Ok, so where to start? SAW VII, in most opinions that I've seen so far, and in my personal opinion, is pretty much the least favorable of the SAW franchise. Others(Such as Bloody-Disgusting) put SAW VII higher up on the rankings than SAW IV and SAW V, and I can also agree with that rating too. But one thing is clear: SAW VII doesn't quite reach the same level as the previous films have, it's just not up to par. And as Bloody-Disgusting said best, at some points in the film, it seemed more like I was watching a Final Destination film than a SAW film. But it did certainly have it's good points. For the first time in the SAW franchise, we get an outdoor trap, with a lot of exterior shots. The final installment also does a great job of wrapping up more than most of the questions that we had and the little clues here and there that they've given us over the past seven years. The series ended on a pretty decent high note. They basically ended it exactly the same way they ended the original SAW, with Jigsaw(Or in this case, the person following in Jigsaw's footsteps) locking a person away in the famous Bathroom Trap, saying the well-known catch phrase, "Game over", and locking the door as the victim screams for his life and the credits roll. A pretty strong finish, and a great nod to the original film in my opinion. Not many movies these days throw back to their original film in the final one, and that helped this movie out a lot.
If you recall in my last SAW VII post, I asked if you guys thought this would be the final installment. Well, the reasoning behind that is that if you've seen SAW VII, then you know that Dr. Gordon isn't the only person who takes part in jumping and kidnapping Detective Hoffman at the end. I've heard a few theories and rumors(Very normal for this franchise) as to who it could have been, but there's no concrete answer from a person in the cast/crew, so that leaves an eighth installment open for discussion somewhat, along with a few minor questions that were left unanswered here and there(Obi being in John's flashback in SAW III, what is going to happen to Hoffman after being locked in the bathroom, does Dr. Gordon continue John's legacy, etc). But as I said, for the most part, the SAW team did a pretty great job of finally giving us more answers than questions, and wrapping up some of the biggest questions the fans had. Will there be a sequel? I have no idea, but my money says yes. SAW is pretty much Lionsgate's biggest cash flow at the moment, and after SAW VII became the number one movie in America yet again, I'm betting that Lionsgate isn't going to let SAW die out this easily. But we'll just have to wait and see, it's never a straight answer with the SAW team. One of my only issues with SAW VII was the way they brought back Dr. Gordon. I have no issues with getting closure on Dr. Gordon, but there were much better ways that they could have brought him back(For example, using the character flashbacks in SAW V with Strahm searching through victim files to give closure to the character). For those of you who are unaware, the method of bringing Dr. Gordon back was pulled directly from the SAW messageboard. There's nothing wrong with bringing the character back and using fan ideas to do that, but the idea of him becoming the one to take on Jigsaw's legacy seems a bit unrealistic to me, given the performance in the first SAW, with Dr. Gordon being ready to kill anybody involved in the kidnapping of him and his family. But I'm glad we finally got some closure on the character, and I think it was still a pretty SAW-esque, unique way to bring back the character, rather than just showing a flashback and saying, "This is what happened, and now he's dead" or something similar.
The traps this year, which is usually what people watch these movies for(Minus the hardcore fans), didn't disappoint at all. For the first time in the franchise, I found myself cringing at some of the traps. The traps for the main storyline were pretty brutal, although the idea for the storyline itself was pretty weak. The main character, Bobby Dagen, wasn't really a flawed or morally wayward individual, as was the case with the last six movies. He was just some dirtbag that decided to lie to make money off of Jigsaw's murders. But getting back to the traps, they were some of the most graphic and cringe-inducing traps in the franchise. One trap finds Bobby Dagen being forced to pull a fish hook that is attatched to fishing line out of the stomach of a woman that was involved in his lies, and she is forced to keep quiet during the entire trap, or be impaled through the neck by four large spikes. This, in my opinion, was one of the most brutal and disgusting traps in the entire franchise. It had a decent amount of blood, but what made it really disgusting was just the thought and concept of this trap, and the actress did an amazing job passing it off as if she actually was having a fish hook removed from her stomach.
One of my other minor issues with SAW VII was the lack of involvement with John(Jigsaw). He only had one or two very minor flashbacks, and basically gets his shortest amount of screen time in the entire franchise. But as far as other characters go, there weren't too many issues. SAW VII chose to introduce, and then kill off, new characters, rather than focus on past characters and capitalizing on their stories and offering some closer. But at the same time, they brought back a decent amount of old characters, and if you pay close attention, you'll find some of them in scenes that you didn't even think they'd be in. Character returns are always a pretty cool thing in the SAW franchise. It's great to see they don't forget the characters that brought the series to the point that it's at now, and character returns are like a little treat for the more hardcore fans who have stuck by the franchise for the entire run.
For the 3D aspect of this film, much like Bloody-Disgusting, I'm pretty much on the fence. Here's what they had to say:
"Ah yes, the 3D. I'm sort of on the fence. It's technically great - this movie opens things up a bit (an outside trap, several exterior shots) and even the traps themselves are larger, so if any of the movies HAD to be in 3D, it would be this one. And it was SHOT in 3D (not a convert) so it automatically looks better than most of what we're seeing. But I'm not sure it's the right fit for this particular franchise - it felt sort of weird to have characters throwing things at you, as if they were sort of having fun too. Not that I always want a grim-fest, but it feels a bit campy at times. You may disagree, but I've always felt the series is much more intelligent than its given credit for, however this stuff gives it a slightly goofy tone, like a Final Destination movie more than SAW one. "
For the most part, I didn't even really notice the 3D moments in the movie, because as usual, I was too wrapped up in the movie and focusing on the story, and analyzing every single detail. But after watching it for the second time, I began catching the shots, and I wasn't very pleased with them. It didn't ruin the movie for me, but it did sort of take away from the SAW feeling of the movie.
The best way I can think to end this review, is to quote Bloody-Disgusting on their closing statements. They're pretty much right on the money with their final words.
"One thing is certain - Marcus, Patrick, and the rest of the gang have done right by the fans here. All issues have been resolved, Dagen's AA-style survivors' meeting brings back a lot of familiar faces, and, while they don't beat you over the head with it, you do get the strongest sense yet of what Jigsaw was trying to accomplish with his "method" and more importantly, whether or not it worked. And ultimately, it's a SAW movie. They didn't pull a Jason Goes To Hell and completely change their MO for the finale - apart from the 3D aspect, there's nothing here that would seem out of place in another entry.
I'm glad the series ended on a relative high note. It's not one of the best ones, but it's better than IV or V, which would put it about in the middle of the pack - and keep in mind I like all of them (even V, the worst one, I'd give a C+). And it will certainly have a longer shelf life than the lazy Paranormal Activity 2, so Kevin Greutert should be ironically happy about the situation - he ended up doing the better film. I know I had some concerns, but it's ultimately a good time at the movies, and the minor pacing/story issues are pretty much forgotten once that final reel kicks in and Charlie Clouser's amazing theme plays that one last time as the series truly comes full circle.
I'll miss you, SAW."
I honestly couldn't have said it better myself. A seven year franchise has finally come to a close(At least that's what we're being told), and they ended the franchise in a pretty decent way. All in all, SAW VII was a pretty good movie, and a nice way to end the franchise without totally ruining everything that has been established. It's been fun, and we'll all miss you, SAW!
SAW VII is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD!
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