Saw is my favourite film series. I really have no other way
to put it; I friggin’ love these movies. Born right here in my homeland from
director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell, the yearly Halloween release of
these films was one of the few cinematic schedules I stuck to without a break.
And it’s not even for ironic ‘guilty pleasure’ reasons, as there’s honestly a
lot to genuinely like for the more strong-stomached audiences out there. The
grungy visual texture, Charlie Clouser’s heart-racing soundtracks, the twisted
ingenuity behind the series’ trademark traps, even down to the compelling and
surprisingly complex characters; it’s a cult film series with the
easily-overlooked positives and myopic detraction that a lot of these series
end up getting.
When the series originally closed out with The Final Chapter,
while disheartened that it ended on its worst note, I’ll admit to being more
disheartened that the story was closing up shop. But then, the marketing for
today’s film kicked in and… well, for reasons I’ll get into, I’m approaching
this with an equal mixture of excitement and hesitance. Let the games begin again.
