Too gimmicky for my liking, lacking all the qualities that made the 1st so special.

Rating: 6/10 (24 May 2010)

Saw II is an OK film, but vastly underwhelming in my opinion for a number of reasons. Many of the characters here are selfish, whiny and I couldn't wait for them to get their ultimate demise. With Saw I was able to care about the two main central characters, and even though they had there selfish qualities, they both possessed likable qualities. Donnie Wahlberg's character is not very easy to root for. He's verbally abusive, he uses brutality too much and he never learns his lesson when he's supposed to, therefore I had a hard time coming to grips to root for him. The 1st time you watch this one, the twist at the end is very clever, but the 2nd time around it's not so shocking and you start to wonder why you couldn't figure it out in the 1st place. The gore level while good, is toned down here compared to most of them, but the needle in the haystack scene makes for some fun and gruesome times. Most of the people prefer this one over Saw III, but I personally think the 3rd one is miles above this sequel.
Performances. Tobin Bell is very effective as Jigsaw once more. His cold eerie stare and his presence are just great. Shawnee Smith displays a great balance of vulnerability and bravery, while being very likable to boot. Donnie Wahlberg does very well, but his character is not very easy to root for. Erik Knudsen plays a likable kid and I actually rooted for him as the Son. Franky G plays one of the most unlikable slime balls I've seen in recent memory, I couldn't stand his selfish antics. Beverley Mitchell is good, but too whiny for my liking. Dina Meyer plays her part well.
Bottom line. Saw II is OK, but not the dandy followup I remembered it to be. It's slick-looking and well done, but it's too selfish for its own good. It's worth a look as an OK time waster, but nothing more in my opinion.
6/10