Saw VI - 4/5

All right. If its Halloween its "Saw" and of course, this guy, is going to be there opening night just as he has for the last 5 years. So of course, even with "Saw V" being a pretty giant shit, I was there for "Saw VI" and I'm glad I was. I'm glad that I didn't let the last one ruin my fun, because "VI" is probably the best film in the franchise since the first. And that says something since I thought the combination of "III" and "IV" was sick.

Here' the deal though. You must watch "V" right before seeing this one. This one explains almost all of the gaping plot holes from it. If you have the extra time, also see "III" and "IV" as this one does tie in a ton from those too. That's one of the reasons I love this franchise. It's one that relies on its previous entries to work - and just like the third and fourth films worked better together than separately, this one works best with "V" in recent memory. I won't give too much away, but your questions will be answered in a more cohesive manner this time around.

So what we have with "VI" is a story that has gotten back to being intertwining in itself and the other films. We have the continued police investigation for the 'new' Jigsaw that meshes with a new side story involving Jigsaw's ex-wife Jill Tuck and her involvement and of course, new gamers, all from a cold and heartless medical insurance company. It was nice to see some solid story and script work in this film return to the forefront and as a bonus we get some of the best acting work so far in the "Saw" world! Finally, a film that has semi-descent acting! It's only gotten worse thus far with the franchise so that was a pleasant turn around.

Oddly enough, the worst part about "VI" was it's directing. Greutert isn't near as capable as either Wan or Bousman was with their time on the franchise and luckily for him since the focus was placed so much on the story I missed out on a lot of his lackluster work with the camera and pacing. It's sad to think this is perhaps the weakest directing for the franchise and yet still one of the best films. Guess it goes to show you that sometimes a story can carry the film enough.

I must also mention that I really enjoyed that the franchise went back to its 'lesson' ideology for the series. "V" sorely missed the boat on that one and "II" wasn't far behind, but this time, there is a nice little thought fodder with the ideas of insurance and how it works. I wont' give out too much, but it was nice to see a bit more thought into the reasons that the characters were picked by Jigsaw this time.

I must say that, yes, "Saw VI" might be my new second favorite in the films. It was smart, it was legitimized, and it was had some nice substance (even with the increased presence of gore). Let's keep it on track boys!

Written By Matt Reifschneider