Second Viewing: Saw III (2006)

Saw III still tries to tell a coherent story, and it’s basically the conclusion to a trilogy which would only make up about 1/4 of the Saw franchise. But it’s also a huge step back for the series, and it’s really where the series starts to be a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. So obviously I enjoy it, but I enjoy it on a much different level than I enjoy the first two.

I suppose it’s nice to have a bit of a smaller cast. This is a bit more like the first movie than the second, with the main trap plot centering around two people, who we learn at the end of the movie are actually married. It’s not a half bad twist, but I do find Jeff (Angus Macfayden) difficult to root for. He’s not difficult to empathize with, I guess, but it’s really frustrating to see him take his damn time and basically do just about everything wrong throughout the entire movie.

Amanda’s given a lot of character development here, but Shawnee Smith just doesn’t do a great job. She really is fantastic in the first movie, but she’s just never felt right as the villain in this series.

This movie has a few good sequences and arguably the best makeup effects in the entire series, including an ultra-realistic brain surgery scene on John Kramer. But you really have to be in the right mindset to enjoy this movie. I think it misses its mark as a dramatic conclusion to a trilogy, but works a bit in its own way.

Rating: 4/10

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