Saw 3D

(2010)***

Saw 3D opens with one of Jigsaw's games being played out in an open plaza behind glass walls. Hundreds of onlookers see a love triangle gone awry as two boyfriends unite to saw their ex-girlfriend in half. So, as the movie's preview promised, will these stunts all be more open to the public, bold and daring? No. After this opener, which has nothing to do with the rest of the film, the traps are all done in the privacy of the victim's immediate vicinity.

Jigsaw's games are now national news and there's even a support group of Jigsaw trap survivors. We get the chance to see all the bit actors who've made it out of the traps from the previous six movies. This is impressive, as I didn't remember anybody living from the past six movies.

One of these survivors has even written a book and gained national fame from his experience. However, he's actually faking the whole thing, and the real Jigsaw is going to make him pay.

I had high expectations that Saw 3D would be as original and inventive as the earlier films. And, it probably was as good as the earlier films. But after finishing watching this, I remembered that although they had clever endings, the earlier films were still only slightly above average. Since they were the first of their kind, the first few Saw films are kind of revered as starting their own sub-genre. And, indeed, they were original, but they were never great. That pretty much describes Saw 3D.

They do get extra points for having a little self-mockery though. For example, while Jigsaw's recordings are usually on a microcassette or video, one of these traps is listened to via 8-track player. How do you record sometihing on a 8-track? If the police wanted to find Jigsaw, they would just need to find the one person in the world who recently bought a blank 8-track tape. There are also some clever discussions about how one on the outside would try to get out of the traps and, are the traps really eye-opening, as some of the more sanctimonious characters try to proclaim.

I think Saw 3D is a good way to end it. The film's ending leaves the possibility open to about 20 more sequels. But, they'd be better off just waiting for the inevitable reboot later on.