Saw: The Final Chapter

Back in 2004 a small horror film was released, it quickly garnered a cult following due to its inventive plot and new take on a by now tired genre.  The film revolved around two men held in a bathroom, with only an apparently dead body for company...  The tag line read "Let The Games Begin!"  I doubt back then the makers would realise the craze they had set upon the movie going public, Halloween 2010 was the date for the release of the seventh and final (possibly?!) instalment of the franchise.  The film for today is Saw: The Final Chapter.

The first Saw was a complicated film, full of twists and second guessing.  There was purpose to Jigsaws rather strange take on the Crystal Maze, he wanted to teach his victims a lesson; they could save their lives if they were willing to sacrifice parts of themselves in the process, he wanted them to be reborn and be grateful for what they had.  A technique, which although a bit severe, would make the Jeremy Kyle show a lot more interesting.

The Final Chapter was supposed to tie up all those story strands which have been dropping all over place for the last six films.  Hoffman, a man who has a number of super powers including rapidly healing skin tissue, ninja like stealth and a keen fancy for stabbing people in the neck; is now on a wanted man.  Jigsaws wife has finally decided that she actually did know her late hubby was a bit of a caring serial killer and she's ready to shop everyone, for full immunity of course.

Whilst Hoffman and Tuck are playing chase the main story running though is that of Bobby Dagen, a "survivor" of a trap who has ridden the publicity train to wealth and a trophy wife.  He courts the media with TV spots and an appearance at a Jigsaw Survivor group, of course it soon becomes clear Bobby is being a little generous with the truth.  So what happens to him?  Well dim wife gets taken prisoner and Bobby has to face the Jigsaw gauntlet, various traps encasing those who work for him and are in on the secret that he has never been tested.  Lets be honest we've seen it all before and Bobby is a bit bad at the game, in that he saves a grand total of zero!

There are also numerous other random characters popping up, including a rather forced flashback as to how the Internal Affairs guy currently holding Tuck knows Hoffman.  This is the problem with how complicated Saw has become, there aren't just stand alone characters any more everyone has to have some sort of connection to the extend that you have to wonder if there's a little inbreeding going on.

"Flash Gordon, Quarterback, New York Jets"... Wait... Wrong Gordon.

Of course we eventually see the return of the one footed man, Dr. Gordon is back and he is not a happy chappy.  Anyone who has gotten into a debate with an overenthusiastic Saw fan will know this is the big question, what the hell happened to him after Saw last time we saw him he was snaking out of the bathroom minus a foot and taking on an appearance that wouldn't see him out of place on the set of Twilight.

Actually the acting in this final instalment is the weakest so far, the IA agent Gibson is so bad it's funny I have no idea where they got him from (he's been in Final Destination) but the boy needs to invest in some decent acting classes.  Hoffman is his usual gruff self, scowling moodily whilst trying to maintain how cool he is, given that most of his interactions are with Jill Tuck it basically becomes a face off between his angry brow line and her evil pout of smugness.

The rest of the supporting cast takes the usual cues, look terrified and scream a lot...  Then die...  That's about it really.  Even that guy from Linkin Park manages to out act almost everyone, the only exception being Gordon who being played by a seasoned actor was obviously restricted in his role in case he showed everyone else up.

Saw films are known for their traps, each new film trying to outdo the last; this offering lacked in originality though, there wasn't anything that stood out unlike say the Rack Trap in Saw 3 or the end group trap in Saw 5.  Yes there was the usual volcano of blood going off but it wasn't interesting any more.

It's a shame that Saw has gone out on a whimper rather than a bang, given that Saw 6 managed to pick up the franchise again after some poor showings in Saw 4 and Saw 5, The Final Chapter undid all the good work.  Tobin Bells Jigsaw had all but disappeared, an occasional flashback was all we got when he was the star of the show, yes Jigsaw is dead but he could have been used more.  Hopefully this is the end, although the rumours are starting again...  This is a series that needs to be put to bed, and then in 20 years time my daughter can tell me about how she's going to see a remake of Saw.

You know what this film needed, a bit of humour...  The final bathroom scene you hear the squeak of Billys tricycle, he appears from the shadows, but it's not the puppet it's Brian Blessed dressed as Billy and the final line of the film echos around the empty corridor...  "Gordon's Alive!"

Game Over...