Jigsaw

Jigsaw deserves praise, especially for the way the gore is done. It reeks of CGI in places, but the special effects are so good that I can forgive it. The film is disgusting, the film is ugly, and the traps give you just the right feeling of revulsion. That’s not the only thing you should expect from the series, but for an eighth installment, this isn't bad, and I'm glad it didn't end up worse. (11/09/2017)

I expected the Saw series to evolve over time, but no such luck. Massacring little shits who deserve it is still the end in itself; the wannabe surprising climactic revelation bolstered by the crescendo of the soundtrack is supposed to leave us shocked. And the only interesting character, a perverted lab worker, disappears from the plot without a trace. (11/13/2017)

After a seven-year hiatus, this peculiar dispenser of divine justice returns in a fairly routine sequel whose most likeable aspect is the vigour and ambition with which it recycles everything previously seen, including the emphasis on a final twist that turns the plot's course not on its head but literally inside out. Unlike the horribly messy third part, which I wish had ended the series, this episode makes a lot of sense and the last sequence rewrites the plot in a way that I didn't object to at all and that takes the logic of the narrative to an acceptable level this time. But in order to reach at least partially the level of the first part, the initial pace shouldn't be so sleepy, the characters so monotonous from the first scenes, and the violence so unrealistic and not very bold. And the omniscient killer and the narrative based more or less on a series of coincidences (although this time straightened by a twist), it's downright awful. 55% (11/03/2017)

A surprising comeback, not only for the series itself, but also in terms of the presence of enjoyable quality. The bitter note played by Saw 3D seven years ago is forgotten, even though this is by no means a reboot. On the contrary, uninformed viewers will be confused by the flood of respect towards the long-dead killer. I went through the previous installments, from the better ones to the most disappointing ones, and I'm almost shocked that I would possibly place this newest (and possibly the last for a while, considering the low box office earnings) addition to the gallery of twisted games right after the legendary first one. The usual logical flaws couldn't be eliminated, and given the tricky entanglement with the original mythology of Jigsaw himself, it wasn't even possible. Nonetheless, cautious thanks for the consistently constructed and pleasantly confusing spectacle, full of tension for the audience. (11/06/2017)