Saw (2004)

"This is the most fun I've had without lubricant.", 7 April 2006

There has been so much written on Saw since its release in 2004 that I doubt there's much left to be said. Therefore, I'll limit this to just a couple of comments. It may not be the best "new" horror film I've seen, but it certainly beats a lot of the post-Scream films that glutted the market in recent years. Saw features something sadly lacking from a lot of modern horror – actual dialogue. Too many of the recent horror movies rely so heavily on larger-than-life CGI effects that dialogue is often an afterthought. It was a welcome change to see a film where characters have actual verbal interaction with one another. Even though the movie is heavily dependent on two characters speaking to each other, there are still enough gruesome scenes to spice things up. They are shocking in their nature and difficult to watch in their viciousness. These scenes are very well done.

My biggest complaint (and I'll try not to reveal too much and spoil the film as it was spoiled for me) is the big twist at the end. I just don't see how it's possible for "that" to have occurred. It doesn't seem feasible to me given the time frame of the events in Saw.

5/10