Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
2.5/4
"Saw" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 05/21/2012
Two strangers wake to find themselves chained up in an unknown location to be told if one does not kill the other before six o'clock, his family will be killed. This highly derivative serial killer movie has many plot devices that will be familiar to anyone who has seen Cube, Seven or Phone Booth, but it has clearly influenced the makers of TV crime drama from CSI onward. I have to say, if you watch it with a sense of humour, it does amuse. It has a Hammer Horror silliness that I quite liked; the masks, the puppet, and I could even see Cary Elwes' stiff upper lipped doctor being played by Peter Cushing at another time. I also did not see the twist coming, but mainly because it was so absurd, rather than clever (like a trained surgeon wouldn't have noticed!) Taken seriously, it's just a …
Rating of
4/4
Saw review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 01/02/2012
Adam (Leigh Whannell) and a Dr. Lawrence (Cary Elwes) are chained and a corpse in between them. Both were given a key and tape. In a flashback scene, Detectives David Tapp (Danny Glover) and Steven Sing (Ken Leung) discover a tape recorder from Jigsaw “John.” Both of them visit Dr. Lawrence since his pen was on the crime scene and interviews the other people that are connected with the gruesome case. Some key lines: Jigsaw – “Most people are so ungrateful to be alive.” “I'm sick of people who don't appreciate their blessings.” Zep – “He's a very interesting person. His name's John.” “It’s the rules.”
Screenplay was excellent for a horror film. The artists were believable and the premise clever and groundbreaking. The score and soundtrack was …
Rating of
3/4
Overated, but pretty good
The SHC - wrote on 03/05/2009
The only movie in the series I liked. I find the Saw movies extremely overated, especially all the sequals, but I have to say, this was the best in the series. However, the best thing about this movie is Cary Elwes's performance. He was great. I enjoyed this movie very much when I firs saw it, but it really was the undeserved hype that killed it. And the shit-tastic sequels. This could have been a good series, with the potential of making the horror franchise what it once was from the '70's to the '90's. However, it fell short, and horror movies continued on that downhill slide which began in 2002 which some like to call a "renaisance". Bullshit. Basically, watch the first one, but don't bother with the sequels. Personally, I prefer a good Troma film.
Rating of
4/4
The Best
chiggles - wrote on 05/31/2008
When Adam (Leigh Wannel) and Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) both wake up chained to pipes in an old and rotting bathroom, the game begins. A dead man lies in the center of the room, a gun in one hand and a tape recorder in the other. The men begin to ask each other questions about their situations, that's when the clues begin to come out. Now, they have until 6:00 to figure out the mystery which lies between them, and to win the game.
Let me start off by talking about the very unique plot of the movie. This is not like any other horror movie you have ever seen, Saw has actually created it's own little genre in the horror world. Some say its torture horror, which brough films like Hostel around. We must understand though that the movie is more then just plain old fashioned blood and …
Rating of
4/4
The Beginning of the "Saw" Madness
Franz Patrick - wrote on 02/28/2008
This is the only "Saw" film that tried to tell a story and I must give it kudos for that. It's a stand-out for me because I remember watching it for the first time alone in my living room, under the blankets and without any lights. It freaked me out because of its gore (I saw the unrated version) and it's creepiness. This is not over-the-top like the sequels which is good because it wasn't trying to prove anything to anyone. Although the acting was laughable during some scenes, I still enjoyed it. I personally believe that a horror film cannot be fully enjoyable without some unintentional laughs. This one was a full package and it's a shame that it "inspired" so many unnecessary sequels. This is just about the only "Saw" I can watch again and again.
