User Reviews

The original Saw was probably my most favorite recent "horror" movie, so naturally I was excited when the second one came out. I saw it its opening weekend in theaters, and **THIS WAS IN PREVIEWS, SO I Don't CONSIDER IT A SPOILER** I see a man strapped to a chair, with this "Man in the Iron Mask"-like thing on with all sorts of pretty nails poking toward his face. If you've seen the first one, you can expect what it does. A TV turns on, and there's the puppet thing, and that creepy voice. I'm like "Hell yes!" and it seemed like a great beginning, and it truly does have a great idea going for it, but unfortunately it seems like they got lost in the success of the original and the new bigger budget and lost something. It became the traditional horror movie, with your typical predictable characters, and the innovation and claustrophobic feel of the original was gone. It wasn't scary, but then again I didn't think the first one was to be honest, I think they're more of a mental experience than anything. The weird acid-trip like camera shake still occurs, though thankfully less frequently, and it is like a bigger budget Saw. Think Land of the Dead. Still a Romero movie, but it didn't feel like one as much. Same thing applies here. The ending is cool for most people, but I honestly saw it coming. It gets a bit muddled, and by the end of it you really don't remember much except the very beginning and end. It's fun, and it's an interesting piece of this new Saw series, but it just doesn't seem to live up to the original for me. You watch it yourself and give it a chance. I give it a 6 1/2.

I have no idea what my title means, except that it sounded clever in my head. Hmm.

I'll assume that you've already seen the original Saw and you're wondering if this is a worthy successor. In a word: yeah. But it's a very different approach. While the first Saw was brilliantly minimalistic, the story being staged almost entirely in one room, this second installment takes us out of the box. Gone is the claustrophobic feeling of confusion and good ole existentialistic "who am I" from the original, and instead we get more of a mystery as seen from the outside, as our hero Eric (Donnie Wahlberg) tries to crack the case before it's too late.

Sure, the same elements existed in the first film, with 2 concurrent plots of victim & detective. But the draw of the first was to figure out why all these things are happening. Here the mystery is revealed in the first few minutes, the killer is apprehended, and what follows is a sort of chess game between investigator Eric and perp Jigsaw with the clock ticking to save the intended victims. It's actually a clever approach similar to the rather AWESOME film "Exorcist III" (1990) which is composed of dark dialogues between the detective and the lunatic, and this dramatic approach was repeated a year later in the more popular "Silence of the Lambs" (1991). But in this domain, in order for it to work, the film must be slow, almost painfully slow, thick and heavy.

Saw II attempts to balance the heavy, psychological "Lambs" approach with good old fashioned slashes & gore. It succeeds, I feel. But I still can't help but wonder how it would've been if the filmmakers had gone full tilt "Lambs" on us. Instead the dialogues between Eric & Jigsaw seem a bit short, rushed and not fully explored.

The result is a film which is certainly entertaining, but I don't think it will ever be considered a psychological classic like the other two I mentioned, or like "Seven"--films that are much slower in pace, with far fewer gallons of blood spilled but with oceans of drama.

I know this may sound like a negative review, but that's only because I'm comparing Saw II to the heavyweights. If instead we take Saw II at face value, a straightforward horror flick, it certainly delivers. There's the added bonus of having two nice twists at the end. In terms of sheer entertainment value, Saw II cuts a real log.

I should really quit trying to come up with witty puns.

Sequels rarely live up to the originals. And in the horror genre that's even rarer. I reckon that 'Saw' (part I) will always be better, due to its originality and shock value, but its (first) successor does its best to expand on the mythology and give the audience something more. In short... it's definitely worth a watch if you enjoyed the original.

The first outing could be summed up best by 'two men wake up in a serial killer's lair and try to figure out how to escape.' However, there was far more to the story than just that and the amount of different twists and turns really struck a chord with audiences (that and the amount of 'body horror' that was involved.

