![]() The series was so effective and came with an inherent replication, a new sequel would debut every year, culminating with Saw 3D in 2010. Just like in one of Jigsaw’s depraved games, there really is no way out.It's hard to overstate the impact the original 2004 Saw had on the world of horror, as it not only signified a trend in which the genre attempted to push the limits of violence that could be depicted on screen, but also demonstrated director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell's ambitious ideas of horror, with the pair going on to dominate the genre world over the coming decades. Although bringing another rehash to the torture table wasn’t viable either. In a weird way, Lionsgate’s bid to revamp the series with new ideas has confused things further. Similarly, the twist-filled finale feels like a classic Saw showdown – even if the murderer’s unmasking is a little predictable. Early moments featuring Banks skipping across crime scenes, throwing out sarky one-liners play to Rock’s strengths. Spiral is best when one part of itself – grim horror or police procedural – dominates. There’s also a very blunt message about police corruption, but even that gets drowned out by the sound of freshly severed limbs slopping onto the floor. Consequently, the action zips around at (literally) breakneck speed, failing to build up any tension. A bloated script attempts to woo fans with as many inventive death traps as possible, while having Banks follow up clues simultaneously – which means two narratives end up fighting each other. Reframing the same tried-and-tested format – regular joe must reconcile past decisions in life-or-death ‘game’ – as a detective thriller doesn’t work. ![]() The problem is, Bousman’s film has loftier ambitions. Taken on face value: as a silly, pantomimic body-horror about a crazy person speaking in a funny voice through a puppet – Spiral can give you a gory good time. ![]() Jackson (who plays his retired police chief dad) – while a flashback involving some questionable stick-on facial hair is genuinely (if unintentionally) hilarious. There’s fun to be had in watching Rock snipe at Samuel L. Director and franchise veteran Darren Lynn Bousman (who helmed Saw‘s II, III and IV) holds a unique position in that fans are now so jaded it’s impossible to disappoint them – and the new film benefits from those reduced expectations. Credit: AlamyĪnd yet, Spiral isn’t a complete waste of blood. Eventually, it all climaxes in a tense standoff that sets up another sequel.Ĭhris Rock acts in and produces ‘Spiral: From The Book Of Saw’. But before that, we get a chance to watch him run around the city, chasing a new copycat killer who worships original baddie Jigsaw from grisly murder scene to grisly murder scene. His colleagues hate him, his ex-wife hates him and, by the end-credits, you’ll probably hate him too. As unlikeable protagonists go, Zeke Banks is up there with Jordan Belfort of The Wolf Of Wall Street and Jesse Eisenberg’s take on Mark Zuckerberg. So it’s with a certain amount of weariness that we welcome this latest entry, Spiral: From The Book Of Saw, onto screens.īilled as a reboot, rather than a continuation, Spiral sees Chris Rock play a wisecracking, disillusioned detective. Even co-creator Leigh Whannell left after Saw III. Unapologetically gruesome and increasingly stupid, each of the last eight films has grown steadily worse, flatlining with 2017’s dead horse-flogging Jigsaw. If there was a moment to resuscitate the Saw franchise, it surely came and went a while ago.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |