SAW IV - Blu-ray review

The "Saw" franchise continues to conjure up new and gory ways of thrilling audiences. The series' primary killer, Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), has died. This occurred at the end of the third film and I apologize if I have ruined anybody's enjoyment of the third film. But, you really shouldn't be reading a review for the fourth "Saw" film if you have yet to see the third movie. Anyhow, I fully expected the "Saw" franchise to end after Jigsaw's reign of terror ended, but the series' producers have found a new and unique angle to continue with the story and have even set the stage for the fifth film, which is in production at the time of this review's writing. The very first film was a fresh take on the horror genre and introduced the mass audiences to ‘torture porn.' The killer traps of Jigsaw that provided the means for victims to face death or salvation through mutilation became the kingpin of the series and although plot has become second fiddle to the torture machines of the series, the producers are still trying to tell a story.

I'm not going to spoil any of the story of the fourth film with a plot synopsis. It is a given that Jigsaw is dead and that his apprentice also perished during the previous installment. However, "Saw IV" does have an interesting angle to tell its new tale of torture and although I was first puzzled at the ending of this latest installment, it made complete sense after I let it sink in for a short while. I will tell you that this chapter does tie in rather nicely with the events of the previous film and while I believe that the story arc of this series is becoming a little absurd and is on shaky ground of becoming a complete parody of itself, the events of "Saw IV" works nicely in the grand scheme of all things Jigsaw. Unfortunately, if you start to peel away the various layers of the story and think too deeply into things, the movie is less enjoyable. The nature of the traps are called into question during the story, but are even more questionable to the audience. It is the telltale origins of each individual trap that the overall story of "Saw IV" begins to fray. The story works, but only if you don't think too much into it.

Part of this fourth film is shown through what appear to be flashbacks. This allows Donnie Wahlberg and Tobin Bell both return to reprise their respective roles ad Detective Eric Matthews and Jigsaw. Of course, I'm going to state I said the scenes appear to be flashbacks to avoid spoiling any fun. "Saw" is almost becoming as convoluted as "LOST" when it comes to plot twists. Lyriq Bent is SWAT leader Lieutenant Rigg. He has a major role in the film. As does Costas Mandylor as Detective D. Hoffman. Justin Louis portrays Jigsaw's lawyer friend, Art Blank. Scott Patterson is Agent Peter Strahm. Blank and Strahm figure into Jigsaw's grand scheme. Betsy Russell is the too-attractive-to-be-believable ex-wife of Jigsaw, Jill Tuck. I'll always question to decision to give Jigsaw a hot wife. It seems horribly out of place. A number of other actors appear in the film and some of them were in previous installments and previous traps set in motion by Jigsaw. The actors all do fine jobs in this film, but nobody is every going to throw Best Actor awards in the direction of a "Saw" film.

This is a film that absolutely cannot stand on its own. If you haven't seen all three of the previous films, then there is no reason you should sit down through this one without watching the others first. It can be confusing to those of us that have watched each of the previous films repeatedly. The film is also intended to speak to its built in audience from the original three pictures. The "Saw" franchise is at a point where it really cannot expand its fan base and "Saw IV" doesn't make any attempt to draw anybody new in. It simply tries to continue doing what it does best and that is to provide some painful death sequences and sobbing victims who have woken in the worst situation imaginable. The "Saw" films are a money making machine and while they are far from predictable, they are films that rely heavily on their own past to entertain and provide plot twists. Without knowing about events in the first three films, there is next to no way you can digest the events of this fourth film.

I didn't mind sitting through "Saw IV," but I won't say I overly enjoyed it. The simple fact is that the series is starting to become tiring and there comes a point when a story needs to end. "Saw" is now past that point. The third film felt a little ridiculous and out of place when compared to the solid first entry and decent sequel. This third sequel is exactly what it is – another entry in a money making series. The "Saw" films perform well in the box office and "Saw" has become a solid name in the horror genre. The fifth film was greenlit as soon as "Saw IV" opened strongly. The traps are becoming too big and too grandiose. The life lessons taught by Jigsaw have been lost. The story is no longer there and the series' writers are struggling to remain clever. The manner in how "Saw IV" tied itself to "Saw III" was clever. I liked that. The foundation is laid for the next film. Maybe they have thought ahead towards the next few installments of the "Saw" franchise, but sooner or later we may see Jigsaw take Manhattan.

Video:

"Saw IV" comes fully equipped with a 1080p 1.85:1 picture that was mastered with the AVC MPEG-4 codec. Overall, I was quite pleased with the visual presentation of this fourth "Saw" film, but I do have a few minor quips with the transfer. Detail is strong and there are no complaints when it comes to witnessing the gore and mutilation of the film in striking detail. There is plenty of blood to spill in any self-respecting entry in the "Saw" series and this film spills more blood than the rest of them. Coloring is good, but still suffers from the desaturated and purposely dull look that has been a stylistic choice for all of the "Saw" films. "Saw IV" is perhaps the brightest and most colorful of the four films and colors do look quite striking at times. Black levels and detail during the darker sequences are troublesome and provide some of my complaints with the transfer. During the final climactic sequence, a few faces were difficult to make out because of a lack of detail. This isn't a result of black crush, it is just that the scene is dark and the transfer does not hold up properly. The film and the transfer are not bad, but there were just some problems when the film was its darkest that keeps "Saw IV" from being a top notch looking Blu-ray release.