'Part II' ups the ante in every sense. There are more victims in the killer's latest 'lair,' more gore, more traps, more police officers trying to figure out where these hapless people are, perhaps most importantly, more of the killer himself (who was surprisingly not in the first installment very much). In fact... out of all the characters in the film, it's the killer 'Jigsaw' (Tobin Bell) who steals every scene.

As with the first film, there's more to the story than just a bunch of people trying to escape from some fiendishly fatal death-traps. 'Saw II' does its best to keep the surprises coming and, like the first, you'll only have one chance to watch it without knowing all the plot twists that will be heading your way.



So, if you liked the original then you should enjoy this one, too. In fact it's almost like these two films could have been written together and filmed back to back. After this one I only stayed with the franchise for a couple more films as the quality really does go downhill after this one. For me the 'Saw' franchise was a two-picture deal.

I have the same main problem I had with Saw II that I had with the original (Shockingly enough, not the gaping plot holes). At the core, both movies are about the same thing: Elaborate puzzles that stupid people ignore so they can spend more time yelling at each other.

I really wanted to like Saw II, but I felt like I was being teased. I catch a whiff of interesting puzzle-solving, instead I have a lot of yelling.

It's a personal preference, I know. The movie I wanted to see was about people adapting to their situation and using their brains against that of an evil genius. Instead, I got the evil genius (Tobin Bell is great as Jigsaw, by the way, one of the parts of the film I really enjoyed) going to a lot of work for some people who, frankly, don't seem to appreciate it. The creators seemed to want to make a film about how people's lives are dictated by their unavoidable flaws (driven home by the ending, the last few twists, and the general character of the cop, all of which are the reason my rating is as high as it is), and how panic destroys people.

And the horror... isn't. I don't find blood scary. There are some *shocking* moments in this film, some cringe-inducing moments, but nothing actually scary. That really disappointed me, because Adam's capture in Saw I was one of the scarier scenes I've seen in a movie in a long time. There's nothing for people who actually want to be scared here, just grossed out.

A few unfortunates people(Glenn Plummer,Enmanuel Vaugier,Beverly Mitchell,Erik Knudsen, among others) trapped into closed building and they must encounter a way out before inhale a lethal nerve gas. But they must also avoid the deadly traps Jigsaw(Tobin Bell) has set on the way. Meanwhile, a policemen(Donnie Wahlberg,Dina Meyer) and SWAT track down from him. Jigsaw, who is on the brink of death , has become obsessed for revenge and has prepared twisted traps. The group must race against the clock of Jigsaw's on ticket heart affected by cancer.

This second sequel from original by James Wan, packs grisly terror, tension, suspense and lots of blood and gore . The film takes accent as suspense as well as terror with creepy use of images- shock and slick edition. Provides an imaginative and well-knit screenplay plenty of twists and surprises . Sinister and mysterious atmosphere , well made by cameraman David Armstrong and eerie musical score adequate for mystery and tension by Charlie Clousier. The movie is again starred by Tobin Bell, he's a secondary actor working from the 80s in TV series(Walker Texas Rager, Stargate SG1, Alias, 24) and occasionally for cinema(Goodfellas, The firm, Ruby, Black mask 2), achieving success with Jigsaw character. The motion picture is well directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. It's followed by Saw III by same director and with Dina Meyer, Shawnee Smith and Costas Mandylor; Saw IV again with Donnie Wahlberg, Dina Meyer and in pre-production, Saw V directed by David Hacklin with Costas Mandylor.

Saw 2 is a better than average movie with a promising storyline that just didn't turn out as good as it seemed.I did enjoy the dialog between Donnie Wahlberg and Tobin Bell,but the scenes with everyone stuck in the booty trapped room set up by Jigsaw was terrible,the dialog and acting was very mediocre and it mostly relied on gore.It is definitely more gory than the first Saw,a bit too gory for me,the way everyone is killed is just disgusting and graphic.The movie also wasn't as frightening as the first Saw and the story didn't have a build up as exciting as the original.I also didn't like how we didn't get to see much of the Jigsaw puppet and the direction isn't as dark (the director is different) as the first.Saw 2 is very gruesome,but its not very scary,if your a fan of the first you should still check it out,mainly because of Donnie Wahlberg and Tobin Bells impressive performances and a very unexpected twist,but you will be overall disappointed.

