How the Saw franchise got it's reputation

Rating: 6/10 (1 June 2013)

Jigsaw is dying and his apprentice, introduced in the previous film, kidnaps a doctor to try and save his life. The doctor is promised that she can go free if she keeps Jigsaw alive though one of his games. The game revolves around a man who is given a chance to save the life of the man responsible for the death of his son.This time the game is only secondary to the plot. The film is really about the drama between Jigsaw, the apprentice and the doctor. There aren't as many twists as in the earlier ones, although there is quite a powerful and unexpected revelation at the end.
Sadly the plot is almost literally drowned out by the blood and gore factor. They completely ignored the concept of psycho horror and tension and went for over the top graphic violence purely for the shock value. However after about the third disembowelment it stops being shocking and becomes disgusting and repulsive.
One thing I neglected to mention in my earlier Saw reviews is the soundtrack. The music throughout is fairly generic horror background music, but the theme that plays during the big revelation at the end is impressive and combined with crisp editing it ensures a powerful hair raising moment of realization at each film's climax. By the third movie I found myself looking forward to this scene.
The acting suffers from the same problem as number two. Jigsaw and his apprentice are really good, but the other characters are shallow and unrelatable. Whether the fault lies in the script or the acting or both, I found myself bored of the secondary drama as well as disgusted by the graphic nature of the film.
Saw 3 is definitively the weakest so far, not that you can expect something different from a second horror sequel. There is almost no tension and a superfluous amount of blood and gore. In my opinion it is worth enduring for the twist at the end, but unless you have a strong stomach and/or are a fan of the series I recommend you skip this one.