When will the torture end?
After the recent theatrical release of “Saw V,” I decided to write my thoughts on the series since we really don’t have enough time on the show to discuss these things. I feel this is an important topic of discussion because this series has become a yearly event, and it’s also a very accurate representation of what the business of Hollywood does to movies. I’ve offered my analysis on each film, and the series as a whole.
Enjoy!
the Movieguy
Saw
In the early winter of 2004 I attended the Philadelphia premiere of a very interesting film called “Saw.” I had seen a few trailers in a couple of low budget films over the summer, but otherwise, the film was not advertised or hyped in any way. It was directed by Malaysian-born Australian film school graduate James Wan, and featured a very interesting premise: someone is abducting people and putting in them in intricately planned situations in which they have to essentially torture themselves (and/or others) to stay alive. The film’s minimalistic premise and raw production value made it come to life in a very big way. When I saw the film, I was blown away. I felt that Wan had tremendous potential as a director, storyteller and creator of incredible suspense. The film’s biggest problem was its acting. Wan had a budget of only $1.2 million to work with, and was unable to cast actors who were capable of carrying a film so heavily dependent on raw acting power. Leigh Whannell, Wan’s co-writer delivered a horrendous co-starring performance along with the talented, but horribly miscast Cary Elwes. Amazingly, the power of the film’s suspense, direction and storytelling made its acting failures pale in comparison to everything it accomplished. Complete with a brilliant ending, this was one of the best horror/suspense films released since “The Ring.” Relatedly, “The Ring” was was one of the best such films released in a great many years at that point.
“Saw” made over $55 million in the box office. At the time I was pleased that Wan and company were rewarded for their imagination and hard work. I had no idea that this small and surprising taste of success that would create something so despicable, pathetic and wholeheartedly embarrassing.
Saw II (2005)
Yes, “Saw” left a lot of people wanting more, including yours truly. As a critic, I’ve endured my share of terrible sequels, and honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect. James Wan was not directing, which I felt was a very bad sign. Some of the original cast members were back, and Whannell was co-writing once again, so perhaps my concern was mere apprehension? After all, “Saw” caught me by surprise just like the rest of you, so I didn’t want a good story ruined.
Though the film did not contain the same magic as the first, it was intense and told a very compelling story. This time around, the acting was vastly improved, with Donnie Wahlberg providing the sort of strong leading performance the first film desperately needed. Perhaps Wan would have given it an edge by directing, but all in all, it was a solid film that fit very well with the first movie.
Saw III (2006)
I don’t know why, but I kind of thought “Saw II” would be the end. No, I am not that naïve, but I truly thought the story ended when I walked out of the theater. Little did I know, the end wasn’t even a topic of discussion.
From the opening scene of this film I knew what was to come would be neither pretty nor enjoyable. Darren Lynn Bousman, the director of “Saw II,” was back at the helm; I’m not sure that was a good or bad thing. Bousman directed the second film with style and intensity, but in retrospect, he really didn’t have to try very hard. Wan set everything up in the first film and all Bousman had to do was not screw it up.
“Saw III” film pretended to have a strong connection to the recurring characters while essentially fostering none at all. Like I said, I thought the story actually ended after the second movie. It was with this third “chapter” that the film became more concerned with finding clever ways to kill and torture people and basically kicked everything else to the curb. It’s impossible to say that the first two films weren’t extraordinarily gory, but from there, the gore had nothing to do with story or characters- it was disgraceful shock value and a complete waste of time.
Saw IV (2007), Saw V (2008)
When I first heard a fourth film was being made, I thought it was a joke. I thought it was simply impossible to continue a story that had already ended. Twice. I was obviously wrong, because as I did more research, I found out that Lionsgate was going to keep making these movies with no intention on stopping. Get ready to step into a world of useless absurdity in which only once classic horror films live.
Jason.
Freddy.
“Halloween.”
“Hellraiser.”
Enough said? These used to the best horror films around, but now all I want is for someone to tell me that they’re done making them.
“Saw V” was essentially the same as “Saw IV,” and was as bad as one could expect. Obviously the story had been over for quite a while, and the film was essentially just a repetitive music video montage of torture scenes, dark camerawork, quick cutscenes and heavy metal music in the background.
If you look at it from a business perspective, this series has become a cash cow. Take a look at the American box office numbers for the first four movies. We’re not even getting into rentals, merchandise or worldwide sales numbers.
Saw
Budget: $1,200,000
Gross: $55,153,403
Saw II
Budget: $4,000,000
Gross: $87,025,093
Saw III
Budget: $10,000,000
Gross: $80,150,343
Saw IV
Budget: $10,000,000
Gross: $63,270,259
Saw V
Budget: $10,000,000
Gross: $30.1 million opening weekend
As the money continues to pour in, Lionsgate is realizing they have to do less and less to promote the films, because everyone has now grown accustomed to seeing them every year around the same time. I own the first two films and have watched them quite a few times over the years, usually back to back. When I’m finished, I pretend that the other films don’t exist. I pretend the series ended after the second film and the other pathetic attempts to squeeze money out of a series that died years ago. I do the best I can to keep Wan’s vision alive, even if just in my own head.
So, how long will the torture continue? Films number six and seven are in the works now, and it is likely that we will even see number eight in the theater. After that, if history is any guide, we’ll probably see a wellspring of straight-to-DVD ripoffs for the better part of a decade, then reoccurring every so often every decade or so.
It pains me to say this about a film I love, but I wish James Wan never made “Saw.” I’ve never said that about a great movie before, but this is what Hollywood does to great ideas. It turns them to filth.