Audio:

Two soundtracks are provided for "Saw IV." An aggressive and powerful 7.1 DTS HD Master Audio mix is packed alongside a stellar, but not quite as impressive 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround EX Audio mix. Subtitles are provided in English and Spanish. The "Saw" films have always prided themselves on being just as shocking to the ears as they are to the eyes and this fourth film is no differences. Loud shrieks and the torturous sounds of Jigsaw's victims come to live in vivid sound. The .1 LFE channel provides deep and foreboding bass. The rear surrounds are used effectively and frequently, with the mechanisms of the torture machines and other sounds emanating from the rear. Sound moves freely and cleanly between channels. The sound is clean and detailed and dialogue always comes across crisp and clear. The voice recorded sound of Jigsaw's voice sounds strong as well. The theatrical score by Charlie Clouser is nicely handled. The "Saw" films always feel overly processed and their sound is a little more bombastic than real-life, but it is part of the fun of this long running franchise and the Blu-ray disc does its job.

Extras:

Two commentary tracks and a video diary are the better supplements contained on the "Saw IV" Blu-ray disck. The first Audio Commentary with Producers Oren Koules and Mark Burg and Executive Producers Peter Block and Jason Constantine offers up a lot of details about the series and how this forth film came into being. It is a decent listen, but gets tedious for all but the diehard fans of the "Saw" franchise. The second Audio Commentary with Director Darren Lynn Bousman and Actor Lyriq Bent is the more entertaining of the two commentaries and provides more insight and chatter about the making of the film. Neither is bad commentaries, but truly are geared more towards those that love their "Saw" movies. The film's director presents the supplement titled Darren's Video Diary (33:00). This interesting look behind the scenes begins with Bousman and the producers surprised about an information leak about the film's plotline. It gives other candid moments about creating the film and I found this to be well worth a half hour of my time. Some of the entries in the diary are things typically not scene in the glossier EPK styled making-of features. It does spoil some plotlines in the film and I recommend watching it AFTER watching "Saw IV."

The supplements begin to get a little shorter after the commentaries and making-of diary. The collection of seven vignettes, The Traps of Saw IV (16:45) looks at most of the film's traps and finds the director, producer and others talking about the genesis of the traps and how they were created to provide something new for fans of the series. The first supplement is skippable, but the rest get into the real meat of the traps. The Props of Saw IV (8:48) is a featurette that looks into individual items used in the film to create some of the traps or interesting items that were used in the film. Interestingly, the functioning of the torture devices and traps are explained in great detail and I enjoyed the information about the spinal cutter placed on Art Blank's back. The Music Video "I.V." – Performed by X Japan is included, as well as the Deleted Scene - Police Station (:44), which is short, but offers a little more information about the investigation into Jigsaw. Finally, a Theatrical Trailer and Also From Lionsgate previews as well as a trailer for the game Condemned 2: Bloodshot (I loved the original Xbox 360 game) rounds out the supplements.

The "Saw IV" Blu-ray release is also groundbreaking in the sense of providing the first ever Profile 2.0 bonus materials. MoLog is billed as the World's first interactive Blu-ray disc movie blog. I honestly can't tell you more than that as no Profile 2.0 Blu-ray capable player yet exists. I'm eagerly anticipating the firmware update for my Playstation 3 that will allow me to use Profile 2.0 features, but at the current time this has not happened. My Samsung BD-P1400 player is only Profile 1.0 capable. I could get onto my soapbox and talk about how HD-DVD shipped with its full standard set and that web-based, Picture-in-Picture and other features were available on day one. However, this is a Blu-ray review and I can only say that one day, somebody will be able to take a look at the MoLog feature and find out if it is worth mentioning. I'll give it another go when Sony makes a Profile 2.0 update to my PS3.

Closing Comments:

Part of me wishes that "Saw III" would have been the last film in the series. However, I was among those in line to see this fourth film on its opening weekend and even though I sat through the film now twice and can't even say that I overly enjoyed the experience, I'll be in line for the fifth entry come Halloween of 2008. The film provides a mostly sensible plotline that works with the previous entries, but the machines of death are becoming too big to be convincing. "Saw IV" almost feels like a parody of the first movies. The life lessons of Jigsaw are also lost to spectacle and blood. I'm curious as to see where they are going to take the series, but the film's better moments are definitely in its past. The Blu-ray release features a good looking transfer and solid sounding DTS 7.1 mix that continues to have the "Saw" films be visually and sonically aggressive. The features are decent, but I'm puzzled as to why a Profile 2.0 supplement is provided when nothing currently on the market can utilize the feature. "Saw IV" is tiresome, but I continue to be surprised they can keep this story rolling.