“I wanna play a game.” These famous words were spoken in a film that changed the horror film formula forever. That film was Saw (2004), a horror movie giving people a chance to play a game to potentially save their own life. This one movie turned into an eight film franchise (another is on the way by the way) and even created video games. I got so sucked into the franchise I even purchased myself one of the games to play and let me tell you — it’s scary. But that’s not all this franchise branched off into. There is apparently comic books and even theme parks surrounding the film. I guess it’s safe to say this franchise became popular among the horror fan community.
But were the movies really that good or did they keep creating them to make even more money? My thoughts are somewhat of both. The films get stupider as they go on but each one has a purpose to the storyline. So without further ado — here is my ranking of the best “Saw” films in the franchise.
1. “Saw” (2004): “Live or die, make your choice.” The first “Saw” film is literally brilliance in the making. The film centers around a game where two characters are put into this abandoned bathroom of some sort with their ankles chained to the ground. They are given clues along the way and two very dull saws to help them make their decisions.
This film takes horror and makes it into a mystery having the audience question and wonder what is to come next. Who is this Jigsaw killer and is every victim he picks just a fluke? The storyline works well because parts of each character’s life is given in parts and pieces putting together the story of why Jigsaw does what he does and who he does it to.
The identity of Jigsaw is a mystery until the very end which works well with how the game is played. Having some mystery in a film gives it an edge. Also the way the film gives itself its own identity is interesting with the way it uses dark lighting, giving the storyline in parts and pieces to the audience, and the way every character has its own purpose is amazing. Every minute of this movie has a purpose and moving forward that is the strongest quality this franchise has with its films to come. This film I have to give a 5 out of 5 stars.
2. “Saw II” (2005): Normally film rankings go in this sort of order where the first two films released go into the top two spots. Usually it’s because after the first two films the movies turn to shit and there’s no going back.
What I like about “Saw II” is there are multiple people in the game Jigsaw is leading. They have all new characters, bringing in some focus into who Jigsaw is and Amanda (one of his first victims). The way the game is thought out from beginning to end is quite good. Once again Jigsaw thinks of every little thing to either have the group succeed and live together in the end or simply die together. These movies are all about connections and this film really focuses on that. Things are brought to light to make the plot even more exciting. I really enjoy the acting in this one and there are some actors and actresses in this film who have been in roles I’ve seen on television shows that made them a bit more famous. The two that come to mind are actresses Beverly Mitchell who was in “7th Heaven” and Emmanuelle Vaugier who was in “Two and a Half Men.” It’s fun seeing their typical roles turn upside down in a horror flick.
This film also connects to the first film’s storyline a bit which is a smart move for this franchise. Normally in franchises, films start a whole new story each film with the same characters. But this franchise continues stories and leaves the audience with questions which will be answered in films to come. This film gets a 4 out of 5 stars in my book. It isn’t as good as the first one but it is definitely a close second.
3. “Saw III” (2006): People I’ve watched “Saw III” with have the opposite reaction as I do — they don’t like it. I guess I can see why because the acting is kind of bad. And it is a bit predictable but I argue that this film is essential to the story of Jigsaw. This could potentially be his last game and he puts his life on the line. The last film got a bit gory but this one is where they really start adding more blood into the visuals and character’s lives become kind of dark. I really like the connections this movie has bringing all the characters together and putting Amanda’s life more into perspective. She survived Jigsaw’s game in the past but has it really taught her how important life is? Guess you’ll have to watch this film and find out.
This film is brought up, I believe, maybe a few more times in another film connecting the dots. But I don’t think they do a very good job with that. Connecting this film to the others gets a bit janky at times and I believe they could have made it a bit smoother and given this film a bit more relevance to the franchise. I give “Saw III” a 3 out 5 stars.
4. “Saw The Final Chapter 3D” (2010): This might be the part where you stop reading because frankly “The Final Chapter in 3D” is kind of stupid — not going to lie. This is the seventh film in the franchise but I like how it focuses more on Jigsaw again. I don’t like films 4-6. I have some big issues with them that I will discuss later in this article. But I think this movie tries to take it back to the original roots of “Saw” in strengthening the storyline of the person involved in the trap and why they are there in the first place. The gore is BAD. This is definitely the point of no return for the franchise when they focus too much on the gore, taking away the importance of story. That is a bummer, but I guess they were having lots of fun with ketchup?
I like how they bring flashbacks of Jigsaw’s life and the relevance it has to this film. I think the one thing that actually would make this move better is watching it in 3D. I miss 3D films, whatever happened to those anyway? I give this film a 2 out of 5 stars.
5. Jigsaw (2017): This is a great fresh spinoff on the franchise. It’s like they just started fresh after film three which was smart considering the rest of the movies are not the best. They have all new characters while mentioning Jigsaw in places of the film. I mean, “Saw” isn’t “Saw” without Jigsaw (maybe that’s why I despise films 4-6). The fact that this movie is so new and they have brand new effects to make the dead bodies seem more real just makes it more believable. Traps are new and improved where they don’t always involve gore.
I like this film because it shows the impact Jigsaw has had on the community and in what ways. There are the detectives trying to find the killer and of course there are those super fans of the killer’s work. Overall this is a great modern twist to the franchise. Jigsaw may be dead but his work isn’t. The question is, how is it continuing? Is Jigsaw still alive? Watch this film and find out for yourself. Honestly this movie gives me hope that the newest “Saw” movie coming out will be just as good. I give this film a 3 out of 5 stars.
6. Saw IV (2007), Saw V (2008), Saw VI (2009): These three films are all clustered together because they are just bad. Terrible. Films 4-6 are a blur to me where I have a hard time remembering what even happens. They all roll together stretching the franchise a bit too far for me.
They bring in a new killer, Hoffman, who isn’t like Jigsaw at all. One of the reasons I love this franchise is because Jigsaw has purpose with his traps and he gives people a chance to live. People in the traps have connections to his life which I think enriches the film.
But these films take a new focus. Gore. It starts to go downhill having traps killing random people who have no relevance to the whole storyline. The story becomes more of a bloodbath than focusing more on the why of the films. It centers around Hoffman and not necessarily on the characters in the traps. It takes away from what makes the “Saw” films great. I literally could go on and on with all the problems I have with these films — but I won’t. I give these films an equal rating of 2 out of 5 stars.
Have you seen the “Saw” franchise? Which one is your favorite film and your least favorite? Do you prefer the original Jigsaw killer or Hoffman? Are you planning on seeing the new “Saw” movie, “Spiral” when it is released in May of this year? Leave me your thoughts in the comments below!
Spooky Reviews 