Saw VI

Every once in a great while I like to post a review of something that's not Cinema 10 related. This is one of those times. I'm told that this blog is decent enough and thorough, but I'm going to keep this one brief. I think. I don't know, let's see what happens.

After work the other night, I finally got a chance to see "Saw VI (2009)." Sure, you could be wondering why I even bothered; didn't I expect the same gore from the other five installments? Absolutely. But I tend to keep my faith in directors or series for much longer than I should, holding out in the hopes that they'll surprise me or, at the most, redeem themselves (Ahem...) Now let's be clear, the first "Saw (2004)" was and still is awesome. It was incredibly original and very well executed. Its only fault is that it spawned six sequels (as Saw VII is in the works - and in 3D!), and those sequels have sadly failed to match up to the high bar set by the original. The fact is that as long as these movies continue to make money they'll continue being made, no matter how confused and up-their-own-asses they become.

This installment showed that the film makers have got their fingers to the pulse, dropping a Health Insurance Exec into a hell-hole where he's forced to decide who lives and who dies based on a formula he created. Meanwhile, Agent Hoffman is trying to tie up loose ends so as to not be found out to be the current proprietor of Jigsaw, Inc. Like Hoffman, the film itself plays catch-up and answers most of the questions posed by the other five movies. All-in-all was not terrible. The acting was what I expected; the Saw movies rarely have awful actors. But I guess the story just left a lot to be desired. I found myself just repeating, "Really? Come on," and wanting for their to be some semblance of the feeling I had after the completion of the first movie. It just wasn't very gripping or intense, and I didn't have too many reasons to care about whether the characters lived or died.

It ends in such a way that I feel as if there's no need for a seventh installment, but I know this will not be the case. My only hope is that if and when the seventh comes out, it's not just a cheap thrill that uses 3D as an excuse to get rid of plot, much like the last "Final Destination (2009)" film. Although I know the series is mostly just gore and is partly responsible for the infatuation with "torture porn," I can't help but feeling like the original minds behind this have got something up their sleeves that will bring the series home. I.e. - where the fuck is Dr. Gordon and why hasn't he hobbled his way back into my life?

Verdict: Not Stoked. Watched this in a theater with just four other people, which is to be expected now that it's been out for a few weeks. They seemed just as displeased as I was. What I don't get is that I overheard them saying that they had never seen a Saw movie in its entirety. Why go to see it then? Granted, the series has mostly been reduced to gore for gore's sake, but it still relies on plot points from the other five movies. Someone want to help me out with this?