Ho hum

Rating: 1/10 (28 October 2006)

I saw this, the third entry in the now annual Saw franchise, last night, at a midnight showing with a rowdy crowd no less, and despite the fun atmosphere, the entire experience was rather "blah." That's the only word I could come up with to describe this film... Admittingly, I was never really a fan of the SAW films... I found the first one's climactic pseudo-clever twist to be irritating, and the second film simply LOOKED awful. Nothing is new the third time around... the story line is more convoluted than usual, and by the end we're waiting for the "twist" so when it finally comes it has virtually no impact. Visually, the film is repellent to look at... it's damp, dark, purposefully ugly and oppressive, and while some may laud the film's ability to sicken, I find little to applaud in filmmakers who choose to color their palette with various shades of vomit green, murky browns, and cold rusty steel. The film's soundtrack is also rather off-putting, making this the most audibly irritating film since Nekromantik's off-key violin scrapings.
Violence-wise, I suppose the film delivers, as we are treated to various mutilations, torture methods, and power-tool brain surgeries, all to the giddy delight of the audience who cheer, gag, and dry-heave in unison... I can't really explain the satisfaction of witnessing violent and disgusting acts with a large crowd, and I myself let out a few audible groans and, yes, a few cheers, but in the end I'm left wondering what's the point. The film is a really depressing experience, perhaps more-so than the second one, and the highlights are its sadistic torture set-pieces, which the filmmakers ludicrously attempt to justify with lame attempts at poetic justice.
It's ultimately this ridiculous sense of self-importance that make the Saw films fail. Yes, Troma films also attempt to shock and gross-out their audiences, but they don't take themselves nearly as seriously as these films do.