A worthy sequel, but nowhere near the original

Rating: 8/10 (10 August 2006)

*****DISCLAIMER: DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM WITHOUT SEEING THE ORIGINAL, FOR THIS WILL SPOIL THE FIRST ONE TO A LARGE DEGREE. THERE ARE SPOILERS TO THE FIRST SAW FILM IN THIS REVIEW*****
Like its predecessor, 'Saw II' is the best horror film of its year. The main difference between these two films is that the first one is more of a psychological thriller with an amazing twist at the end. This one sticks to a typical horror theme, but still pulls it off with great ease. Standing alone, 'Saw II' is excellent, but not even in the same dimension as the original.
Jigsaw is back and better than ever, coming up with more clever traps for his unsuspecting victims. His intentions are more narrow now, having a detective's (Donnie Wahlberg) son captive in a room with other people in an unknown place. They must hurry to escape, for they are breathing a deadly nerve agent, and there are antidotes within the house. They must also beware of the many traps Jigsaw has scattered along the house. All this goes on while the detective in question interrogates Jigsaw in Jigsaw's warehouse.
Like it's predecessor, Saw II boasts excellent sound and lighting, which are so crucial to a horror/thriller film. Saw II is filled with much more blood and guts than the previous one, including a disturbing needle scene. Also like the original, Saw II suffers from mediocre acting outside of Tobin Bell's Jigsaw, who gives a masterful performance as one of the best villainous characters of our time. Despite how physically weak he is, you will never forget that he is in charge the entire time. Donnie Wahlberg is okay in the film, but I honestly think he could have been better. You just want so much more from the character when it's over. He gets the job done though. The rest of the cast, including Franky G, Beverly Mitchell, and the return of Shawnee Smith is okay, Smith being the best.
There is a new director behind Saw II, Darren Lynn Bousman, and I have to say that he does a great job of keeping the spirit of the original. I like him a lot and I'm also anxious to see what he does with Saw III. Bousman directs the film better than any horror film of recent memory, keeping the psychological aspect of the series intact and well, while adding more blood and gore than in the first. His writing is nowhere near that of Leigh Whannell, but again, Bousman is not bad at all, rather, the writing from him is very similar to the style of Leigh Whannell, making the resemblance in the two movies very visible. Bousman provides a clever twist at the end that some will guess, but the other twist is, like the first film, unpredictable. This sequel does the job of keeping you entertained while scaring you a lot. The best part about the series is that we can expect a great thriller and psychological mind bending every Halloween. I recommend Saw II to anyone 16 or older, and to any horror fan. Great film.
8/10 --spy