Barely holds a candle to the first film

Rating: 4/10 (29 October 2005)

I was quite impressed by the first "Saw", and thrilled to hear that a sequel was in the works. The more I thought about it though, I began to worry that the second film would turn out to be an uninspired, inferior, money-driven counterpart. While one could definitely do worse, I'm sad to say that Saw II falls drastically short of it's predecessor.
The movies starts off very well, with a disturbing "victim" scene that evokes the same feelings of nauesa and suspense as the first film. However, after the credits roll, the sense of dread and terror disappears, and Saw II turns into a second-rate, though technically impressive, thriller. This time, instead of two men chained in a bathroom, the Jigsaw killer (Tobin Bell) has locked a large group of strangers together in a decripit old house. There's a poisonous gas wafting around the house and the prisoners have two hours to find antidotes before the toxins kill them. And of course, the house is rigged with Jigsaw-worthy booby traps. While all of this goes on, Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) has corned Jigsaw himself, and thinks that he has the killer's scheme all figured out. But what would a "Saw" film be without twists? Unfortunately, in the case of Saw II, I thought that the plot twists actually hurt the film in the end, as well as a lot of other things. First and foremost is the cast. What drove the first film was the development of the two main characters. I cared about them and wanted to see them escape from the bathroom. Not only are the characters in Saw II underdeveloped, but most of them are either so bland, obnoxious, or despicable that I couldn't wait to see most of them meet a grisly end in one of Jigsaw's traps. This, is not a good thing. Jigsaw himself is well played by Tobin Bell, but the fact that he is presented in person throughout the film actually makes him less frightening. The Jigsaw from the first film was more than a slasher villain, but at the same time, he was no Hannibal Lecter. He was a brilliant, sadistic philosopher/killer who was only seen at the very end of the film. The Jigsaw in Saw II just doesn't seem quite perverse enough.
As for the other characters.....Donnie Wahlberg gives a decent performance in a role that doesn't command much sympathy from the audience. Shawnee Smith returns as Amanda, and does a good job in the part. I don't know the word to describe Franky G's acting, but let me just say that I have not encountered a more beligerent and annoying horror victim (I couldn't wait for him to bite the dust, again, not a good sign). Overall, the acting isn't atrocious. It's just that none of the characters are remotely interesting.
The direction from Darren Lynn-Bousman makes me cry for James Wan to return to the series, for Saw II sorely lacks the edge and I daresay the mean spirit of the first film. Fortunately, there are some nice nods to Saw in the second film. The first kill, the cackling doll on the tricycle, and another scene which I will not give away. The film is well shot and lit, and the production design is nice, but the fast-paced, MTV-esquire editing that occasionally popped up in the first film is everywhere in Saw II, and often detracts from what little horror there is.
And finally, there is a big twist in the end of the movie, but it's not a very good one, and feels more like plot revlation recycled from those of other movies. The whole film seems to be building towards the inevitable twist in the end, and the pay-off is far from satisfying. Indeed, the plot of Saw II has more holes than a wheel of Swiss cheese, and much of it is very hard to believe. At first I found it hard to believe that Leigh Whannel (and although uncredited, apparently James Wan) penned the script with Bousman. But then I realized that Saw II is exactly what I feared it would be. An unnecessary, hollow sequel that was probably made with the promise of reaping huge profits from the box office.
If you want a good film that will make you squirm uncomfortably, check out "Three...Extremes". If you're a fan of Saw like I am, you'll probably be quite disappointed by the sequel.