"SAW III Tries To Piece Back Together Missing Pieces In The Jigsaw"

Rating: 6/10 (5 November 2006)

Jigsaw, who is on his deathbed, gets his apprentice Amanda to kidnap a doctor, who is told to keep him alive or she will die. Meanwhile Jeff is the next person to fall victim to Jigsaw's game.
When choosing to see a horror film, one should not listen to what the film critics have to say about it. Usually they will tear the film a new one, simply because they're not a fan, or appreciate the genre. Horror is a genre for its fans, not it's critics. It's no surprise that the critics hate the third Saw film, but the fans rejoice around it. While Saw III is not the best film of the trilogy, it's not the worst either. Improving over the mess of a sequel that was Saw II, Saw III tries to piece back together missing pieces in the jigsaw and succeeds at doing so...barely.
While many thought that Jigsaw himself died at the conclusion of the second film, we were all wrong. He's still alive and kicking, well not kicking, but alive. It's up to Lynn, a doctor to keep him alive, for her sake. She is attached to a device that will blow up is Jigsaw's heart rate stops and she leaves his proximity. Sounds very "Battle Royalish". She is only a small part of a much bigger game that Jigsaw is playing. In a couple rooms over another victim wakes in a wooden box, this is Jeff. He is unwillingly (like everyone else) thrown into this game of life or death. His so called crime; according to Jigsaw is his inability to let go of the past. A car killed his son and Jeff has yet to let go of this, so he is sent on this "quest" to get to the man who killed his son. He must choose to forgive and save three victims, who all have their hand in his son's death, or let them die. Eventually all of this somehow leads up to the films end where it throws it's expected twist, which isn't as good as either of the previous films.
Saw II didn't go over so well because it took a different angle, and failed. SAW III does the exact same thing, yet somehow gets away with it, by an inch mind you. What made the original so compelling and unique was that it took place in this dirty bathroom. In the sequels, it's multiple rooms. This is a double edge sword; while it's neat to want to see what crazy contraption Jigsaw has in for us behind door number one, two or three...there is no real sense of urgency, or confinement. Jeff makes his way through room-to-room trying to save the victims, which include drowning in chopped up pig stuff, being frozen to death and being twisted to death, yup I said twisted.
The film picks up exactly where the second film left off, you could basically splice the two films together and watch one long bloody film, no pun intended. We see Eric, the detective from the second film chained up in the same bathroom; he tries everything to escape his chains and finally comes up with an answer. No, he doesn't saw off his foot like Dr. Gordon, he smashes it with the toilet cover and then breaks it. That was the one and only squirm in my seat moment for me, as the rest if really just blood and guts. Yes, Saw III is the bloodiest of them all; You'll get foot smashing as I mentioned, heads exploding, bodies twisting, freezing, suffocating...so on.
SAW III uses flashbacks to show us things that we didn't know about the first two films, such as the fact the Amanda has been in on it since the whole Dr. Gordon and Adam fiasco. She even killed Adam, instead of him starving which is what we were led to believe. Still to mention of what happened to Dr. Gordon though, but I'm sure we can all agree on him dying. Ever wonder why Adam and Gordon never saw Jigsaw breathing, somewhat explained here. These flashbacks seemed like they were here just to cover up plot holes found in the first two films. Yet they work in an odd way. It makes you want to pay more attention, whenever they go back to the previous films, you want to pay attention cause you start to think you may have missed something. Some of the flashbacks may take away from the earlier films, especially with Adams death.
The SAW theme music is here yet again, this time with a couple tweaks. It's the new remix, still has same effect, but possibly to a lesser degree. SAW III builds up to it's ending for awhile and once it finally hits you're left sitting there asking yourself if THAT was suppose to be the films huge twist. The twist is okay in it, but doesn't even compare to the sizes of our jaws after watching the first two. More then its blood and guts, it's a story about Jigsaw and Amanda, who become humanized with their emotional connection between the two of them. She cares for him and he cares for her.
There were many things that were left not answered here. Like who was the blonde girl in Jigsaw's dream, or what did the letter say that he gave to Amanda, why the hell did he pour hot wax on one of the tapes? Will these be answered in number 4?
I don't see how they are going to manage getting another film out, but they probably will. The Saw series will always be torturing new victims as long as we still want it to. Saw III will take you back to the beginning and will please the SAW fans and fans of something bloody, but don't expect to be surprised by their so-called twist at the end, it's a real stinker.