My Thumb is Up.

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2005)

I watched Saw II a while ago, but I never got around to putting my two cents until now.
I rented the first Saw film, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. REALLY enjoyed it. Especially compared to other horror films, it was very good-It not only put people in frightening situations, which is what horror movies have to do, but also made the audience think. It stayed away from "cheap scares," and instead went for raw suspense.
The second one, however, was just as good. I had no idea what to think going into it, but I knew that it would either be a very good sequel or a very bad sequel-it just had that sort of vibe about it.
I was thrilled to find that it was the former.
Many people have watched the movie and spent too much time thinking about the gore to realize that this movie actually is an intelligent one. Yes, they see that Jigsaw is one smart cookie even while being completely bonkers, but they don't see that the movie itself is very smart.
Far too many viewers see the house and immediately jump to the conclusion that the people in it are the main characters. The main characters in this film are Mathews and Jigsaw. Period. The characters in the house are merely props for the big idea, which is the "game" that Mathews is playing. In the first movie, Adam and Laurence were the main characters playing their game. The other victims seemed to be only for background, but they proved to be important in their own light. The same thing goes for the second, but the other victims are more emphasized. If you think that the house guests are the main characters after watching the movie, you need to watch it again.
The movie's twists were all very intriguing, even while Amanda being in on it all seemed a bit far-fetched.
Finally, a lot of people speak badly of the violence. Yes, this movie is very gory. Seemingly gratuitous at times. The fact is, however, gore is edgy. Edgy is suspenseful. Suspenseful is thrilling. This movie is a thriller. Get over it.
Well...that's all I have to say. If you disagree, well, that's none of my business anyway.