John Kramer and his legacy just won't die, and I hope it never does. Jigsaw, the killer, is a genius. I mean, to come up with these games and design these contraptions and convince people to help him is incredible. His mind is several steps ahead of our own, and you learn just how intelligent he is as the movies go on.
"Saw", the first movie was released in 2004 and for the next 6 years, a new one was released before taking a 7-year break and then releasing "Jigsaw". Each movie did extremely well at the box office and was given relatively good ratings and reviews.
I'm slightly obsessed with these movies and the way they work together. I'm all for a good psychological thriller, and this is a prime example why. These movies aren't something you can just tune in and out of or simply watch a random one. You need to take the time to sit and watch them in the correct order and then pay close attention. They give you so much information and all the movies link together. Questions you have from the first movie get answered throughout the others. Movie 7 links all the way back to movie 1 and it's just amazing to me how it works.
The other part that I like, is that John/Jigsaw dies in the 3rd movie. He's barely in them, yet he plays such a huge role and his successors do such a great job that you don't mind. You still see him in flashbacks and learn his story and so much comes to light as things move forward. Seriously, it kind of blows my mind.
For those who don't know, the "Saw" movies are based on this man named John Kramer, deemed Jigsaw by the media as he carved out a jigsaw piece in his victim's skin. He says that he doesn't like the name. Claims that everyone is misunderstanding the point, carves this piece to show that his victims were missing something, something he called the survival instinct. He's had a bit of a rough go in life, the loss of his son, being diagnosed with inoperable cancer, etc. After a failed suicide attempt by driving his car off a cliff, he's given a new outlook on life. He's learned to cherish what he has. That's his goal with his victims, make them cherish what they have.
The biggest point he makes, especially to those who help him, is that he is not a murderer. Which, technically he isn't. He gives people an escape, it's just up to them whether or not they take it. One of the things I find a tad funny, and also frustrating, is that he gives you everything you need to survive. The tools, the knowledge, etc. Though, people don't seem to listen.
An example of it would be in movie two. He tells Detective Eric Matthews that all he has to do is sit there and talk to him, and his son would be found in a safe place. He wasn't lying. The "game" that was on the monitors in the room wasn't live. Matthews ends up getting angry and forces John to take him to the building. Meanwhile, when the time runs out, a safe back in John's room opens, revealing Matthews son alive and well. He was literally in a safe place and had Matthews just sat there and talked to him, he would've been reunited with his son, and not chained up in the infamous bathroom.
If you read this article here, it organizes the timeline of the movies, tells you what happened before the movies, in between, and at the end. It can be a tad confusing if you haven't watched the movies, because as I said it moves the facts around so you understand exactly what order things happen in. However, it does have what movie it happened in at the end. Another reference is the YouTube channel FoundFlix . He does an Ending Explained for Jigsaw as well as two videos for the "Saw" timeline, breaking down not only the movies but giving you all the information on John and his accomplices as well. He explains it's best, saying you need an encyclopedia to keep up with movies ,(I mean, the events of 2 movies are technically happening at the same time) and this is his version of it. You can watch them here, part 1 and part 2 .
The whole thing is kind of crazy. It genuinely blew my mind whenever a connection was made or an answer that I didn't even know I was waiting for came. "Jigsaw", the newest film, even jumps back to before the first "Saw" movie even took place. It left a few questions unanswered, such as what happened to Mark Hoffman, or what kind of happened to those working for John, but I suppose some things don't need answers. Who knows, maybe we will find out in another movie, which I hope will happen. This is a series I never want to end, sort of like the "Bourne" movies, I never want those to end because there's so much there that you just want more.
So, I have one question for you. Do you cherish your life?