Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)

Top comments

1. 

   mcmakattack

   I had higher hopes for this spinoff than for 2017's Jigsaw, and I was sorely disappointed. One can only think of the protagonist as Chris Rock instead of any actual character, and his comic attitude through much of the first twenty minutes creates a very confusing mish mash of tones.
   
   The real travesty of the movie however relates to what everyone who comes to a Saw movie wants to see: the traps. While a few of the traps are fairly clever in design (the final one sticks out) most are hard to follow. The way the film was edited made the games hard to understand and unsatisfying, not to mention how few and far between they were. On first blush, this may be the most underwhelming of the franchise. 2 years 10 months ago
2. 

   ryano1076

   Definitely the weakest of the Saw franchise (thus far). The twist was telegraphed pretty much immediately

   when the rookie cop was killed with no explanation as to what his sin was, with no visuals or even his tape played, not to mention there was no way to even identify his body

   . Saw was an amazing franchise that needed to just let it end with dignity. 1 year ago
3. 

   MemphisRyder

   Had quite a bit of potential to breathe new life into the franchise, but all that was squandered on banal moral preaching in the final act. Villain motivation is poorly developed, could have used more work. Plus, you could see the twist villain from miles away ever since he "died."
   
   A lot of big words were used in the ending to justify the villain's motive, but it's all pretty pretentious and hollow without any relatability to the character's personality and motivation. This is what happens when you sacrifice character for a message.
   
   Plus, that final scene was so unsatisfying. I guess they're paying homage to the original Saw, but along with several other kills in the movie, it contradicts the villain's motive and makes him out to be a hypocrite, and it makes the ending feel like it only existed for cheap thrills.
   
   Disappointing, considering what the film could have done to really have a discussion about justice. In the name of justice, the filmmaker forgot the most important thing about storytelling: averting the eight deadly words, "I don't care what happens to these people."
   
   The comedy and overall levity of the film helped us to bond with Chris' protagonist a little, and I like how his whole deal was a reversal of the "crooked badass cop protagonist" you'd see in most police movies. But like I said, the characterization needs a lot more work. You can't just throw in a bunch of fancy ideas without properly fleshing out the characters because the audience would end up feeling how hollow it is by the end, how you're trying to sell this message without connecting with them as people first. Zeke was a deconstruction of a trope and felt less like a real person. There needed to be a lot more insight into his relationships in the first place before we could give a damn about those relationships with his father and his dead colleagues. Unfortunately, the trappings of a horror film meant that there'd be no time for that when you need some gore-fest every 15 minutes or so. 2 years 9 months ago

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