The Jigsaw Killer has kidnapped the son of cop Eric Matthews.Jigsaw gets Eric to talk to him while his son and many others try to survive.

This movie has just mad a quantum leap in horror films. after watching this movie i had the chills walking to my car, and lets say that i more than enjoy a scary movie. this movie kept me up for at least and hour after watching it. it was one of those movies were you cant let it out of your mind.

The movie had one of the best openings that i have seen in a long time. after a few minutes into the movie i had to put down my popcorn. i don't have a weak stomach and this movie got me to put down my popcorn, that is huge.

With a great blend of suspense, acting, and oh yes there was a lot of blood. this movie great deserves another watch, i would pay to see this movie a couple of times. not to mention one of the best twists i have seen in a movie. i would say 2nd best ending i have seen in a movie.(#1 was Fight Club). you definitely have to see this movie.

When detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) is called to a crime scene of a victim of Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), he finds a lead to the place where he is hidden. Once there, he realizes that Jigsaw trapped his son Daniel Matthews (Erik Knudsen) with three women and four men in a shelter, and they are inhaling a lethal nerve gas. If they do not use an antidote within two hours, they will die. Eric follows with increasing desperation the death of each member of the group in monitors, while trying to convince Jigsaw to release his son.

"Saw II" is a scary, gore and disturbing movie certainly not recommended for audiences with problem with psychological and visual violence. The story is excellent, and the expected twists in the end are unpredictable and well tied up. This movie recalled me the atmosphere of "The Silence of the Lambs" and Tobin Bell performs a stunning sadistic and cold blood killer. His explanations how the knowledge of death changes everything is very logical, therefore frightening. The camera, the cinematography and the soundtrack contribute with the morbid atmosphere of this film. My vote is seven.

Title (brazil): "Jogos Mortais II" ("Mortal Games II")

Jigsaw kidnaps a few unsuspecting 'criminals' along with the son of a detective. Having been unappreciative of their lives, the dying Jigsaw challenges the hostages to escape the house they are held in. The victims have two hours to find antidotes in order to escape a virus with which they are infected, involving deadly tasks and booby traps, as well as negotiating differences with their fellow-captives. Meanwhile Detective Matthews seeks to find where his son is being held through interrogating Jigsaw, the true colours of the cop coming out through the course of the film.

Mixed within the depth of violence and suspense of the film lies juxtaposed moralistic messages and a superb plot that is increasingly rare in the genre in modern times. However, for some, the violence may be too much, indeed the processes of killing the subjects are ingenious but not in any way subtle. However, if you're going to watch Saw II, then it's unlikely that your shy of horror, and you'll get it in bucket-loads, as well as a twist at the end that is as good as any you'll see in cinemas today.

Overall as a film Saw II is very good, it's entertaining, thou such a strong plot may have benefited from not seeming to want to rely so heavily on graphic violence. It probably won't go down as a classic and it's certainly not for everyone (don't rent it for the kids one night), but it's certainly one of the better 'scary' movies of recent times and worthy of a trip to the cinema or DVD store.

The first Saw really through me through some spins and caught me off guard for originality, Saw 2 is leagues above the first. Saw 2 runs with the same game based theme as the first, with clues for both the characters and the audience about what might happen next, but it takes the game to a completely different level. Just when things start to come together there is another twist to leave the viewer on the edge of their seat for what may come next. Without seeming to give everything away the movie was made to give it all away, but no one can catch all the clues because they have been pulled so deep into the movie. I highly recommend this one.

Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), the methodical serial killer from Saw, is back! This time, he's pitted against a tough detective (Donnie Wahlberg), who must try to save his son and others from a house of horrors filled with deadly nerve gas, puzzles and death traps.

