2008 Woodie Awards
SectionsThird Halloween sequel a solid follow-up to last
Thaddeus Stoklasa
Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: Features
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If there's one thing that we can trust, it's that if a horror movie is even mildly successful, you can expect sequels. Look at the string of "Friday the 13th" or "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies. I hear there's another "Aliens v. Predator" coming out in time for Christmas. You just can't get rid of them.
Seriously, when you get to the point where somebody is asking whether there should be a movie with Jason in space, how could nobody realize they were crossing a line?
And so, Halloween brings us what has become a tradition through most of my college career: a new "Saw" movie. But surprisingly, the latest installment manages to avoid feeling tacked on. It's a solid follow-up to the series, and fans shouldn't be disappointed.
"Saw IV" follows two major paths: one being that of Sergeant Rigg (Lyriq Bent), a SWAT officer obsessed with finding his friend, Eric Mathews (Donnie Wahlberg), who is lead past the series of death-traps that one expects from this series. The other involves FBI profilers as they probe the origins of the series mastermind, John Kramer, a.k.a. Jigsaw (Tobin Bell).
I would say the best parts of the movie, from a story perspective, were those that delved into Jigsaw's past. But, to be fair, that may be because those parts required the least prior knowledge of the series in order to enjoy. I'm not what you'd call a fan of the series - not against it, per se - but left to my own devices I likely wouldn't have seen any of them past the original.
Unfortunately, in this situation, it detracts a great deal if you're not familiar with the ongoing story, because a good portion of the cast is made up of returning characters, directly tied to the second and third films. For my part there were a lot of "Who's that? Why're they here?" Thankfully, my girlfriend is a fan of the series, but others may not have such a readily available information source handy.
I have to admit that I'm impressed with the way the folks behind "Saw" are sticking with such a tightly-wound, interconnected story. Most of the horror movie series that come to my mind can easily be watched as stand-alone slash-fests, for easier commercial consumption. But "Saw IV" clearly shows that they're quite committed to doing their own thing.
Seriously, when you get to the point where somebody is asking whether there should be a movie with Jason in space, how could nobody realize they were crossing a line?
And so, Halloween brings us what has become a tradition through most of my college career: a new "Saw" movie. But surprisingly, the latest installment manages to avoid feeling tacked on. It's a solid follow-up to the series, and fans shouldn't be disappointed.
"Saw IV" follows two major paths: one being that of Sergeant Rigg (Lyriq Bent), a SWAT officer obsessed with finding his friend, Eric Mathews (Donnie Wahlberg), who is lead past the series of death-traps that one expects from this series. The other involves FBI profilers as they probe the origins of the series mastermind, John Kramer, a.k.a. Jigsaw (Tobin Bell).
I would say the best parts of the movie, from a story perspective, were those that delved into Jigsaw's past. But, to be fair, that may be because those parts required the least prior knowledge of the series in order to enjoy. I'm not what you'd call a fan of the series - not against it, per se - but left to my own devices I likely wouldn't have seen any of them past the original.
Unfortunately, in this situation, it detracts a great deal if you're not familiar with the ongoing story, because a good portion of the cast is made up of returning characters, directly tied to the second and third films. For my part there were a lot of "Who's that? Why're they here?" Thankfully, my girlfriend is a fan of the series, but others may not have such a readily available information source handy.
I have to admit that I'm impressed with the way the folks behind "Saw" are sticking with such a tightly-wound, interconnected story. Most of the horror movie series that come to my mind can easily be watched as stand-alone slash-fests, for easier commercial consumption. But "Saw IV" clearly shows that they're quite committed to doing their own thing.
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