‘SAW X’ REVIEW: A FUN TWIST ON THE SPOOKY FRANCHISE
The Halloween season is upon and there are a lot of different things to do, such as going to the pumpkin patch, looking for a haunted house, or visiting the local Spirit Halloween shop – but there is nothing that beats watching a scary horror movie.
It’s the season of horror movie sequels, so why not do a spoiler-free review on the 10th installment of its franchise, “Saw X”?
This time, John Kramer is our protagonist, and it’s personal. The Saw movies have had their ups and downs, with the more recent movies losing some fans of the older ones but this new one hits the mark, honestly. Set in the interval between the first and second movies, Kramer spends the last of his money to have an experimental treatment done in Mexico that will hopefully rid him of his cancer but he ends up getting scammed and decides to take his revenge on the people who gave him false hope.
This new film serves as a great comeback to the original look and feel of the first few Saw movies, but gives a nice breath of fresh air with the story, pacing, and focus on John.
I can’t start a Saw review without talking about the gore and traps in this movie. Both are exactly what you would want to see from a Saw. The traps bring back the feel of the Kramer traps.
A problem I personally have with some of the traps in the newer movies were that it seemed like no one could actually beat the trap, or that people would die no matter what, and that some of the victims in those traps just didn’t deserve that punishment. But X fixes both of those problems for me.
The pacing in this movie is much slower than the other Saw movies I’ve seen, especially in the beginning, but that’s not at all a bad thing. The slower pace gives the audience a chance to emotionally connect with the struggle that Kramer is facing, namely seeing his appointments, seeing the hope that he might be able to live his full life, then seeing the moment he finds out it’s all a lie.
The pacing also gives a nice level of buildup and suspense to the movie that really pays off with the third act. The victims in this movie seem to deserve to be in the position that they’re in, but there are also moments where you flip-flop from being on John’s side to questioning if they really should suffer, and that makes the movie so much more fun.
Surprisingly, Saw X is pretty new-viewer friendly. I watched some of the other Saw movies, though not all of them, and I wasn’t as attached to the lore or timeline as a lot of other Saw fans yet this movie feels like its own thing while it still has enough payoff for longtime viewers of the franchise. The only other installment someone needs to watch for a better experience is the very first one, and then they are set.
I very much enjoyed this movie, and if you are a Saw fan that wasn’t sure you would, or if you are a casual movie watcher who wants something to see while you wait for the Five Nights at Freddy’s film to come out (Oct. 27), then I definitely recommend it.
Staff Writer
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