Better than Saw II, but ultimately not satisfying enough

Rating: 7/10 (22 March 2007)

I had wanted to see Saw III when it was in theatres, but never managed to get a chance to go and see it. When it came on DVD, I attempted to rent it right away, but was too busy and all the copies were always sold out. So I had to wait until now to finally get my chance. And despite the simplistic content of the film, I am still really conflicted about it more than a day after seeing it.
Opening with a rather bizarre string of "character tie-ups" (and two not-so elaborate death sequences), the actual key characters in the film are not introduced for the first fifteen minutes at least. Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is on his deathbed. So a brain surgeon, Lynn (Bahar Soomekh) is kidnapped and put into a game where she would have to keep him alive, or will end up dying with him. At the same time, Jeff (Angus Macfadyen) is being put into multiple tests to see if he can conquer his ultimate fear.
Simply put, Saw III is not as good as the original film, but does improve in a few areas over its disappointing predecessor. The film is focused on a small number of characters this time around, and does not make the audience try and feel for more than a half dozen like the previous film. As a result, it feels more focused when these characters are on screen, and allows for more character development. Of course, we do not hear a lot of it until the film's dying minutes (much akin to the other films), but it feels like a vast and much needed improvement.
The performances are also much better done here. Even though he is stuck in a bed for most of his scenes, Bell proves to be the most menacing and evil dying film character ever. All of the fear and chills he has given in the past, is all present here, and never wasted. Just looking at his sad and twisted body, now heavily dependent on oxygen, as he is introduced to Lynn, is just terrifying. Shawnee Smith, who returns as Amanda, is also very good. I did not like how emotionally twisted she was at first, but as the film goes on, her actions make a lot more sense and feel much more authentic and proper. Newbies Soomekh and Macfadyen do an adequate job in their roles, with Macfadyen really pulling in the brunt of the emotional sequences. They deliver, but are overshadowed by how good Bell and Smith are.
But they are also overshadowed by the fact that the movie, while being about their struggle to compete in Jigsaw's twisted games, is not about them. It serves more as a backgrounder on the events of the first two films, filling in the gaps of logic and questions that many of us have had since seeing the films. I will not ruin all of the surprises that the film reveals, but there is a lot of back story covered for both Jigsaw and Amanda. It was a nice touch to also have former game "players" Leigh Whannell (Adam in the first film) and Donnie Wahlberg (Detective Matthews from the second film) return for a bit of background on what happened to their characters (no Cary Elwes appearances though). Having so much historical background material though, takes away much of what is happening in the present, and makes it take a bit of a backseat in a lot of cases. These events are just nowhere near as important, and their lack of definition is felt throughout the movie, right up to the ending, which fails to deliver like the other two films as a result of this.
Another thing I resented was how mean-spirited and violent the film was. Yes, the previous two films had their shares of gruesome violence, but the limits are really being tested here. The death and the torture scenes just do not feel "fun" anymore (for lack of better terminology). What impressed us about the originality of the violent ends in the first two films, feels a lot more dull and half baked here. Yes, they are still intriguing ways to kill, but they just do not feel like they are on the same level. On the same token, the blood seems to have been anted up to help compensate for the loss. I cringed in a few sequences, and in others, I just felt like the gore was being way too overdone. It was bordering on the self-parody of Hostel for much of the film, and considering how horrendous that movie was, is not much of a complement.
As well, the whole scheme and meaning of the games that Jigsaw tests people with has been changed all around. What we are meant to believe in the first two films, is not the true meaning given in the third. It takes away a bit of the morality felt throughout the first two films, and just gives into the mindless excess of every other horror film being released every few weeks. What was original and unique, gave in to becoming mainstream. The deaths were characteristic, and had importance. Here, they just feel like they are being done just for the sake of it. There is no love or emotional attachment to anyone, because they are introduced and last even less time after.
Some people may have liked some of the liberal changes made in this film from the previous two, but I really think it took away from the mythos and emotional appeal that made the films so uniquely successful in the first place. I appreciated how much light was shed on some of the questions I had about the other two films, but on the other hand, I was not completely satisfied in the end. I just hope Saw IV is not exactly the same.
7/10.