Almost anyone who knows me, should know that I love horror films. And given that, they know how much I adore the Saw franchise. I binged watched the entire series over the course of a long weekend with my friends, just over a year ago.
Having originally started off as nothing more than a short film, the series exploded once it achieved popularity. Releasing yearly, and now the franchise currently contains 8 films (7 released with an eighth on it's way), 1 short film, 2 video games, as well as a comic. The films focus on John Kramer, played incredibly by Tobin Bell. John Kramer is the Jigsaw Killer, a killer who kidnaps men and women who don't care for their own lives, or who have been taking advantage of other people.He puts them in extreme situations, in which they need to make an unthinkable choice they want to live... or save the life of another person. John's a master of manipulation and is able to sway several people to continue his legacy as the Jigsaw killer, despite his death in Saw III. Keeping one of his assets hidden all the way until the Saw 3D's ending.
After the the first film was released, it's often been referred to as being nothing more than "torture porn". To be fair, it is. People are being pushed to extreme levels of mental and physical torture. It's not for someone who has a weak stomach. As people end up mauling themselves and others, several times in each film. People are pushed to extreme levels, which range from everything to cutting off their own arms to trying to find a way out of a razor wire maze.
The series has a lot of twists and turns, which is one of the things I simply adore about the series. At times they're able to craft a very good mystery with interesting elements. The first saw movie is able highlight this, making us wonder about certain elements that don't make sense until the ultimate reveal. Even as we go into further films, something shown in Saw IV explains a major plot point in Saw III. Now, an understandable criticism of this is that they should tell us why this happens in the first place. Now potentially, these could originally be pointed as plot holes when the film is first release. I disagree on this criticism, it keeps me guessing and speculating until it's revealed later in the series. But I can understand why people would make it in the first place.
While the films series as it's progressed has gotten lower, and lower reviews. To which I can see why, as I consider Saw 3D, to the lowest points of the series. This could potentially be attributed to the constantly changing cast and at times a complex plot that requires viewing the complete franchise or otherwise the viewer would feel lost, which it can easily sap away from of the enjoyment from the films.
A short while ago, I learned that the series is going to given an eighth and final film. Saw: Legacy. Upon hearing this news, I was simply ecstatic. If the film is done well enough, it could very well let to a reboot or relaunch of the series. Although currently details about the film have yet to be released, aside from it's release date and a few of the crew members.
Thus far, Saw is my favorite horror series, I can see that these films have obvious faults, whether it's in some of the acting, plot, or overall structure of the move. But I still love the series, simply because it's Saw. In this, I compare to the Star Wars Saga. Some of the films are amazing, some aren't and get criticism by several. But at the end of the day, they are still Star Wars films and I still find myself enjoying them.
Saw: Legacy is going to be released October 27th, 2017.
