This was one of those sequels that I put off watching for a long time because I liked the original movie so much and I was worried that they'd find a way to mess it up with the sequel, and I didn't want to see them screw that up. The first movie is so elaborate with its twists that adding more twists on top of that can overcomplicate the story, or let you down if they half-ass an explanation and don't bother to try and continue building on the plot of the original. When I finally did see this movie, I was happy to discover that they did a good job adding to the story and didn't mess it up.
Similar to the first movie, this movie starts with a victim waking up in one of the Jigsaw killer's traps, learning how he will have to mutilate himself in order to survive the trap. It's icky and gory. Then we get to the main story, where a cop is searching for his missing son (Daniel) who has been abducted by the Jigsaw killer. He discovers a live streaming video showing Daniel and other victims in one of Jigsaw's traps, trying to find the clues and survive. The police can't figure out the location of the streaming footage, so they don't know where to go to rescue Daniel and the other victims. The rest of the movie us a race against the clock to rescue the victims before the time is up and Jigsaw's trap kills them all.
This movie sets up the formula of the movie opening with a Jigsaw trap and a terrified victim, before we move onto the main story. As disgusting as the kills are, it became kind of a tradition, watching the movies and seeing the cool, elaborate traps. The people trapped in the house with Daniel know there's a slow acting poison being pumped through the air vents in the house they're in, and they need to figure how to get out before it kills them. Of course, they're all more than willing to scream and fight with each other instead of helping each other, especially one psychopath who is bent on killing everyone to get out by himself. That guy is actually pretty scary. It would be my luck to be trapped in one of these Jigsaw scenarios with a total nutcase like that. Talking about making the worst of a bad situation.
So not to be a jerk or anything, but while the twist at the end of this movie was a great reveal when I first watched it (and it's still cool, don't get me wrong) I kinda can't believe the police tech team couldn't figure out what was going on for like an hour of working on it. I also feel like the movie shot itself in the foot a little revealing so much of the movie's plot in the ad campaign, and the line "oh yes, there will be blood," would have been awesome if I hadn't known it was coming because it was plastered all over the movie posters. Kinda loses its impact then, guys.
The movie still has a lot to offer, though. Make fun of me if you want, but I like Donnie Whalberg. I had a crush on him when I was younger and he sang in New Kids on the Block (shut up, I'm old) and I've enjoyed following his career since then. He's been in several horror movues (The Sixth Sense, Saw II, Dead Silence...hey look, he's a scream queen!) and I always have fun watching his movies. He's perfect to play the cop who doesn't follow the rules and ends up paying the price for his sins. I like Tobin Bell playing the preachy killer who's in love with his elaborate plans, and Shawnee Smith is always great, even though Amanda pisses me off (more in the later films than here) it's great watching her onscreen too.
The kills are great here, too. The "needle in the stack of needles" scene and the "hands trapped in the box of broken glass" scene make me cringe big time, even though I've seen the movie before. I also love how both of those torture scenes are made better by featuring good actresses who put their heart and soul into playing the role they're given (Emmanuelle Vaugier is great as Addison, the "broken glass" girl). I have to give a shout out to Franky G as Xavier, too. He kicks all kinds of ass as the twisted psycho that's even scarier than Jigsaw's trap. Overall, there's a lot to like in this sequel, and it's a worthy follow up to the original movie.
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