JIGSAW: A Spooky Review

By Allison Johnson
Blog Content Contributor

I remember renting movies at Blockbuster and seeing the cover for Saw, and thinking, “well that looks disgusting.” I gave in a couple of years later and watched the first two movies. Yes, the movies are extremely gory, but the plot twist at the end of Saw was amazing. Probably the best one yet honestly. Then the simplicity of how everyone could have survived the game in Saw II. Mind-blowing. I loved those tactics from John Kramer. Both of those themes played a huge role in Jigsaw, which made it impressive.

If you’ve seen most of the Saw franchise, you would know there’s always one person that gets to say the infamous words, “game over” at the end. Now the person who gets to say those words at the end of Jigsaw created some beef with Saw fans. The successor at the end of Jigsaw was similar to the person revealed under the pig mask in Saw 3D.

Kramer’s revealed successor at the end of Saw 3D made everything make sense. Of course, he needed this person to carry out most his legacy. If you’re smart enough to piece things together you might have figured out who it was in Saw IV. The person who ran the game in Jigsaw, made it seem like he’s been there from the start, but keep in mind, we don’t see everyone who is under the pig masks when they get vengeance for Kramer and Jill in Saw 3D.

It’s possible the person who came out on top in Jigsaw was one of them. It is also plausible this person and the successor in Saw 3D worked together, considering how similar these two characters are. I like to think everything in film is done for a reason, so maybe if there is a possibility these two linked up together uncoincidentally at the beginning of the franchise. I have a great idea of how, but since I don’t want to spoil, feel free to leave a comment for a quick theory.

Now, I mentioned the plot twist and simplicity of the games in Saw and Saw II. Jigsaw killed both themes! Major plot twist! And the simplicity of the game in Jigsaw is incredible. It’s unfortunate that one of the main characters played the game as smart as possible till the very end. If you’re going to watch Jigsaw, or even Saw II, Kramer gives a lot of detail on how to survive the game. The key to their survival is so obvious sometimes, it makes the player oblivious. Kramer’s dialogue was fascinating.

The players won’t be able to wrap their heads around it though, they’re waking up in a room with strangers, then a puppet tells them they’re all connected somehow. They’re not in their right minds, so it’s hard for them to take in what Kramer is revealing to them. “Isn’t this like torture porn?” you ask. Well, Tobin Bell did a great Q&A on Twitter last week. He addressed that Kramer’s ways make an audience think about karma. Usually the players are murderers and rapists that walked free. Of course, their heinous ways of dying are cruel, but Bell says it’s up to you to decide whether Kramer is just trying to give evil people a chance at redemption, or just kill them off. Jigsaw made us think a lot about karma, which was nice, considering karma is the origin of Kramer’s games.

The entire franchise is great and James Wan is a genius. He made a successful franchise just by making two people sit in shackles and made them think about how their sins made them relatable, and how they could survive. If you’re a fan of the franchise, go see Jigsaw. Before you hate the successor at the end and think about how he’s debunking Saw 3D, please be smart and think about the relationship between the two.

Featured image via IMDB.com.