Saw IV

Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman
Written by: Marcus Dunstan, Patrick Melton
Starring: Tobin Bell, Lyriq Bent, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsy Russell, Donnie Wahlberg

Score: 5/10

Like so many horror movies before it, the original Saw blew up and became an instant hit, spawning sequel after sequel, and showing no signs of slowing down. It’s been four years since the original came out and it’s October, so that can only mean one thing – Saw IV. A movie that promises that ‘the games have just begun’ and one that brings out the same old bag of tricks that just proves how tired this series has already become.

For those paying attention, Saw III showed the downfall of the infamous serial-killer Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), and his apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith). For a series that prides itself on having an annual movie, killing off you’re main character in part III might not have been the smartest move – and it wasn’t. The movie opens with said serial killer’s body in the morgue, just getting ready to be opened up for an autopsy. The doctors discover a tape in Jigsaw’s stomach, and it’s this tape that sets in motion the events of Saw IV. It’s Riggs’ (Lyriq Bent) turn to play Jigsaw’s twisted games; he’s the cop from parts two and three.

Honestly, there isn’t much to tell about the plot to Saw IV, if you’ve been following the series then you know the kind of things to expect, and you either enjoy that or you don’t. I don’t, and haven’t been impressed by this series at all. When you’re dealing with a franchise that was ‘just alright’ to begin with, it’s hard to imagine the fourth one being any good. The traps this time aren’t even that interesting, something that has saved the other movies is you could always count on a cool trap to make up for dumb characters and ridiculous plot twists. Saw IV doesn’t even have that.

Lionsgate is obviously keen on keeping this series going, and in all honestly why wouldn’t they be? They can make them for practically nothing, with no big names or crazy effects to worry about and they always turn a hefty profit. The Saw franchise might be a movie fans worst nightmare, but it’s a gift for the studio. The biggest problem with this series is that they’re just too easy to make. If you’re able to pump out one of these each year, quality is going to take a back seat, and it has.

The one thing the filmmakers did do right, and something that keeps the movie on track even when it’s being followed by ridiculousness, is the choice to show Jigsaw’s origins. How John Kramer became the infamous serial killer – who only wants to play a ‘game’. It’s a story that could have easily made up an entire movie on its own and something I thought was being saved for when the Saw ideas ran dry. It’s not going to blow you away by any stretch, and you might find it utterly boring when put beside the crazy torture scenes, but it’s definitely the only part of this mess that is new and something we haven’t’ seen before.

Overall, Saw IV is exactly what I was expecting it would be, just another gore fest in this mediocre series.