Great Story, Awful Execution

Rating: 5/10 (31 October 2004)

Saw (5/10)
I usually don't make user comments on a movie, but the great reviews for this film must be remedied.
It is quite refreshing to see a, well, "fresh" concept hit theaters near you. In that realm of movie-making, "Saw" is a smash-hit. The plot line, well covered by other reviewers, will keep you guessing until the very end. There are a decent amount of plot holes, too many to make the storyline a 10, but not enough to take away your suspense of disbelief.
The problem with "Saw" is the acting and camera-work. There are some scenes acted so poorly in this movie that I could have sworn I was watching "Detour" again. If a film bases itself around two characters and devotes itself to making the audience care about them, the director better find some good actors. "Saw" failed miserably in this regard. Why not let Danny Glover have one of the main roles? Why not find the guy who voiced Alf and let him have a main role with Ernest? It would have turned out better than this. Truly horrible acting that completely takes you out of the scene. And even if the acting somehow keeps you compelled, the laughter from the audience at the pathetic "emotional" scenes will make sure you lose interest in whether these characters survive. In fact (Spoiler), I even forgot one of the main characters escaped at the end of the movie--I just didn't care.
Bottom line: A great story with horrible execution. I know horror fans haven't had a decent story to work with since "The Ring," but this acting was flat-out inexcusable.
Recommendation to avoid. Hard to laugh at because of the story, but hard to take seriously because of the actors...not a lot of fun to be had here.