"Those who do not appreciate life do not deserve life."
Now that's more like it! Manages to be totally different from the first and I like this formula better. Starts with a killer opening sequence. More characters, more games, more kills and more Tobin Bell as Jigsaw. We get to know him and his twisted ideals a lot more. The whole cancer backstory was compelling and loved the interactions he had with the detective. I find this entry far more captivating, fun and better paced than the first, there's no time to get bored. Awesome kills and gore and those needles... the freakin' needles! Easily one of the most terrifying gross scenes of the franchise. The decision making from the characters is my biggest criticism, it's jarring. Unlike the first, there isn't much backstory for the characters unfortunately. I liked the twist this time even though it's very simple.
Traps Ranked (worst way to die order):
1. Needle Pit - needles are a no no! Beats burning alive I think. Plus you get a bunch of nasty stuff in your blood
2. The Furnace - burning alive is still one of the worst ever
3. Venus Fly Trap - that's gotta hurt like hell for a few seconds but the eye part was worse for me
4. Nerve Gas - a slow death but I don't think it hurts as much as other traps
5. Magnum Eyehole - at least you die instantly
6. Antidote Saferoom - you die instantly
7. Razor Box - as long as you don't put BOTH hands in, you should get out no problem
Review by ShubesBlockedParent2021-08-23T22:02:18Z— updated 2023-10-14T17:57:08Z
The traps in this movie were interesting and much more abundant than in the original but IMO it just tried too hard and nothing seemed to work. There were things about the story that I still - after watching it three times - don't understand but chalk that up to probably just me (1) not paying close enough attention and (2) not caring enough. Seriously, it was really hard for me to get into this movie; I couldn't feel sorry for any of the victims or even for the cop. And seriously, I've had to deal with moody, sullen, "everyone hates me" teenagers to the point that I honestly didn't care what happened to the son. As in the original, Tobin Bell played the part of Jigsaw to the hilt, but his part just wasn't weighty enough to carry the entire movie. When I can't feel some sort of emotion for the characters - for ANY of them - it's hard for me to give any real credence to a movie. This was "meh" at best.
UPDATE 10/14/2023 - Watched this again as part of re-watching the entire franchise again (leading up to Halloween). Still have a difficult time feeling any sense of connection to ANYONE, I reiterate that Tobin Bell's portrayal of "Jigsaw" was absolutely brilliant. This was not as good as the first but definitely better than any of its successors.