The law of diminishing returns

Rating: 7/10 (6 October 2012)

After the original Saw movie proved so successful, the producers came to the conclusion that the reason for its success was not the original script and intense, claustrophobic suspense engendered by the awful predicament of the two protagonists. No, it was because of the Jigsaw killers ingenious and gory methods of despatching his chosen victims. And so number two in the series - and all the subsequent numbers - involved assorted victims enmeshed in a series of predicaments which required savage and bloody self-sacrifice in order to stand a chance of survival.
Tobin Bell, as Jigsaw, is the main link with the original film, but the movie establishes mild ongoing plot links backwards and forwards. But mostly it eschews the brilliance of its forbear for a formula which then holds for the remainder of the series.
One question - the planning and expense must be huge: is it really worth it? And fancy being so Machievellian that you are plotting such traps 6 films ahead! OK, two questions.