Severely Disappointed

Rating: 1/10 (2 November 2006)

I was a fan of the first Saw - I found the very tightly knitted mix of horror, suspense and twists, and the unpredictability of a relatively new concept really intriguing.
Having missed Saw II, I watched Saw III hoping that the initial formula had somehow been extended and maintained.... I was most certainly disappointed.
The first few "challenges" were nothing more than a gore-fest. The thrill and suspense of the challenges faced in the original Saw replaced with ideas designed to do nothing more than test how well you could hold onto your last meal. There was no rhyme, no reason, and paper-thin plots. Although, I do admit that the plots may have been thicker if I had seen Saw II. But any episode in a good series should be able to stand on it's own without _needing_ the prior episodes to work.
After enduring the first 20 minutes of blood and guts the storyline of the movie started to develop, but it was hard to actually connect with it as there was the constant fear that the next second another disembowelment or similar would jar you out of the storyline again.
I think that the only real review and punishment for this film would probably be to lock the director/producer/writer into a chair and give them a choice of watching the film continuously or hacking their own legs off. I think they'd lose their legs, if they have any taste.