The Saw series continues with this seventh entry, spearheaded by returning Saw VI director Kevin Greutert. Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton also are back to pen the script, which details the exploits of serial killer Jigsaw’s surviving victims, who seek counseling from a self-help mentor (Sean Patrick Flanery) whose past as a previous victim figures directly into each one’s fate. Cary Elwes returns to the franchise for the first time since his character survived Jigsaw’s first cinematic outing in 2004.
This is both the most gruesome and least coherent of the seven movies. That’s saying something. Crucial information has somehow been written legibly on teeth that must be extracted. The victim must be taught a lesson — he’s promoting a fraudulent book about how he survived Jigsaw, the series’ killer that Tobin Bell’s been playing from the start — so no Novocain for him. How about for us? The 3-D hurts to look at. Surely, the urge to tear out our own eyes is part of the fun. These movies have made more than a half billion dollars, none of which appears to have been reinvested in the franchise. They still have the polish of a rusty nail.