The reactions are starting to pour in for "Saw X." Are critics and fans stoked about playing yet another game with Jigsaw? Or is the film making them want to leap into a pig corpse grinder?
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00:00 The reactions are starting to pour in for Saw X. Are critics and fans stoked about playing
00:05 yet another game with Jigsaw? Or is the film making them want to leap into a pig corpse
00:10 grinder?
00:12 John Kramer is back. Not that he really went anywhere. Even after his death at the end
00:17 of Saw III, he's made his presence felt in the sequel since then via flashbacks and recordings.
00:23 This time, John gets to be the protagonist of his own movie. Rather than simply lurking
00:27 in the background, or hiding in plain sight, and occasionally sending Billy the Puppet
00:31 in with a message.
00:34 In Saw X, John Kramer is facing his own imminent mortality due to a dual diagnosis of colon
00:40 cancer and an inoperable frontal lobe tumor. When he learns that a medical team in Mexico
00:45 may be able to save him, he opens his wallet and heads below the border for a last chance
00:50 at life. After supposedly undergoing an operation, he learns that the tumor was never removed
00:55 and the whole thing was a scam.
00:58 That's unfortunate for John and for the scammers, who get a special invitation to take part
01:03 in Jigsaw's games. SlashFilm's Jacob Hall gave Saw X a 7 out of 10 rating in his review,
01:09 praising the special effects team for delivering the premium quality blood and gore that fans
01:13 have come to expect, and the cast for effectively selling the terror of Jigsaw's torture chamber.
01:19 He also observed that while casual moviegoers with a strong stomach might get a kick out
01:23 of Saw X, its key target audience is existing fans. He said, "This is a movie for the dedicated
01:30 freaks, and on that level, it's a major success."
01:33 A pioneer of the gorno subgenre of horror, the Saw franchise is not for everyone. Still,
01:40 even among us sickos, there is a quality scale when it comes to movies about tearing people
01:44 limb from limb in sadistic ways. Saw II was a worthy follow-up to the original that doubled
01:49 down on the twisted traps, for example, while Saw 3D was, well, Saw 3D.
01:55 So far, the consensus among critics for Saw X is that while the movie doesn't entirely
01:59 reinvent the wheel, it's a very good wheel as far as wheels go. With the first reviews
02:04 hitting the internet, it currently has a score of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Telegraph's
02:10 Robbie Collin writes, "It's undeniably effective, and stripped back to basics. Saw's appeal,
02:16 if that's the word, is certainly clearer than it's been for a while."
02:20 The series isn't really horror at all, but a revenge thriller, taken to deliberately
02:24 appalling test-your-nerve extremes.
02:26 "If you can't handle this, how will you handle the rest of our work?"
02:31 IndieWire praised the movie for shaking things up by having victims who know Jigsaw and refer
02:36 to him by his real name. Along with the twist of John having to improvise and incorporate
02:40 the fraudsters' own medical equipment into their traps, they added that the movie flushes
02:45 out John Kramer as an oddly sympathetic character, writing, "You'll feel a quiet impulse to buy
02:50 horror's most hypocritical maniac a shot of tequila."
02:54 The Hollywood Reporter praised Bell's turn in the spotlight, writing, "None of this would
02:58 work nearly as well without Bell, whose raspy voice and menacing gravitas are so riveting
03:04 that it makes Jigsaw's oft-repeated declaration, 'I'd like to play a game,' scary as hell."
03:08 However, Total Film was less impressed, describing the lead actor's performance as "lackluster"
03:14 and suggesting that, quote, "his killer was better off lurking in the shadows."
03:19 Thanks to preview screenings, the first fan reactions to 'Saw X' have started trickling
03:23 onto the franchise's Reddit discussion board. One user praised it as "one of the best films
03:28 since 'Saw VI,'" advising that it's a "slow burn" and will appeal most to fans who are
03:33 more into the story than the traps, something that the critic reviews have observed as well.
03:38 Another thing noted by IndieWire's review and echoed in fan discussions is the movie's
03:43 use of the "Mexico filter," a trend in Hollywood cinematography where any scene that takes
03:47 place in Mexico is bathed in grubby yellow light. One Reddit user wrote, "Saw it in Mexico
03:53 and everyone laughed at the yellow coloring and some of the Spanish moments. Kind of stereotypical
03:59 but what I'd expect out of a Hollywood movie to be honest. But man, hands down wonderful."
04:04 Over on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, one user praised the sequel after
04:09 catching it at Fantastic Fest, writing, "Saw X is the sequel the franchise needed. It goes
04:14 back to its roots while telling a story that feels unique to the franchise. Having Kramer
04:20 and Amanda at the forefront of the story makes it more engaging while still delivering on
04:24 the gore fans adore."
04:26 Another user wrote, "Saw X is a glorious return to form for the series. Not only are the traps
04:32 absolute perfection, but we get to see a very different side to John this time around. It's
04:37 deep, emotional, gory, it feels like OG Saw. Also, Charlie Plowcer's score is incredible."
04:44 It looks like the fans and critics are united on this one. Saw X sounds like a must-watch
04:49 for fans, and those who are willing to brave the bloodbath. Just be warned that Jigsaw's
04:54 particular brand of justice might put you off your popcorn.
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