If you expected the typical dull sequel, you'll be surprised

Rating: 6/10 (29 October 2005)

After watching Saw II, I was trying to think if I had seen a better sequel in the history of horror movies, and I couldn't come up with one. Not that horror movie sequels are very stiff competition, given the shortcomings of sequels from Halloween, A Nightmare of Elm Street and Friday the 13th. However, this is one of the few sequels in ANY genre that could actually survive as a stand-alone film on its own merits.
Saw II somehow manages to maintain the same edge-of-your-seat suspense and action of the original, while inserting totally new characters, new "games" and yes, new twists, particularly at the end. As usual, Jigsaw's tape recordings are always providing the viewer little clues about the terror ahead.
While the editing sometimes gives the movie an unnaturally high-energy atmosphere at times, and while the gore is probably very excessive and unnecessary, Saw II avoids the trap that most sequels fall into: a lame and boring plot lacking substance and new ideas. Saw II carries the same jolt of creativity of the first one, while leaving the viewer with plenty of optimism for what a third movie might look like.
Highly recommended.