Saw II is a Decent Follow-Up

Rating: 8/10 (30 October 2005)

I am a big fan of Saw I. So when I heard a sequel will be made, I had mixed reactions. On one hand ..I love Saw and it would be cool to see how Saw II turns out but on the other hand most horror sequels suck. But let me just say... Saw II will not disappoint.
...This time around we have 8 people being played by Jigsaw in a house and have to find antidotes to an deadly gas they are breathing. Out of the 8 people trapped by Jigsaw,... Amanda and Xavier are like the only characters that makes Saw II memorable. The rest, I can really give a damn about. Donnie Walhberg of New Kids fame who plays Detective Mason actually did a decent job in this movie but his character was not likable enough for me to root for and maybe that is the way it was intended to be.
The high points of the movie is you never get bored. And oh yes, there is blood ..plenty of it. Not to mention, the last 30 minutes of the film is an awesome roller-coaster ride and have some cool twists and turns but still in my opinion cannot top the twist we saw in Saw I.
Still, the movie is not all bed and roses ..some low points for me is that it lacks that gritty fear I felt Saw had. I guess because this time around not only do we hear Jigsaw's voice but we actually see him and get to know him for the whole 90 minutes. And by golly, actually feel sorry for the guy. I am glad we got to know Jigsaw but seeing him throughout the film made the film less scary. What made Saw I really creepy was Jigsaw's voice and we had no face to match it to ..now we do. Imagine Michael Myers and Jason without their mask for the entire movie.
Overall, in a day and age where most horror sequels suck. Saw II prevails. So, get popcorn, get soda, watch the movie and enjoy!