As horror sequels go, pretty decent

Rating: 6/10 (14 May 2016)

Saw II continues the tale of modern horror's greatest villain: Jigsaw. This time, 8 people are locked in a brutal test while a detective, the father to one of the victims, and the police try to save them. S2 is a rough, brutal ride. It has been treated unfairly by critics because of the bloodshed. That's just what it uses for scares. Some horror movies use jump scares. Some use tension. This uses violence and uses it reasonably well. It's not always enjoyable as it does get pretty unpleasant at times, but it is undeniably effective. Therefore, it's easy to write it off as a nasty gore-fest, but it counterbalances the gore with thought-provoking thematic material on morals, justice and how far one will go to save themselves. It's a nasty film, but it is effective. It's far from a perfect movie admittedly. The characters aside from Jigsaw and the main detective are weak, the drama is somewhat superficial, it's not as tense as the first one and things are a bit sillier this time. That being said, it's a watchable and reasonably thrilling horror film, although for many it will be a bit much. It's worth watching for all the twists and turns, as you will never see them coming.
6/10