Dan Abel’s review published on Letterboxd:
"I speak for the dead."
It's been ten years since John Kramer died. The city has returned to normal and the Jigsaw killings have become a distant memory. That is until a body is found with a puzzle piece cut out of it's skin. In it's place is a chip with a sound clip on it. A clip from John Kramer. There's a new game and five people's lives are on the line.
It's been seven years since Lionsgate last kicked the tires on it's 100 million dollar a year cash cow. Although Saw 3D was absolutely dreadful, it did make a ton of money so I have to say I am impressed by the show of restraint displayed by the shelving of the franchise. Another thing that impresses me yet again is how they manipulate time and weave a plot that includes Tobin Bell yet again. This dude has been dead for five films already and yet here he is.
Ten minutes in and did I really just see a jump-cut away from a kill!? If there is one thing that can never be said about this franchise it would be that it's been shy about blood and gore. NOT a good start. Thankfully that's a one and done because the rest of the film has that gore we expect. The gore we love. Well....sorta. Practical FX are almost completely gone and in their place are CGI FX that vary wildly in quality. While some gore scenes look spectacular, there are a few that will induce hard eye rolls. I'm looking at YOU, split head scene.
Jigsaw abandons most of the plot from the previous films and I think that was the right call considering how heavy and intricate it became by the end of the dreadful Saw 3D. It must have been nice for the new production team to be unsaddled from that burden. If you can get past Detective Tryhard Cringe with his muscle car and the ten minutes wasted waiting on a man to pull a lever you may be surprised to find a decent enough plot. It's better than the last two films for sure but that isn't saying much. Do I want it to continue? Not really, but we're getting yet another sequel anyway. I'll be there.
Bonus: Just a random thought. I think the Saw franchise would be well served with a reboot much like Halloween that ignores everything after the first, second, or third film and twists the plot to make Jigsaw live longer with his cancer. The apprentices are ok but they just can't fill those boots like the real Jigsaw can.
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