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I want to play a game

For several reasons, I had never gotten around to checking out any of the Saw movies. I knew what they were about, and I heard plenty of groans of displeasure from people with each new installment. I knew full well they'd be heavy on gore and non-plausibility with each consecutive film. But still, I wanted to check them out, mainly because I see copies of each film (filled with multiple commentary tracks and featurettes) everywhere I go for a really inexpensive price. Besides, since I like horror movies, why not brush up on a modern day horror franchise that doesn't involve remaking classic horror movies or rehashing the Halloween formula?

I am not someone who enjoys watching people get tortured. I'm not one of those dudes who will be in a screening of Hostel and cheer uncontrollably when the protagonists lose limbs or worse, their life. No, I'm somebody who likes horror movies because I can face my fears in a situation where I'm in the safety of my home, watching movies that are not meant for authentic reality. If anything, documentaries like Jonestown: The Life and Death of the Peoples Temple and Paradise Lost 2 are far more scarier to me. But I do like a good scare, and I appreciate it when a director or writer strives to say something beyond blood, guts, and jumps.

Moreover, I like the kinds of horror movies that aim for something deeper than horny teenagers getting hacked off one by one. I'm kind of curious to watch them, whether it's a cult classic, a new film, or some lost film that maybe only Keith or Richard has heard of. And no, I'm not some disturbed person living on the fringes of life who can't feel any feeling other than pain. I just like to see all kinds of movies, even the disturbing ones. (And yes, I am still a person who lists The Muppet Movie, American Graffiti, and Star Wars as some of my favorite films of all time.)

I've had a curiosity about the Saw franchise for a while, mainly because they keep making sequels after the third film, in which the main villain dies at the very end. Plus, after watching the first three films, I liked how the filmmakers tied the movies together with various character references, settings, and themes. But after watching the third film, I started to wonder if the audience was a part of a game where they want to see more films, but they don't get any relief with each one.

For me, the acting's decent enough (some great performances mixed in with some really unconvincing performances here and there) and the overall plot is intriguing (a villain who's dying of cancer who tries to make his victims change their attitude towards life), but I can't help but feel like I've been sucked into something like a Jigsaw game. At least I'll still have my limbs intact once I finish watching the proposed fifth (yes, fifth) Saw sequel.

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