Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Writers: Josh Stolberg, Pete Goldfinger
Stars: Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella
Synopsis: The Saw universe returns with a new chapter. A criminal mastermind unleashes yet more twisted versions of justice.[/info]
Who knew that in 2021 we would be getting the very rare (in fact I’m sure it’s the first time) distinction of having not one but TWO 9th installments in a franchise? That particular prize goes to both Spiral and Fast 9, and despite doing this 8 times before; the 9th chapter in the Saw franchise would actually work well.
Saw came out in 2004 when this lad was in the 7th grade and it won everyone over at Sundance. It immediately took Hollywood by storm. It had one of the best twist endings in a movie in quite some time and really worked for audiences. Saw followed its success with a really solid sequel with what I would argue is the best twist in the whole series that could never and was never topped (it also remains one of the best theater experiences I’ve ever had, a giant packed crowd witnessing together that twist on opening night, fantastic). As the years and the sequels went on, the films got less and less entertaining. So, when we get to 2021 with the release of a ninth film, where do we go? Well, welcome to Spiral.
Spiral does something with a series that we’ve seen before; it tries to change the mold of franchise moviemaking. Most of these films end in sadness or in space or sadness in space (see Hellraiser 4, Jason X, Leprechaun in Space) but this was able to reinvent the wheel in terms of the legacy of Saw. Spiral takes the ideas left by the character of John Kramer and allows it to begin to blossom into a whole new series. What does that mean exactly? Well it’s simple, the basis of Saw is a series of lessons. The series doesn’t rely on John Kramer as a character to continue what he was setting out to do, but rather uses his legacy for copycats. Sure, we’ve seen the copycat thing before (look at any Scream sequel for an example) but what works here is the fact that as an audience for Saw we’re not really here for the plot. We are here for cool kills, a rad twist, and maybe a jaw dropping moment or two. We get all of that here, and that’s why it works so well.
I think it’s funny personally because we wouldn’t have this film without Chris Rock being such a diehard fan of the series but while he is its savior he’s also the weak link. There are some great moments in this film with Samuel L. Jackson and Rock but there are too many moments of “I’m Chris Rock, look at me looking serious into the camera or off in the distance.” His character comes off as a cross between Training Day, Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs, and Officer Doofy from Scary Movie. There were genuinely moments where I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to laugh or not. With that said, he does raise an almost two decade long series to new heights by storytelling. Yes, I’m aware that I mentioned above that, as an audience, we don’t go into Saw films for the great length plots, but what’s new here for the first time since the first film is that we actually get a developed plot that could keep us engaged for sequels to come without getting too convoluted.
The traps felt amateur with no real oomph to them and that’s my only other issue, but honestly I can’t complain too much. It was a fun return to the series that actually would keep me eager to continue the crazy journey that I, like many others, started in 2004. My biggest words of advice going into this if you’re a virgin to the series is just go. Despite the fact that this is the ninth movie in the franchise, it is completely watchable without seeing the first eight. Name another series that you can do that. You can’t, and that’s the brilliance of this next chapter, using the name of Saw while creating a whole new story.
