Saw II

Saw IIis a bit of a drop in quality compared to the almost genius first film, but that's just how it goes. There's a lot of emphasis on making everything look gritty, some characters are very stereotypical, and the main detective is incredibly unlikeable, but the finale still shows that the creators can lead us on brilliantly. The twist still works quite well here, and you find yourself looking forward to what's yet to come. (02/17/2014)

The film has excellent gore and really makes you feel the pain. That's the end of the plus side, and all we have is a bunch of unsympathetic meat to the slaughter, which is perversely unbelievably moronic in every way and also can't even act. The first installment gets full marks for its quality contribution to the genre despite a ridiculous budget. The next installments will be nothing but calculating, reputation-raping, but the truth is that for all their filth I will watch them. Oh, and the sped-up editing sequence sux. (02/25/2006)

No matter how problematic the first installment was, its originality couldn't be denied. The sequel, however, is about something else entirely. I wasn't interested in the contrived victim storyline at all this time, instead I was annoyed that it took away most of the attention from the trapped Jigsaw. His word games and precise cat-and-mouse game far surpass the events in the house, where people behave like lunatics, disregarding all warnings and diving headfirst into suspicious situations without any thought of elaborate traps. It's just a shame that, even though the twist can take your breath away, it takes away a lot of the momentum from the previous events. While tension and surprises shouldn't be forgotten, logic is completely disregarded. (02/10/2006)

The second movie didn't hit the right note for me. Unfortunately. I see the main problem as the directing style of Darren Lynn Bousman. The choppiness with really crazy editing sometimes makes your eyes hurt. But even the story itself didn't manage to hook me the way I would ideally have hoped. The acting was probably okay, and Donnie Wahlberg was a pleasant surprise. At least the climactic ending worked for the creators (that's something the Saw series can do). But otherwise, it's a weaker addition to this saga. I give it a 4/10. (03/09/2024)

The first part is an easily forgettable mix of violence and directorial invention. The sequel is similar in that regard, but it also lacks originality and creativity compared to its predecessor. What remains are only brutal acts of murder in all possible and impossible ways, somewhat decent acting performances, and a surprising (which does not necessarily mean very good) conclusion. As a positive aspect, I consider the inclusion of the main villain into the story and the many new intricately designed traps. On the negative side, it follows the exact same narrative structure as the first part, which makes Saw 2 essentially a copy, unfortunately. Not really worth watching – simply once and that's it. (07/05/2006)