Not as good as the original, but still a fun time

Rating: 6/10 (27 November 2005)

I enjoyed the original Saw for its ability to build an atmosphere of discomfort and hold it for the length of the film. It was creative and disturbing and just a really fun horror film, and Jigsaw -- the villain -- was one of the most refreshing horror villains to come along in a long time.
Saw II does not quite live up to its predecessor in that it leaves too many plot holes and -- for the most part -- ends up resorting to having its characters just walk around endlessly for much of the film. Certain characters seem to hold no purpose and some questions are left completely unanswered, such as the motivations of some of the victims locked in the house by Jigsaw.
As well, some of the traps set up in the house are so obvious that the effectiveness fails. You are left in the same position as most bad horror films where you ask yourself of the main characters, "Why are they doing that?"
However, even with all of these shortcomings, the film is a fun little picture to watch. Like the original, the setup of the film is unique and thus it is nice to see something in a horror film that is more than just more of the same. As with the first film, there is a twist at the end of this one that was very impressively pulled off. I probably wouldn't recommend this as a must-see in the theatres, but it is easily something th