The Saw Series

I'm pretty sure all of you have seen at least one of the five (soon to be six by the way) movies of the series.

I just watched the fifth one. It confused me completely. Either the whole thing is cut completely wrong, or the director made a big mistake in combining the scenes, or I'm just too stupid to get it, either way, the murders were gross like always and the story made my head hurt. I liked the first one best.

But I was wondering about one thing. Amy - in case you read this, well I'm pretty sure you will - since you're an expert in this field... what makes the Saw Series a good series? In your professional opinion. Are they a good series? I'm not too good at analyzing movies but your analysis of Ravenous fascinated me so much that I'd like to hear your opinion about Saw. And everyone else's, too, of course.

Since when am I an expert? And since when is my opinion "professional"? Thanks, but I didn't know that.

Anyway. First of all, I've seen all movies of the series, and in my "professional" opinion, Saw II - V are for the trash can, whereas Saw I is in fact one of the best thrillers ever made. Well until now. I'll make an even better one.

Why? Well, for various reasons. Only talking about Saw I mind you.

a) The Score
Good movies usually have a good score. A good score also includes a theme for the re-occurring, resp. the important characters. Remember that whenever you heard these irritating strings in "The Dark Knight" you knew the Joker was going to appear soon? Well. Jigsaw's theme (by Charlie Clouser) is genius. I don't know if you've got it in your head right now - it's basically a mere repetition of one melody, getting faster and faster and eventually culminating in a crescendo of strings. Repetition is the key in making scary music. Because it stresses you. You know it's going to end at some point. But you don't know when. And that's creepy, because it makes you the victim.

b) The Cut
You know Jigsaw (almost) always sets a time limit until which the victims have to find a way to escape. That's pretty cruel. But what makes it even more cruel for the viewers is that while the victim is trying to escape, you see them from different angles, and the angles jump from frame to frame. Not slowly and smoothly - the way you normally see things - but fast and mechnical. That's a pretty unusual way to see stuff. And "The Unknown"/"The Unusual" is, for all human beings, scary.

c) The fucking Plot
And I hate James Wan for coming up with a story like this. In the horror genre, it's very, very rare nowadays that people have an idea that hasn't been there before. James Wan had one of those.
c.1) He took a terminal cancer patient and let him catch people who did others wrong and got away with it. And he doesn't kill them - he lets them decide if they want to die. Have you realized that Jigsaw has never murdered anyone? He's always given them a way out. Some weren't able to free themselves, but they could have been.
c.2) Think of the first "Game" we witness. Zep and Adam in the bathroom. SPOILER ALERT! All through the movie, we think they're both in the same boat. When, in the end, it turns out that Zep was just a pawn in Jigsaw's game. This realization made me go . And I don't do that very often. There are so many horror movies of which the ending is completely obvious and predictable. But there is no way anyone could've seen the end of Saw I coming. No way. Best last scene ever.

d) The Cast
I mean come on. Tobin Bell. If I met that guy in a dark street, I'd run. This role is made for him. Perfect cast.

e) The Atmosphere
Mentioned late because it's a cliché atmosphere for a horror movie (dark, shabby, dirty, bloody etc) but it just fits right in.

f) The Murders
...are unique. I want to meet the masterminds who drew up these traps. They're extremely cruel and at the same time extremely innovative. Something new. Something you haven't seen before. Something you couldn't make up in your wildest dreams, cause you're, well, not a sociopath genius. Hang on. I don't want to meet the people who drew them up after all.

Conclusion? Saw I is good because it's new in various aspects. It's not the same lame thing all over again.

I loved it.