SAW IV (2007)

John Kramer’s not going to let a little inconvenience like having his throat cut with a power saw get in the way of him preaching his dumbass, bullshit message that being alive is a good thing. Nope. During his autopsy, the coroner finds a wax-covered microcassette in Jigsaw's stomach. It informs the detectives that there is a new game afoot. This time around, the main victim is a cop who’s guilty of, wait for it…trying to save everybody. Not really sure how that’s considered a bad thing, but whatever.

Next thing you know, this poor bastard's running around fighting a crazy woman with her scalp ripped off, strapping a serial rapist to a de-eyeballing machine and all kinds of other wacky adventures. There's even somebody getting their head crushed between two huge blocks of ice!  You don’t see that everyday.  Anyway, 4 is an enjoyable ride, but it just didn't grab my attention the way the previous films did.  I can't really put my handsome finger on it, but this installment is just...lacking.  Part One was original and fun, Two had an interesting cast of characters and the awesome Nerve Gas House, Three had some neat traps and Four, eh, it moves the story forward (and gives us more backstory), but there were no awesome standout elements.  Although, I did enjoy the pre-credits scene with the two guys (one with his eyes sewn shut and he other with his mouth sewn shut) chained to a winch.  That was pretty dope.

Totally worth watching for those going through the series.  Just don't expect too much.

Part 1 - Saw (2004)
Part 2 - Saw II (2005)
Part 3 - Saw III (2006)
Part 5 - Saw V (2008)
Part 6 - Saw VI (2009)
Part 7 - Saw 3D (2010)
Part 8 - Jigsaw (2017)
Part 9 - Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
Part 10 - Saw X (2023)

SAW III (2006)

Ahhh yeah sk8er boi, after being left to die in that crummy bathroom at the end of part 2, Detective Donnie Wahlberg brings a whole new definition to the term “footloose” and manages to escape...or does he? Fast-forward a few months and there’s some new Jigsaw games popping up, but this time they’re different: they don’t have a guaranteed escape like the older traps did. Could there be a copycat Jigsaw killer on the loose? Meow?! At the same time, a doctor is mysteriously kidnapped from a hospital and a real Jigsaw victim wakes up in a box. Eeek!

Maggot-covered pig corpses, a slower pace than in part 2, less interesting new characters (the doctor character was boring!), Jigsaw still preaching that bullshit lie about how being alive is a good thing, mild blood, zero sex, a larger suspension of disbelief required than in the previous films.  SAW III is a step down from the two previous films, but not by much and it's still enjoyable.  It moves the overall story along without getting too jumbled up.

Worth watching, but nothing to get overly excited about.

Part 1 - Saw (2004)
Part 2 - Saw II (2005)
Part 4 - Saw IV (2007)
Part 5 - Saw V (2008)
Part 6 - Saw VI (2009)
Part 7 - Saw 3D (2010)
Part 8 - Jigsaw (2017)
Part 9 - Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
Part 10 - Saw X (2023)