Slick, Sick and Quick

Rating: 6/10 (19 April 2015)

It seems that a 'Saw' sequel was always on the cards before the release of the original in October of 2004. The original surprised many people, as it was complex, intricate and full of suspense. As well as grossing over $100 Million on a meagre budget of only a million dollars. 'Saw II' ups the ante, not in terms of tension, but blood and gore.
Not many months have passed after Jigsaw's test in the last film and this time he has taken a turn for the worse. He is in a warehouse rigged up to a drip. Detective Matthews and Kerry discover the location of Jigsaw's most recent test, that takes place at the start of the film. The person that is involved in the test that Jigsaw addresses through a video tape is what he calls "an informant, a rat, a snitch. I call you unworthy of the body you possess, of the life that you've been given." Jigsaw informs him that the device that he is wearing, is hooked up to his neck and when the time expires will encase his head, effectively killing him. "Think of it like a Venus fly trap" As opposed to the first film, where at least half of the victims survived, this one does not. Eric Matthews investigates the scene and comes to the conclusion that this is once again the work of Jigsaw. Eric's son Daniel is disobedient and in trouble with the police on a regular basis. Matthews' finds Jigsaw's location and realises a terrible truth, his son is currently in a test of his own with several others. The house is filled with toxic gas and only antidotes scattered throughout the house, via completing the traps offer the gift of life. Daniel and the other victims must work together if they are to survive the next two hours. Meanwhile, Matthews' interrogates Jigsaw in the hope of figuring out the location of the toxic gas house, before the time expires.
The most apparent element about 'Saw II' is that the characters apart from Eric Matthews and Jigsaw have no character development, a lack of motivation and are atrociously acted. Jigsaw is the best element of 'Saw II' because we are provided with a larger background of his character. We now know that he is a cancer patient, with not long left to live. This partially explains why he does what he does. He wants other people to appreciate what life they have got left to live. Still, I'm sure there is a more effective way than putting people in traps. He must have spent his entire pension on the mechanical devices themselves. Don't ask. Now he is able to perform surgical operations on his victims. We as an audience are not supposed to think too deeply, it is after all a horror sequel.
The main attraction to the gore thirsty faithful is the variety of deadly traps and how they play out. Apart from the aforementioned Venus Fly Trap and the needle pit, there is little ingenuity and invention on display here. Even if some of the other traps do display an amount of this, it is cancelled out by how stupid the characters are. Jigsaw gives his victims instructions and they fail to carry them out, yet the answer is right in front of their face!
The films length is just over 84 minutes which helps 'Saw II' substantially. It never becomes too dull and a short runtime means that it is not painful to watch. At least for people who like gore and nice little twists at the end to keep them occupied.
'Saw II' is nowhere near the terror of the nightmare inducing original, regarding clever plot nuances and depth of character. It provides fans with higher levels of blood and gore, but a lack of tension almost undoes its impact completely. For fans of blood filled horrors though, what is on offer here may be more than satisfactory.