Disappointed

Rating: 4/10 (30 October 2005)

First off, let me just say that the first Saw film was a work of art that made me feel something no other horror movie has touched since. There was claustrophobia, tension, and a great plot twist at the end. Most of this is lost in Saw 2.
The movie begins with a bang, as Jigsaw has set up a trap for an unknowing individual. You get the same look and feel as you did when seeing the traps for the first time in "Saw". However, it is all downhill from here. John is not the mysterious character that he was in the first movie; rather the writers tried to make his humanity stand out more through a series of flashbacks throughout the movie. I don't think they foresaw the entire mystery element being swept away with that decision, but that is exactly what happens in this film. Not many movies can survive outing the villain within the first 15 minutes, and sadly, this falls into that group.
When the mystery element is compromised, one of the things that can really keep me on the edge of my seat is the tension of the actors. This is also vacant in Saw 2. The cast never gels as Adam and the doctor do in the first movie, and it is apparent in every scene. Shawnee Smith, the lone survivor of Jigsaw's "game", is back for the sequel and acts much like Ali Larter did in Final Destination 2. She tries to be a leader and mentor to everybody in the house, yet comes off as a smug and obnoxious character who is just as unlikable as everyone else in the house. Beverley Mitchell (of 7th Heaven fame) is out of her league in the horror genre, as is Franky G, who plays Xavier. Everyone else had loads of potential, but never quite gelled as they should have.
As mentioned before, the tension element is lacking in Saw 2, and much of it has to do with the missing claustrophobia that was everywhere in the first one. At first, I thought they were all going to be confined into the one room that they wake up in, but you find shortly after that the rest of the house is their's to explore as well. The house felt huge compared to what it was being portrayed as in the previews, and I feel that was a mistake.
The two things that I felt Saw 2 had going for it were Donnie Wahlberg's acting and the amazingly twisted ending. Donnie was great as the father of one of the victim's of Jigsaw's game, and fans of the first Saw's ending will NOT be disappointed with this ending. As stated in countless reviews before mine, the ending to Saw 2 sets up the franchise for however long Lion's Gate decides to keep it running. Overall, the movie is a disappointing entry in the Saw franchise, but looking forward to the last 15 minutes makes the other 1 hour 15 minutes bearable.