Saw 2 is just as scary and suspenseful as the original. The death traps are very creative and some of the twists are unpredictable. The original Saw was a very suspenseful film that actually terrified its audience. The sequel is more or less the same except its much bloodier. Whether or not that's a good thing is entirely up to you but it was fine by me. There were more scary, over the top gory scenes in this film then in the original Saw. There were more characters as well and that kind of hurt the film since they were all one dimensional. Some of them didn't even share their story of why they were there. The acting was… well not so good. That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has seen the original film.

Tobin Bell probably gives the best performance as Jigsaw. This guy is defiantly very scary and very creepy. You see a lot more of him this time around so it made the film better. Donnie Wahlberg plays the detective who is trying to hunt down the people being tortured. He does a decent job though nothing special. Shawnee Smith plays Amanda and she also gives a decent performance. Everyone else was either too over the top or under performed. The worst was Beverley Mitchell but she's from 7th Heaven so that shouldn't be too much of a surprise. James Wan didn't direct this one and it shows. The original relied more on suspense to scare its audience while this one focuses more on disturbing scenes. There were disturbing scenes in Saw but that wasn't what the film was really about. So, the director for Saw 2 isn't as good as Wan. Also, the film is too short so the story feels rushed and its not as effective as it could have been. Like the original, it's hard to feel sorry for the characters because they do bad things and are so unlikable but that's just me. In the end, Saw 2 is a very gory and violent sequel that lives up to the original. Rating 8/10.

Wow. While I enjoyed the first Saw, let me say this sequel was an utter disgrace. If its title were an anagram, as in my heading, it would be more honest. This movie was an exercise in shock video, not a horror film. Believe me, there is a difference. It looks like today's audiences have forgotten, or, judging by some poster's ages, never gotten the chance to experience, what a true horror film is.

Some reviews which gave this high ratings said they did so because it had "more movement", was "more gory and bloody" and "leaves it open for the next installment." Well, none of those suggests a superior piece of cinema. The script was poor, editing was spastic, and the characters were absent. Even in this age of sequels, need we be reminded a 90 minute film is not an episode? This is a clumsily slapped together torture fest which is missing the mystery, the characterization, and the human element of the first. Horror needs pacing, buildup, and subtlety. Apparently, bloodshed, arguing, and a tacked on twist ending which made little sense scare people nowadays. And I haven't even delved into plot yet!

In short, Saw II takes the could-be mystery and shines a light on it, takes the entities and blurs them, takes the audience and leads us by the hand to a ridiculous ending. Save your time and money, and watch some old horror on DVD instead.

This is potentially the most entertaining Saw of the entire series. It's a perfect sequel because it stays true to the original while still having its own identity. There far more blood and gore and violence in this one while still maintaining a followable plot. Great movie

Having been taunted by twisted killer Jigsaw, Detective Eric Matthews cracks the clue that leads him directly to the hide-out where they capture the man himself. However Jigsaw directs Matthews' attention to a bank of monitors that show a group of people stuck in a locked house – one of whom is Matthews young son. The people in the house are breathing in a deadly nerve gas which will kill them in two hours, but they have the ability to solve puzzles to get out before then. While they try to solve the deadly puzzles, Matthews tries to break Jigsaw to find out where the house is.

When Saw was a big success in the cinemas it was only a matter of time before a sequel was produced that tried to repeat the success all over again and duly this does feel like a film that has been produced to cash in. Of course this is not to say that it isn't any good but suffice to say that it doesn't quite match up the energy and tension of the first film. It does still produce the goods as a teenage style horror movie, with moments that made me cringe and look away all doing just enough to keep the film moving. Problem was more with the plot, which was never going to be as cool as the first film mainly because it couldn't be as simple and sharp. Instead we have a baggier and more contrived set up that doesn't work as well. The stuff with Matthews and Jigsaw doesn't really connect that well to the action in the house and, although part of the twist was reasonably clever, it did rather feel like it was more about setting up more sequels than producing a big impacting finish.

The cast are mixed but limited by the material. Bell is good but, considering he is the heart of the story, he doesn't get much to do and is not as good a presence as he needed to be within the narrative (although the producers clearly feel the series doesn't need him so who am I to speak?). Wahlberg is cut off from the action and although he shouts well, he cannot develop the character that was needed in order to explain the plot and make the ending. The rest of the cast are so much filler and generally they run, shout, scream and die as required without doing much to make themselves stand out; basically when the most famous face is "the guy from Speed" then you know you are in trouble.

