Justin Fixes the Movies Vol. 3: Saw II

This one is going to be slightly different because I have no reservations recommending this movie. This is not to say it is perfect or even great, but more worked than did not. Here goes:

-MTV Editing needs to die. Quick cuts aren't necessary to increase tension. One scene in particular involving a pit goes to show this beautifully..one of the best torture scenes I have ever seen.
-Writing yourself in a hole that can only be explained by a twist..M Night sort of started this revolution, but it has become something of a crutch. Even if the twist is pretty good (at least one part of it) as is the case here, it's kind of overplayed and you knew at least some kind of twist was coming, thus diminishing the power that could have been.
-Everyone that has been involved with 7th Heaven (except Belzer) should not be allowed to do anything else ever.
-WE have on our hands the most interesting franchise serial "killer" to be seen in a while. We also have two movies that have shown a lot of potential, but have come up short of being classic.
-Let the blood flow. This ties into quick cuts, but I know I yearn for more organic effects. I know the MPAA is probably responsible for this, but if that is the case, don't hold out on the UNCUT version for the next sequel. KNB, I know you weren't directly involved here, but allow me to rant a little on you. Let's get back to the Savini roots.
-Make the characters more than an excuse for a brutal death scene. Two of the three females in the house have slim to no backstory. We are even left to wonder what becomes of one of them after she is shown trapped..but never resolved. This is just plain sloppy. As for the rest, the only one we really have any feeling for at all is the recurring character from the first film. And for christ's sake, low budget is not an excuse for poor acting, and all of the houseguests are pretty shite in this department.
-Thumbs up for tying in the first film in such a strong fashion, and yet make it so that you don't need to have seen the first film to understand what happened here.
-Inventive death scenes are great, and the movtivation for the murders are interesting to say the least..but again, the script shouldn't revolve around them, but the other way around.
-It is hard to follow up such an odd film, but it didn't have to be this conventional. For what it is though, this is at the top of the game.

My final verdict: Saw II is great for fans of the first, and fans of non shitty horror movies in general. Perhaps a bit conventional for the Peter Jackson die hardies, and a bit off the wall for the Kevin Williamsons, this should entertain anyone in between.

Tune in next week when I fix Nic Cage in "The Weather Man."

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