Like many other true horror fans, the original is an all time favorite and being more than a little sick of all the sequels and cash-ins (with the exception of the just-okay remake) I was more than a little leery of this one, especially after learning that this was a prequel to the remake. I even scoffed at the poster when I saw it hanging in "coming soon" section. I couldn't help but think that they are riding this horse to death and yes, the "the saw is running out of gas" line popped into my noggin. However, this did not stop me from doing a few searches online. After reading some positive buzz and a few good reviews from some credible horror sites, I soon found myself, wife in tow, at the multiplex albeit, still with fairly low expectations.
Surprise surprise. I was dead wrong and this turned out to be the best one since the original. Jonathan Liebesman (spell that right?....probably not) did one hell of a job, delivering a pure ass-kicking film that could definitely stand on it's own two feet. The connections to the remake are definitely there and it does explain a lot, but if you missed out on it, you're okay. This is everything a great horror film should be. The story, although not very original, works very well, as the first fifteen minutes tells us how our little family came to be and also how Hoyt became self-appointed Sheriff. R. Lee Ermey (the BEST thing about the remake) delivers a knockout performance and has some truly hilarious lines. Check that. EVERYTHING out of his mouth had me in stitches.
This is one of those rare horror flicks (much like Hills Have Eyes) where you actually give a rat's ass about the victims. There's just enough character development for us to see their motives, to see them as human beings, for us to be scared for them and with them. Kudos to all involved. The suspense is genuine, even if the last segment is just a tad formulaic and let me say this: This "Saw" has some of the most extreme violence/gore of any major studio film in recent memory. The gore even topped out "Hostel". Very brutal indeed. I've never seen anything like that done to a cow before. Also, wait till you see what happens to a very unfortunate (and purely unlikeable) biker.
All said and done, THIS is how to revive a franchise and if there's only one flaw, it's prequel-ing a remake that wasn't all that great to begin with, but fear not, this is everything the remake should have been. I'm now left wondering where they can go if they decide to do another one. Well, if Liebesman is on board, I'll probably be there to find out and you can most certainly be that I will be adding this one to my collection once it hits DVD.
Surprise surprise. I was dead wrong and this turned out to be the best one since the original. Jonathan Liebesman (spell that right?....probably not) did one hell of a job, delivering a pure ass-kicking film that could definitely stand on it's own two feet. The connections to the remake are definitely there and it does explain a lot, but if you missed out on it, you're okay. This is everything a great horror film should be. The story, although not very original, works very well, as the first fifteen minutes tells us how our little family came to be and also how Hoyt became self-appointed Sheriff. R. Lee Ermey (the BEST thing about the remake) delivers a knockout performance and has some truly hilarious lines. Check that. EVERYTHING out of his mouth had me in stitches.
This is one of those rare horror flicks (much like Hills Have Eyes) where you actually give a rat's ass about the victims. There's just enough character development for us to see their motives, to see them as human beings, for us to be scared for them and with them. Kudos to all involved. The suspense is genuine, even if the last segment is just a tad formulaic and let me say this: This "Saw" has some of the most extreme violence/gore of any major studio film in recent memory. The gore even topped out "Hostel". Very brutal indeed. I've never seen anything like that done to a cow before. Also, wait till you see what happens to a very unfortunate (and purely unlikeable) biker.
All said and done, THIS is how to revive a franchise and if there's only one flaw, it's prequel-ing a remake that wasn't all that great to begin with, but fear not, this is everything the remake should have been. I'm now left wondering where they can go if they decide to do another one. Well, if Liebesman is on board, I'll probably be there to find out and you can most certainly be that I will be adding this one to my collection once it hits DVD.