Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Saw IV: Critics are saying beware


I have a morbid sense of curiosity, which might be the only thing that propels me to watch Saw IV. For the record, I have seen the first three films. First film was great. Second film wasn’t bad. I was fairly disappointed with the third film. The fourth one, though, sounds intriguing.

Saw IV, as was Saw III, was not screened for critics. Generally, this is said to be a bad sign for a movie, although Dead Silence (which I thought was a great film) wasn’t screened for critics, either. By not being screened for critics, those who reviewed the film had to buy a ticket just like everyone else.

So, what have some of the reviews been? According to the Internet Movie Database, not very good:

Kyle Smith of the New York Post: “The franchise is getting long in the tooth.” Smith added the movie could instead be called “Saw It Be-IV.”

Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News: “If an hour and a half of so-called ‘torture porn’ sounds like fun, you’ll find Saw IV situated somewhere between the first in the cycle (a solid original with plenty of energy in it) and the last (a gasping copycat willing to do anything to stay alive).”

Scott Schueller of the Chicago Tribune: “If you like your films disgusting, deplorable and demoralizing rather than smart, scary and suspenseful, go ahead and feed the coffers of Saw IV’s makers. If you don't, please don't give the studio a reason to make Saw V. Please.”

Considering my disappointment with the third film, I can understand the critics’ criticism—to an extent. Still, my experience has been that some of the best movies I’ve ever seen (such as The Butterfly Effect) have been ridiculed by most critics while some of the worst movies I’ve ever seen (such as the hopelessly-overrated Malcolm X, Clerks and Mallrats) have received heaps of praise. Tom Clancy once said that critics are those who can’t do something and are bitter at those who can do something. If I do see Saw IV, it’ll be because James Wan is involved in the project; I consider Wan to be the M. Night Shyamalan of horror films in that the ending often is a complete surprise. Still, I hope they stop soon since movies tend to get ridiculous after the fourth or fifth sequel (and sometimes after the second or third).

I also remember that critics fell all over Knocked Up, which I got to watch a few excerpts of about a month ago. The film was a vile, unrealistic waste of celluloid. There was even a deleted scene where a man graphically complains about a lack of male sexual situations in movies like Brokeback Mountain.


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