Saw: The Final Chapter (Blu-ray) (2010) |
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Saw: The Final Chapter (Blu-ray) (2010) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Horror |
Audio Commentary-Writers of Saw: The Final Chapter Audio Commentary-Producers of the Saw series Deleted Scenes-Deleted Scenes Theatrical Trailer-Trailers Featurette-52 Ways to Die Music Video-5 Music Videos |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 2010 | ||
| Running Time | 89:50 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Kevin Greutert |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Sony Pictures Home Entertain |
Starring |
Tobin Bell Costas Mandylor Betsy Russell Cary Elwes |
| Case | ? | ||
| RPI | $39.95 | Music | Charlie Clouser |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Frame | English dts 7.1 (768Kb/s) | |
| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 1080p | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | English | Smoking | No |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Saw 3D (aka Saw: The Final Chapter) finishes out the lucrative Saw series on a mediocre note. Far from the worst of the films (that would be the dismal Saw V) this "final chapter" - later named because it didn't make the money to ensure an eighth - is simply uninspired. Even with the 3D (removed for this Blu-ray edition, but retaining the original title in a truly dumb move) the writers couldn't come up with new and interesting ways to tear people to pieces, nor a clever way to tie up the many loose ends formed across the self-important convoluted previous entries. Although the main storyline - involving the botched execution of Jigsaw-mantle holding Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) by Jill Tuck (Betsy Russell) - kind-of-sort-of concludes (complete with series-retconning appearances by Dr. Gordon - Cary Elwes) it does so without satisfaction or a feeling of completion, not even really involving the original-Jigsaw John Kramer (Tobin Bell) master plan. Even the 3D, absent here, was used sparingly - not for effect, just because the filmmakers couldn't think of exciting ways to use it. It's all kind of a mess, and not in the gooey way Saw fans would like.
The B-plot revolves around a false survivor of the original Jigsaw killings, Bobby Dagen (Sean Patrick Flanery) who has made a fortune out of rallying together other survivors as a twisted self-help guru; after being kidnapped and locked into a real Jigsaw trap, he must make his way through a horrifying labrynth wherein his survival and the fate of the ones he loves must be "played" for. Props for some of the most gristly, torturous and cruel devices the series has to offer in this outing - a particularly grueling encounter with a fishhook that must be removed from one's stomach is one of the most unpleasant sequences screened last year - but it all sort of washes out into tedium, and barely has anything to do with the main story, which devolves into nonsense involving a mounted turrent, a SWAT team being gassed, and a Jason-like unstoppable golem storming a police station. It's a big, big step down from the enjoyable Saw VI, an all-round enjoyable horror film and also the nuttiest take on the American healthcare system ever.
There are moments of inspiration in Saw 3D - the best part is a clever and sickening trap involving a white supremacist (Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park) and several racist friends strapped into a Rube Goldberg car trap that threatens to tear them limb from limb. If there had been more sequences like this, the overall package would have improved (even the opening, involving a cheating woman and her two boyfriends fighting for their lives with a buzzsaw in front of a crowd of hundreds, feels lacking) but the real problem lies with the underlying lack of imagination that went into dooming this "final" film. A shame - smarter writing could have breathed life back into this mutilated corpse.
This is a strange case of the video transfer being fine, perhaps even exceptional, but the source being completely misguided. Although the video in Saw: The Final Chapter looks technically fine, with strong colours and blacks, no interlacing, only rare scenes of grain, the whole thing looks like it has a fleuro filter over it - which is exactly how it looked in the cinema. Blood, for example, looks neon and entirely unconvincing. It's the orange-and-teal trope taken to a different level, essentially using a different range on the colour wheel, and it looks bizarre.
The reason filmgoers didn't experience this nonsense when they saw the film in the cinema (both of them) was because of the 3D, which darkened and blurred the image and thus looked "better" - so, technically this is a great transfer, and one accurate to the source, but it still looks odd.
There are English subtitles and the parts I sampled were readable and accurate.
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Far and away the best part of this Blu-ray is the sound mix, which borders on perfect. This is frequently a loud film, with screams and grinding and sirens, and it all sounds superb, from every angle. The surround is used to obscene effect to make intense and grueling scenes all the worse, and the bass comes through strong when required. All dialogue and effects are well mixed to ensure everything can be heard clearly - it's basically stellar, and probably much better than the film deserves.
Charlie Clouser's tried and true soundtrack is alive across the film, with so many remixes of Hello Zepp that has become the theme song to the entire series, as well as all the other happy grinding unhappy background music you need to have a really unpleasant time. It all sounds wonderful here.
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| Overall | |
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The video transfer is technically fine and accurate to the source, but that source was a mess that doesn't fare well in HD.
The audio transfer is phenomenal and arguably better than the film deserves.
The extras are mostly ignorable except for the most die-hard Saw: The Final Chapter fans.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Sony Playstation 3 (HDMI 1.3) with Upscaling, using Component output |
| Display | Philips 47PFL9732D 47-inch LCD . Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
| Audio Decoder | Logitech 5500 THX. |
| Amplification | "Onkyo TS-656" |
| Speakers | Logitech 5500 THX |