Saw V: 2-Disc Unrated Directors Cut (Blu-ray) + Saw
V: Unrated Director’s Cut (DVD/Lionsgate)
Picture:
B+/B- Sound: B+/B- Extras: C Film: C
Saw V.
Really? I mean sure, we had over
ten Friday the 13th films
and more on the way. Yes, there are also
God knows how many Nightmare on Elm
Street films; but it has to stop somewhere right? Apparently not; because the studio has
already green lighted a Saw VI and Saw VII, not to mention remakes of both
Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. Horror films are a mysterious creature. We all like to be scared on some sick level,
so audiences will snatch up what ever horror film is thrown their way (to an
extent). The Saw films, however, have moved away from being a great concept and
fresh horror idea, as was seen in the first film, to a disgusting torture porn
franchise.
Saw V picks up where the horribly bad Saw IV left off; not that it matters if
you remember the plot at this point. The
plot follows Detective Hoffman, the lone survivor who will carry on the serial
killer Jigsaw legacy. The film is full
of flashbacks to emphasize that Detective Hoffman was being trained as Jigsaw’s
(Tobin Bell) protégée all along; even before whoever that girl was. Jigsaw helped Hoffman understand how the game
worked and that there was to be no cheating or it is just plain murder, with no
lessen learned. Though it seems that
Hoffman plays by different rules and to get his point across the ways of Jigsaw
are about to change. There seems to be
another Detective hot on Hoffman’s bloody trail and if he does not clean up his
loose ends, his game may have ended.
In all
honesty, Saw V was better than Saw IV but that is not saying
much. Whereas Saw V remains convoluted with unnecessary plot twists and
flashbacks that are hard to keep track of, Saw
IV was just a total mess that made little to no sense. Saw IV
was a transitional film so that a new, younger killer could be installed
after the death of Tobin Bell’s Jigsaw; and I am certain there are more
protégées to come. The sets are nice and
creepy, with torture devices to make even the strongest stomached person
squeamish. The torture devices are
actually the most creative part of the film, even if they don’t make sense
sometimes and there is no way the person could figure it out. In the end, there has to come a point where
horror film series are cut-off; but we all know that point is when they become
unprofitable.
The
technical features on this film are not razor sharp, but good
nevertheless. The picture on both the
Blu-ray and DVD release is presented in a 1.78 X 1 Widescreen with the Blu-ray
being in an obvious 1080P High Definition.
The Blu-ray demonstrates a sharp, crisp, clean image that has finely
balanced colors and blacks when necessary.
On Blu-ray never feels overly washed or muted, nor does it appear overly
dark. The problem with the DVDs, besides
not having as crisp of an image or vivid colors, is how dark the film is. Whereas the Blu-ray has overcome the films
dark atmosphere, the DVD’s image remains hard to see at times. The sound on the Blu-ray is an English 7.1
DTS HD Master Audio that is excellently balanced between dead silence and
chilling shrieks, booms, and gasps. With
the DTS HD Master every little noise is heard and makes for an excellent horror
viewing experience. The DVD once again
fails to deliver the same quality in its Dolby Digital 5.1 EX track, never
quite having adequate directionality, fullness, or clarity; as is present on
the Blu-ray.
The
extras are exactly the same on both the Blu-ray and DVD, with the exception of
the Blu-ray having some “MoLog Feature” where the viewer can insert inanimate
objects into the scene and create blogs about it (no thanks!). The extras include two separate Audio
Commentaries, one featuring the Directors and the other featuring the
Producers. The commentaries have a range
about them that include interesting factoids about the film, to them describing
what you are already watching; like an annoying person in a movie theater. The other features include special looks into
some of the torture devices of the film; including The Pendulum Trap, The Cube
Trap, The Coffin Trap, as well as an additional featurette entitled Slicing the
Cube: Editing the Cube Trap. The Fatal
Five is a featurette that goes into the 5 potential victims of Saw V; very
lackluster. Overall, there are plenty of
extras, but none that really have a rewatchable quality.
I am just
waiting for the installment of the film called Keep on Saw’n…
- Michael P. Dougherty II
