As this fifth entry begins, we pick up right after the end of the fourth film. Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) is locked in the room with Jigsaw's (Tobin Bell) corpse, a couple other bodies (including Jigsaw's ward, Amanda), and Jeff, whom Strahm had just shot. Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) locked the door behind Strahm, allowing Strahm's game to begin, which should have resulted in his death and Hoffman being the hero for "rescuing" Doug's daughter. Of course, if things went as planned we would not have a film. This plan's failure results in a second survivor of Jigsaw's traps (joining the previously revealed Amanda).
Strahm plays the role of Greek chorus, making sure to keep us clued in with the plot as he relentlessly talks to himself while looking at clues. Meanwhile, Hoffman is setting a trap to eliminate Strahm, while overseeing his five-person trap, featuring a number of rooms with their own individual tests to survive.
In between these two primary threads, we get flashbacks concerning Hoffman's first encounter with Jigsaw, including the manner in which they come face to face. These flashbacks continue, shoehorning him into earlier traps, implying that he was always there, just out of view, helping set up the events of Saw II, not to mention other games.
Seeing the Saw franchise appear to be so enduring just makes me a little sad for having missed the glory years of the 80's horror franchise. That's right, I missed those early years when the big screen was stalked by the likes of Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and others. Instead I have to settle for Jigsaw on the big screen, and the occasional decent direct to video slasher.
At any rate, it does not appear that this franchise will be going away anytime soon. With elements within this film, there are threads for at least one or two more entries. So long as the franchise remains profitable, it will continue to be made.
What the franchise needs is the return of James Wan and Leigh Whannell, who teamed behind the freshness of the original and returned for the third film, helping it get onto some sort of track. While they may not be the best genre voices, they do have that something to make this franchise just a bit more relevant. Until then, we will continue to get sequels that lack character and purpose.
Bottomline. Yes, this is worth checking out, but only if you are a fan of the series. Do not make this your first entry into the series. This is a series that has not been made to cater to the casual viewer, and will only mean anything to those who have seen the other films. As for that poster tag line: "You won't believe how it ends." the reason you won't believe it is because it is hard to believe they would make a conclusion that transparent.
Mildly Recommended.
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