A number of big horror films are on their way to being released and there's been a ton of anticipation over Spiral: The Book of Saw. This modern entry in the iconic horror series attempts to reinvent Saw's disturbing premise, yet with a larger message and a change in its sensibilities. The horror genre is notorious for reboots and remakes, but Saw is a franchise that still has life in it and isn't an inherently misguided idea to give it another shot.
The Saw films still have a decent pedigree among them when compared to the other major horror franchises, but there are certain aspects from Spiral that both help and hinder the franchise as a whole.
10 Fixed It: The Focus On Police Corruption & A Broken System
It can be easy to reduce the Saw movies to gratuitous exercises in torture, but what's incredibly important to them is the morality that's baked into the premise. John Kramer wants to make people turn into their best selves, albeit through twisted means.
One of Spiral's strongest details is that it evolves this concept of reformation for one person into the overhaul of an entire system. Spiral addresses the corruption and abuse that exists in the police department and uses Jigsaw's teachings to fix this.
9 Hurt It: New Jigsaw Copycat Is Less Effective
Spiral doesn't cheat its audience when it explores the idea of a copycat Jigsaw killer. This copycat takes Jigsaw's ethos and makes it his own, but he unfortunately doesn't do enough to differentiate himself in the end.
The copycat's modulated voice sounds embarrassing rather than disturbing, like the original. This copycat has some upsetting imagery, like the pig cop marionette, but it pales in comparison to the many masks, props, and set dressing that the original Jigsaw uses to instill fear and embellish his image.
8 Fixed It: Great Cast & Performances
The Saw movies are full of emotional and raw performances, but they indulge in the more exploitative side of B-movie horror, which usually doesn't feature A-list celebrities. Sometimes big stars can even be distracting and ruin the illusion that the film strives to create.
There are some notable actors in the Saw films, but they're nothing in comparison to Spiral's Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson. They both give inspired, authentic performances that give Spiral a level of legitimacy. Even Max Minghella is a major star.
7 Hurt It: A Small Cast That Minimizes A Body Count
The previous entries in the Saw series almost operate like slasher films in the sense that they begin with a big group of five or six displaced individuals that suddenly have to "play a game." This allows for a large body count, lots of traps, and a plot that never slows down.
Alternatively, Spiral is much smaller in scope and is really just a two-hander between Chris Rock’s Zeke and his partner or Zeke and his dad. Other people around Zeke meet their ends, but it's not the same energy.
6 Fixed It: It Distances Itself From Jigsaw
Spiral holds a lot of reference towards Jigsaw and the events of the previous movies, but it doesn't needlessly cling onto those elements. Spiral very much establishes its own path and there's an unprecedented level of focus on the police that makes it almost feel like Saw mixed together with Se7en.
Spiral improves the franchise by building new territory for it to explore and allowing itself more opportunities than what was allowed in the original movies. This tone also keeps the audience on their toes over just where everything is headed.
5 Hurt It: Not Enough Variety
Another reason that the previous Saw movies make such an impact is that the individual traps all bear specific personal connections to the victims' lives and their sins. These individuals often come from diverse backgrounds, so these traps cover lots of ground and become as psychologically demanding as they are physically painful.
The issue is that Spiral feels considerably less unique and it presents a very narrow story and traps that all reflect comparable sins of the police. There are strong ideas present, but there's not enough to properly show them all off.
4 Fixed It: Its Approach To The Traps & Gore
The Saw films are certainly largely focused on the brutal traps and each new entry in the series reached a point where it needed to top the goriest trap from the previous movie. There's often legitimate creativity in these traps, but this ingenuity can get lost from their exaggerated and gratuitous nature.
Spiral has a handful of gory traps, but they probably take up less than five minutes of the total movie. This perspective is helpful in that it still explores the horrifying nature of these stunts, but doesn't needlessly dwell on them.
3 Hurt It: The Twist Is Too Obvious
The first Saw movie sets the precedent for insane twists at the end that often re-frame everything that the characters and the audience thought that they knew.
These twists, as mind-blowing as they are, are usually satisfying on some level or at least put in the work. Spiral also ends with an outrageous twist, but it's one that's telegraphed early on and feels inevitable more than it is shocking. The final moments and how they're edited still feel like vintage Saw, but the twist itself falls flat.
2 Fixed It: It's Both A Sequel & A Reboot
There was some apprehension around Spiral in regards to whether this is a reboot of the franchise or a sequel that extends the universe in an unexpected way. Jigsaw was an unsuccessful attempt at a soft reboot and sequel, but Spiral is a much more successful attempt at this.
Spiral works because it doesn't erase the past, but still tells an original story that feels like it belongs in the Saw universe, but isn't just a derivative sequel like many of the other entries in the series.
1 Hurt It: The Absence Of Tobin Bell
The Saw films have struggled to find ways to keep Tobin Bell's John Kramer in the picture even though the character passes on in Saw III. It's somewhat manipulative to see how the sequels incorporate Tobin Bell and his haunting helpers into the picture.
Spiral is the first time that he's wholly absent beyond a photograph and mention. This ultimately makes sense, but Tobin Bell had such a presence and he does feel missed in the end. A brief appearance through video or some other means would have been enough to remind people of why the actor made such an impact in this role.
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