If you liked the first "Saw," then you will enjoy "Saw II." That sums it up.
I like the challenge of keeping my eyes peeled to the screen, while someone being projected is getting their eyes peeled out. Can I do it? Can I make it through this? I enjoy the rush of it.
The movie's premise is just like the first one. A man is picking morally conflicted people off the streets and putting their lives in jeopardy. It is up to them to survive whatever obstacles Jigsaw puts in front of them. His purpose, in his sick and twisted mind, is to make you realize how precious life really is.
The obstacles here are just as inventive as they were in the first movie.
There is a good twist at the end just like the first one, but it doesn't feel like you're seeing the same movie.
It is not for the squeamish. I can't stress that enough. If a friend or lover is dragging you against your will to see this film, then fight harder because you will not enjoy it.
All of the characters, save for one, are not likeable. The one that may have some moral integrity left is a teenager who has not lived long enough to shed his moral views on life. That's the stance the film takes as far as the kid is concerned. "Saw 2" makes the character's flaws apparent so that your own moral integrity isn't compromised. That way, you don't really mind seeing a man or woman tortured to death. It's a device that's been used in film since the beginning.
The last part of this write up should reflect why other reviewers will be ripping this film to shreds.
The cinematography is atrocious. The actual shooting of the film looks like it was done by a 14-year-old kid who got his daddy's camera and spun it around a few times.
The man who directed this can't seem to make up his mind where he wants the film's main emphasis to be. It also seems like he couldn't get a performance out of an actor if it was he who was being flayed alive. As far as "cinematic quality," taken away from it's genre, it is a bad film.
But, let's keep it where it belongs and acknowledge what it really is. A twisted, freaky and pretty frightening addition to a genre that needs to be judged within it's own imposed limits.
In short, do you want to see gore? Do you want to see blood? Do you want to cringe in your seat for an hour and a half? If the answer is yes, then "Saw 2" is for you.
