Matcollis
This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
Smartorhypo
Highly Overrated But Still Good
Huievest
Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.
Bob
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
Davis P
Saw II (2005) is of course the sequel to the famous Saw (2004). This sequel didn't really impress me all that much. I'll start with what I didn't really care for in the movie. One of the negatives about the movie is some of the cast members acting ability. Tobin Bell and Donnie Wahlberg both turn in good performances, but to be honest, the other actors just didn't really sell me on their performances or pull me into it the movie more. Another one of the negatives is that the movie as a whole isn't all that interesting. The first Saw movie is undoubtedly the best in the series, and it surpasses this second installment. To be completely honest, if you watch Saw for the traps, then you probably won't like this one, the jigsaw traps aren't that interesting or creative at all. The characters, except for Detective Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) and his teenage son, don't have much depth at all, which made me not really care about them very much. The writing is slightly below average. So all in all, Saw II gets a 4/10, just not a very entertaining film. I don't even think fans of the Saw films would enjoy it very much.
jtindahouse
There are some films that you never forget seeing for the first time, and 'Saw 2' is one of those for me. Having already been blown away by the brilliant original, to have a sequel that was not only equally as good, but likely better, was incredible. Everything that was so good about 'Saw', the intelligence of the story, the brutality and the themes and messages, were all not only apparent in the sequel, they were amplified. The 'twist' was astonishing and made perfect sense. It made everything that had happened up until that point nothing short of mesmerising. There is no question that this is one of my favourite films of all time.At the time of watching the original 'Saw' it obviously seemed incredibly brutal in its nature. It wasn't until 'Saw 2' came out that we realised just how much leeway they still had to work with. Some of the traps in this film can make even the most hardened veterans of the genre squeamish (I know because I am one). The creativity involved never ceases to amaze me either. Some of the traps like the one where you reach through with your wrists only to be caught there are barely given even screen time, and yet other movies would kill to think up something so devilish and original.The best part about the film though does have to be the story. It's so much fun. The premise works on so many levels. Also if you ever actually stop and think about the message 'Jigsaw' is trying to get across, to appreciate life and live every moment as if it was your last, it's a truly enlightened one. I think this message actually gets lost to a lot of viewers because there is simply so much else going on in these films. This is a film I will never forget for its ingenuity and genius. If you've never had the pleasure of the seeing it, please do yourself a huge favour and do so. A masterpiece.
a_chinn
Disappointing sequel to the surprisingly quality first film. "Saw" had good plotting and a solid mystery, along with a lot of memorably grizzly horror. This sequel instead focuses primarily on the grizzly horror (the pit of dirty drug needles is by far the film's most memorable moment and unsettling) and really doesn't have much of a story outside of how-are-these-people-going-escape-Jigsaw's-deadly-traps? The film does offer one unexpected twist at the end, which led to several more sequels, but for the most part, this film set the formula for the many sequels, which was simply a new set of victims and anew set of overly elaborate traps. That was enough to hold my interest, but it's not really enough to call this a good horror film. Donnie Wahlberg, Beverley Mitchell, Shawnee Smith, Tobin Bell, Glenn Plummer, and Dina Meyer provide the solid cast.
Leofwine_draca
This is where it all began. Where all what began, you might ask. The film franchise? No, because obviously that began with SAW, the first movie in the franchise. No, SAW II is where the endless sequels to the SAW movies began, each one virtually similar to the last, except that the various traps and torture devices are more extreme and explicit than before. It marked the beginning of the SAW 'Halloween' event, in which cinemas would turn out the latest sequel for 31st October, year after year. Before I sat down to watch this, I was a bit more in the know about it, because I'd already seen 1, 3 and 4, although 2 had slipped me by. It fills in a lot of the gaps and I'd say these movies MUST be watched in the correct order – if not then you have no chance of understanding the intricacies of the plot.As for the movie itself, it's fairly by-the-by. It's not as original as the first film, but it's fairly well made and with a good pacing. It doesn't seem to be quite as vicious this time around, although that might be because I'd seen some later sequels before this. The eye-watering opening scene is horrific stuff but has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. In essence, this is a film a bit like CUBE; a bunch of people trapped in one location, trying to figure out the clues and work together to escape, although it doesn't hold together as well as that film. The hunt for antidotes just seems a little laughable and not very well thought out and realism is a long way away. Tobin Bell is still creepy, but a returning Shawnee Smith is simply irritating here while others like STARSHIP TROOPERS's Dina Meyer are on the sidelines; she had more to do in her one scene in SAW III! Donnie Wahlberg lends a bit of gravitas as the weary cop investigating the case but, again, he doesn't have much to work with other than a few shouty scenes.What of the horror content? Well, there are a couple of nasty deaths – wow, like you didn't guess – including one horrible bit in a glass box with razor blades – and a nasty scene in a pit filled with syringes. There are a few twists, notably towards the climax, which kept me watching. Fans of the series will enjoy it, but newcomers might well find it's more of a makeweight film, purely designed to bridge the gap between the first movie and the later sequels.