SAW 3D: THE FINAL CHAPTER (CINEMA)

Release Date: Oct 29th, 2010
Certificate: 18
Running Time: 90 minutes

Director: Kevin Greutert

Cast: Tobin Bell, Cary Elwes, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Sean Patrick Flanery, Gina Holden, Noam Jenkins, Tanedra Howard, Shauna MacDonald, Chad Donella, Dean Armstrong, Naomi Snieckus

What began 7 years ago with a film about a couple of guys waking up in a dingy bathroom has evolved into one of the most successful horror franchises in history and now comes it’s grand finale, in time for Halloween and in “eye popping 3D”! The film also marks a welcome return for Cary Elwes, playing the role of Dr. Gordon whom we last saw crawling out of Jigsaw’s bathroom at the end of the first film. 6 films later we finally learn about what happened to him.

The new film picks up right after the events of Saw 6 (2009) and shows Jill Tuck (Betsy Russell) putting the reverse beer trap on Hoffman (Costas Mandylor). As Hoffman escapes, Jill goes to the police and tries to cut a deal; information for protection. Meanwhile, a group of survivors from Jigsaws traps form a support group. Among them are Bobby (Sean Patrick Flanery), who has been making money from selling his story to the media and Dr. Gordon, minus his lower right leg.

Gibson (Chad Donella), the detective working with Jill Tuck, has a history with Hoffman and is determined to track him down, but as a new game is set in motion, time is running out. As all of the plots converge, Saw 3D is 90 minutes of gruesome torture and revelations which don’t really come as surprise. For Saw fans, it’s an ending they might have guessed a long time ago, but still, it’s really good to see it on it screen, although you can’t help but feel the franchise ran of out steam several movies ago along with Jigsaw and Amanda (Shawnee Smith) who snuffed it in Saw 3 (2006).

Though Jigsaw’s aim was to highlight the error of his victim’s ways and make them value their own lives, Hoffman’s motives are those of a homicidal manic; he just wants to kill and therefore for the past 4 movies has not been as interesting as his predecessor was.

While we bid farewell to the horror series, we also have to ask, is it really over? Horror movies have a tendency to come back from the dead, very much like their characters. The Final Destination (2009), Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) and Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (1993) are testament to that, so is it likely we’ll see another one any time in the foreseeable future? While Patrick Melton, Saw’s writer, has stated it is indeed the grand finale, I say “never say never”. As long as there are horror icons, there’ll always be a way to resurrect them if the fans want to see them.