Shocking for the sake of it, a dismal sequel

Rating: 3/10 (1 November 2005)

When the first Saw was released it reinvigorated the horror genre, although being incredibly violent and at times almost hard to watch, it possessed an intelligence rarely seen in the genre (despite the blatant nod to 'se7en'). This film suffers from the archetypal horror sequel problem - improving on a plot line that was so complex it would seem foolish to try to add to it. It follows the same basic structure as the first film although the violence is so sadistic that it lacks meaning neither does it add value to the film - almost as if the producers picked up on the predominant features of the first film and thought "more of the same please". For example the violence is gratuitous, and there is a convenient (if not slightly predictable) plot twist at the end. My main problem with this film is that the tension is solely built around increasingly horrific ways to shock the audience, lacking any real conviction or thought thus removing the factors that made the first film so original and brilliant, leaving the film to adhere to your stereotypical slasher flick. The only thing that saves this film from a 1/10 is Donnie Wahlberg's performance.. Shame he couldn't have been given a better narrative!