Saw II Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: A detective and his son become caught up in one of Jigsaw's twisted games.

Review: They definitely stepped up their game for this sequel which came out only one year later (a trend that would continue for the rest of the series). There are more deaths, traps, and, as the tagline boasted, more blood. This entry also set the tone for the rest of the franchise by establishing the core story structure that each sequel would employ. Whether or not you prefer this direction the sequels took, it's hard to deny that virtually every aspect was improved upon compared to the original "Saw." It's also important to note the tightening of the continuity from here on out. Each sequel was well aware of the previous events and tried to incorporate them in a meaningful way to the overall plot. This is hindsight of course, but that's why I said part 3 was what got me invested in the franchise.

The story this time around is that, sometime after the events of "Saw," Jigsaw allows himself to be caught by the police. Tobin Bell, who plays Jigsaw, is finally given a chance to bring the character to life in a way "Saw" didn't have time to explore. Although subsequent entries would alter Jigsaw's origin slightly, I consider this to be Jigsaw's perspective of why he does what he does. As a cancer patient, he sunk into despair, tried to commit suicide by crashing his car, miraculously found the will to survive, and gained a newfound stance on life. Realizing how unappreciative others were of their lives, Jigsaw decided to remind people of life's value with his twisted sense of morality. I'm not saying Jigsaw's logic is sound, but he is a deranged serial killer after all. I do want to mention that Jigsaw fixated on people in his surrounding social circle while other entries struggled to create a connection back to Jigsaw (or his accomplices) if they even bothered to try at all.

We are introduced to new, reoccurring characters like Mathews and Rigg while only a handful returned from part 1; those being Jigsaw, obviously, Amanda, and Kerry. The setup is that Jigsaw has thrown a number of people into a trapped house whereby they are exposed to a nerve gas, seemingly, liquefying their organs. We come to learn that they were all people put in prison by Mathews planting evidence on them with the exception of his own son who is used as leverage by Jigsaw. Now, I'm not going to lie, there are a ton of contrivances regarding many characters' deaths, but not on par with the first movie. As such, the deaths are not too gruesome compared to the later entries, and I liked the idea that the people died before they could even fully explore all the traps; this goes toward realism considering it's highly unlikely all of Jigsaw's traps would go according to plan.

The ending continues the trend of having a final twist with the game's true intention being revealed. However, "Saw II" introduces the series to a trend of toying with the audience's perception of time. The police watch the majority of the film's events from a monitor only to realize it was never live. This is important in revealing that the main goal of the game was to trap Mathews all along. We learn that Amanda became intrigued by Jigsaw and joined up with him rather than actually being another unwitting victim. It is kind of implied that Jigsaw is dead with Amanda continuing his work, but part 3 provided clarity in that respect. They tried to explain away Jigsaw's ability to abduct grown men, when he's busy dying of cancer, by introducing the accomplices; this was the first gap to be filled in that most ignore about part 1. Finally, the fate of Dr. Gordon would become an ongoing mystery for the remainder of the franchise--a deliberate ploy to keep fans speculating.

I can understand fans seeing part 2 as a departure from what "Saw" was about, but I think they simply fine-tuned the material into what they wanted; and of course financial reasons were at play. The scope is widened, the Jigsaw character is fleshed out, the experience and deaths are more visceral, and the ending twist makes more sense and is genuinely surprising. Though the intrigue was better in "Saw," the mystery in this installment is more thought out and keeps you engaged until the credits unlike the first movie which loses its muster. In essence, this sequel did what all sequels should strive toward: outdoing the previous installment. Not only did they succeed in this respect, but they introduced their own mythology and lore that would continue to expand as the series continued.

Notable Moment: There are some cool scenes this time around, but the most memorable is when Amanda is thrown into the pit of syringes. It's pretty bad when a horrific death might be the preferable option.

Final Rating: 6.5/10