Movie Review: Saw 3D: The Final Chapter

Synopsis: As a deadly battle rages over Jigsaw's brutal legacy, a group of Jigsaw survivors gathers to seek the support of self-help guru and fellow survivor Bobby Dagen, a man whose own dark secrets unleash a new wave of terror.

There were 2 large things working against this movie all along for me before I even watched it. First, there was just no way they could have satisfied all the fans and tied up everything they've left open along the way from the first 6 movies. They could try, and they did, but I can't see anybody being satisfied just because the expectations set for a grand finale were way too high. Secondly, after the first 6 films the shock factor is pretty much gone. Hell, they've done it all and I guess I'm sort of numb to the whole thing.

My like of each film is usually based upon the traps, how creative or cool they were was what left me wowing or disappointed after each movie. The traps are the stars. This film had more than any other, but creatively I just didn't think they were as good. These traps show a lack of creativity, or perhaps they just go back to the whole "seen it all before" thing.

So is this a terrible entry to the franchise? No, not at all I thought. It's the same Saw... gory, ludicrous plot, unlikeable characters getting ripped apart, plot twists and multiple story lines running side-by-side. It's Saw. What else is to like? Well, I like how it all came full circle back to where it began and with Dr. Gordon. I liked the Hoffman going after Jill storyline. I like that it's probably the goriest of all the entries, with more traps and victims than any.

But the Bobby Dagen storyline didn't really work for me. I wasn't interested in him and I felt like it was just a distraction to fill time. The 90 minutes could have all been used on the whole mythology of Saw and explaining things, not introducing a non-important character and his friends. But they needed some victims to use traps on, I can understand that.

Utimately, as I explained earlier, I just wanted a whole lot more from the finale. I wanted a better story to finish the whole thing.

6/10