“Saw 3D” is a 2010 3D horror film that was released on October 29. Directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, it stars Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, and Sean Patrick Flanery; Tobin Bell and Cary Elwes also briefly reprise their roles as John Kramer/Jigsaw and Dr. Lawrence Gordon. It is the seventh and final installment of the Saw film series, and the first and only film in the series to be shot in 3D.
An eighth installment was planned, but the decrease in the box office performance for “Saw VI” compared to previous installments led to “Saw 3D” being the final planned film in the series, and the plot concept for “Saw VIII” being incorporated into Saw 3D.” Upon view the film, it is hard to tell where that plot concept is incorporated, but the story meshes well anyways.
The film starts off with a bang, subjecting the audience to a trap set up in a public department store window for a large crowd of people to witness. It is obvious that the people outside are shocked and afraid at what is occurring only feet in front of them, and yet no one makes any actual effort to save those trapped inside, save for one person who calls the police (who, of course, don’t arrive in time). Whether these are sick people who secretly get a kick out of watching someone die, or they agree with the terms of the “game” and wish to see the deserved outcome, it is difficult to say.
As crazy and quick as this scene is, the rest of the movie continues with no mention of this event ever having occurred. Did the writers simply forget that the events of the movie should all tie together coherently, or was it just another trap set-up that holds no value in the film? The same question goes for the main game player of the film, Bobby Dagen (Flanery), a self-help guru who falsely claims to have been a Jigsaw survivor that soon finds himself actually playing a Jigsaw game of survival. The test for this man is understandable in its value for teaching him what it truly means to survive, but it literally holds no meaning to the plotline of the film. As the film comes to its conclusion, and the audience begins to decide that the film wasn’t worth the extra price for 3D (which it wasn’t), something happens that completely redeems the film for all its faults. Sparing the details in order not to spoil it, what happens is something so simple, yet elusive, that the audience could never have seen it coming.
Overall, this film was not great, nor was it special. It can be considered a fitting end to an already way-too-long horror franchise. What is most disappointing is the fact that it was not released in 2D anywhere at all. So, for those who already didn’t want to pay the $15 3D ticket price, there’s nothing to be done about it.
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