. Getting himself tricked by John Kramer at the end when they go into the bathroom from the first film. Delivering his son to John Kramer. A twist I definitely never saw coming. Setting things up for the third installment in the series. John just wanted to see the results in what Matthews could’ve done to prevent his son and his actions that stand the test of time for life. 

As much as I enjoy the cool character arcs, the acting is mostly terrible. The performance from Detective Matthews is pretty solid. The dialogue not so much. So much exposition dumps come and go like feathers. But the gore, tension, suspense make the film entertaining as it always been. The traps being the most disturbing I’ve ever seen in the entire series. A lot of fun and mostly entertaining of course. The twist just got me there. It hand me at Saw twist. 

Saw II remains a cult favorite sequel. Not the best sequel I’ve seen but it definitely captures what made the first predecessor so mysterious, compelling also fucked up. The mystery itself is compelling, wild and has a lot of twists and turns I never see coming at all. And I enjoy it thoroughly. 

In conclusion buy some time watching this entire series. I will have the pleasure binge watching this entire franchise and I’ll probably won’t get tired of it at all. The acting is pretty bad, the dialogue ain’t great but hey, I love to have fun watching these films no matter how horrendous, convoluted, or how the plot never makes sense to certain people, but, hey, I love to have fun and yeah, I have no problem with it. The Saw franchise will always be entertaining for what they are. It’s nice to not take things seriously. There will be blood.