Overall then this is an OK Hollywood horror movie that has a nice mean streak running through it from start to finish. The story is a bit weak and doesn't have the impact of the original, a problem not helped by the lack of good characters. Fans of the original will probably still like it but it is hard to ignore that this is much lesser product than the first film.

While investigating the bloody aftermath of a grizzly murder, Detective Eric Matthews has the feeling that it is the work of Jigsaw, the notorious killer who disappeared leaving a trail of bodies behind. Jigsaw is indeed back, but instead of two people locked in a room with only one unthinkable way out, there are eight. Eight strangers, unaware of their connection to each other, forced to play out a game that challenges their wits and puts their lives in jeopardy.

James Wan and Leigh Whannell gave us a sharp and unique film last year, which shocked audiences around the world. It also had over-acting, major plot holes and mediocre pacing. Saw II manages to stay away from everything that was flawed with Saw, although, in doing so, it plays it too safe and loses all the shock that it wanted to give us.

Much like the original, you will find some people in impossible situations, which are unique and great to watch. But Saw 2 tries to take it up a notch by putting more people in this situation, the more people you have the more clichés you need to put in. You get the macho guy, the mysterious guy, the pretty girl, the scared girl, the little kid, the one who knows whats going on, and the token black guy.

Unlike the original, where you actually liked the characters, as annoying or over the top they may have been, here you hate them all. You know that most of them, if not all are going to die in some elaborate death, and this keeps us wanting to see more, just so we can watch them die in Jigsaw's house of horrors. Saw 2 focuses more on booby traps then clues for it's players. Even if there were more clues, the people don't care about them, or the director didn't care enough to enlighten us with them.

With these clues, you would expect the people inside to pull together and try to solve this puzzle, instead they all turn on each other. One guy finds out what the first clue was and goes on a killing rampage. It's pretty much the same formula as the first, which makes this saw rusty and dull. The original had many jaws drop to the floor with it's twist ending, and going into Saw 2, you would expect the same. There is a twist, more then one to be precise, which is probably the best thing in this film. Although it never reaches the high-point of the original.

How can a film that has better acting, not as many plot holes and more on Jigsaw, not be as good you might as yourself. It's basically the overall feel of the movie. I got chills throughout the entire first film, here I got one. Without ruining it, I'll just say that when the lights went on, my eyes were wide open with disbelief.

Donnie Whalberg is much better in this film, then Danny Glover was in the first. In this installment, he actually has a reason to be here. Aside from the creepy Tobin Bell, Whalberg actually gives a good performance.Everyone else in the house just plays their characters they way they were written. Scream on cue, cry here, and die there.

Excluding the house and all it's traps, the film only showcases one other Jigsaw predicament. A man with a bear trap on his face, who must cut out his own eye in order to get the key to unlock the contraption. Very cool, but not like the reverse bear trap on the girl's jaw from the original. Why did I like the first so much, well it was cool seeing all those little trap he put people in. That was missing from this one. The traps inside the house had wre impossible to get out of, the people were doomed and you knew it.

Nevertheless, Saw 2 does end with a twist that sets up a possible third installment. Hopefully in the next one, the saw is sharper and the traps are more convincing. If I were ever in a situation with Jigsaw, I would listen to him carefully and follow his every step, I even yelled at the detective to do so. Saw 2 doesn't put to rest the ongoing debate of whether or not Dr. Gordon is alive or dead and it shouldn't, it should be up to interpretation.

Saw 2 was quickly written and directed because it wanted to ride the success of the first and it shows. If time was taken and people who first brought it to us were still involved, Saw 2 could have surpassed the original. The script was written before Saw came out and had nothing to do with it. Once Saw became a hit, a few changes were made and it became Saw 2. So when a script is not written directly for the sequel purpose, you know you're in for trouble.