The thing that strikes you from the very first scene of “Jigsaw” is how different the movie seems from the previous “Saw” films.  It looks and feels different.  Simply put, tonally, something is rotten in the state of Sawville.  While this was clearly done by design, at first, it bothered me.  Having a few days though to think about it, it makes perfect sense based on the story that we’re being given.

The basic plot is pretty simple, as more Jigsaw-like killings begin occurring 10 years after the death of John Kramer.  While no one really believes Kramer is the actual killer, certain evidence begins to mount that makes everyone involved in investigating the crimes have some doubt.  On this level, the movie reminds me of “Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning.”  Not just because the movie exists to create a new heir to the previously established killer, but because breadcrumbs are laid out purposely to make you doubt what logic tells you can’t be true. 

Following the great “Saw” tradition, we get a few twists along the way even before the grand reveal of how and why everything happened.  There are some hints regarding the actual timeline of the game we’re watching play out and that question, along with many others, get answered when John Kramer does finally take center stage.  I think the original title of this movie, which was “Saw:Legacy”, was more appropriate for this film, though “Becoming Jigsaw” also would have worked for several reasons.  One of those reasons being while we knew why John Kramer became Jigsaw, HOW exactly he became Jigsaw wasn’t really delved into before.  This movie begins to answer that question, and of course, by doing so, raises new ones.

The one thing that somewhat disappointed me was that the marketing for the movie played up the concept of the so-called “Cult of Jigsaw” being important to the plot, and other than one Jigsaw groupie, that marketing tactic or ploy didn’t really have much to do with the final product.

I would give “Jigsaw” 3.5/5 stars.

Mark J. Marble

The link to my original audio review is available here.

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