Saw X
LionsgateAs with most horror franchises, the Saw films started strong but slowly grew to more and more mixed efforts as each new film was released. By the release of Saw V, the franchise had grown to be celebrated mainly by a niche group who appreciated the absurdity of the series timeline and the wicked traps that the series was known for; by the release of Saw 3D, even the majority of those fans had turned against what the series was offering. After the disaster that was 2017's Jigsaw, the franchise tried to find a new pathway forward with 2021's Spiral, but a mixed reaction was still found. While other franchises might cut their losses and give up, the Saw franchise turned to fans and decided to give one more honest attempt to breathe life back into the series with the release of Saw X. With franchise legend Kevin Greutert returning as both editor and director for the project, Saw X looked to embrace its roots by taking audiences back in the timeline to between Saw and Saw II and giving John Kramer, once again brought to life by Tobin Bell, his starring role as he travels to Mexico for the promise of a new treatment that could cure his rapidly evolving cancer. For fans of the franchise, it is no spoiler to say that Kramer's cancer doesn't get cured and a scam plot leaves Kramer hungry for revenge.
While Saw might hold the record for being the most profitable horror franchise in history, the money has not always been seen in the films. Specifically later in the franchise, a reliance on horrible special effects and an overall cheap production drastically hurt the film's effectiveness. It is refreshing, as a result, to see a Saw film take itself seriously again and deliver a cinematic feature as respectable as the original few films of the series. Fans of the Saw franchise who were disappointed by Spiral's change in the formula are sure to be grateful for Saw X hitting every mark when it comes to aesthetic and delivery. From the return to mostly practical effects to the classic Saw editing and visuals, Saw X clearly has an understanding of what Saw fans want from the franchise and is more than happy to deliver on those requests.
Perhaps the most obvious bit of fan service comes from the return of Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith who haven't been seen in the franchise since 2017 and 2009. It is no exaggeration to say that John Kramer and Amanda Young are two of the most iconic horror figures and both the actors and the camera embrace their presence to the fullest. Blending the signature Saw camp with swings for deeper emotional relevance, both Bell and Smith are fantastic here with Bell especially delivering his best work of the franchise.
While the connection and relationship between these two is nothing revolutionary for anyone who is familiar with the earlier films in the series, Amanda's struggles with developing into the next Jigsaw killer does provide some moments of substance and helps reinforce the weight within the feature that mainly surrounds the impending death of Kramer. The film is entirely about this journey of acceptance for both Kramer and Young. From Kramer holding onto his last shreds of hope that he might be able to push through his illness to the difficult road to acceptance for both individuals that there is no escaping what is about to come, it does feel like the feature would be a worthy additional text within the original trilogy of features and this narrative arc is smart as it both evolves the narrative while never getting in the way of what the series already has created.
The strength within the cast also translates to those against Kramer. While these characters continue to ultimately be more shallow toys for the franchise to lock into traps and torture, the performances from the ensemble are rather strong and help make the events of the film feel more memorable. Those like Renata Vaca and Octavio Hinojosa bring a real humanity and sense of pain to the feature while Synnøve Macody Lund genuinely threatens to steal the show as she brings a devilish wickedness that challenges the presence of Kramer. Rather than simply being bland figures that scream as they tear into their own flesh, these characters feel layered and alive largely because of these performances which furthers the film's feeling of finding evolution for the franchise through genuine effort.
This attempt at evolution is felt deeply within the film's structure and plays far more naturally and feels far more rewarding than the grand display of diastrophism that was present within Spiral. Rather than opening right away with gore and violence, Saw X spends nearly 30 minutes with Kramer traveling to Mexico and setting up the feature that is to come. There is only a single instance of the traditional Saw trap in this section, and even that ends up getting twisted to be something different than what many fans would expect. This setup works to evolve Kramer into a heroic role as someone seeking revenge against the direct wrongdoing done against him. This is an undoubtedly controversial concept considering the venom and evil held within the character throughout the franchise, but feels like it works for a few reasons.
The first would be the visceral nature of the violence that bleeds into the film's third act. While the audience might be rooting against those Kramer is seeking revenge against, the film doesn't celebrate the suffering they experience with Saw X being one of the more viscerally brutal viewing experiences of the entire franchise. While these characters deserve to pay, the film doesn't present Kramer's methods as being necessarily fair or correct. This is echoed vocally by Amanda's character who struggles to see the justice of their actions, specifically when it comes to a young girl named Gabriela (Vaca) who turned to bad decision-making due to the influence of drug addiction. As Kramer pushes on with his games, there is an uneasy feeling that what the audience is seeing is wrong, the proper conclusion for them to come to. This is ultimately undercut, however, by the film's conclusion which reinforces Kramer's moral innocence and offers an easily digestible villain to taste his wrath. While it might be easy for fans of the franchise to overlook this and buy into the fun rollercoaster of a Saw film, it is worth conversation and is clearly one of the more messy displays of the narrative.
The pacing is the other big concern of the feature. Again, the film is obviously making an attempt to evolve into something grander and decides to slow things down. Not only in the first act but also in the second and third when the games have begun, the film is slow and takes its time between moments of violence for characters to discuss and reflect on the events taking place. While in some cases this is a strong choice, specifically in building on the relationships between characters, it can also feel dull and frustratingly drawn out at times. The film's 118-minute runtime easily could have been trimmed and these sequences could have been consolidated.
It doesn't help that once the film does finally get to the traps, they are somewhat flat. While the execution is gnarly and disturbing, the actual iconography of the traps on display leaves plenty to be desired. Multiple feel like direct copies of what has already been done in the franchise and it is hard to claim many feel that memorable in the context of the overall franchise. Considering even Spiral managed to create some unique and memorable traps, this is an obvious disappointment. It doesn't help that the film's most interesting trap, the same one they have paraded around in every piece of promotional material, ends up getting undercut by narrative choices and the payoff never ends up being as worthy as it feels like it should be. It doesn't help that there is an added weight for these sequences to deliver due to the structure of the film, a requirement the film simply cannot deliver on.
While Saw X might not be perfect, it is undeniably a step in the right direction and is easily the best thing to come from the franchise in over a decade. Both carving a pathway forward while also giving fans what they want from the series, the film is rewarding and fun with some brutal traps and memorable characters. One can only hope this momentum can continue and Saw can find a new era of success.
