Saw II (DVD)
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There's a reason I'm not the box office guru — I can't predict what an audiences will like any better than Jeanne Dixon can foretell the impending apocalypse. My favorite scary film of 2005, The Devil's Rejects, debuted at #8 and went downhill from there, while Saw II soared to the top and enjoyed a huge profit, great reviews, and big kudos. So, my tastes aren't always in line with the masses; all I can do is give my honest, informed opinion based on a lifetime of loving horror movies, and hope that at least my candor is appreciated.
When Saw II came out last October, I thought it was flat-out boring. But I know that sometimes movies need time to percolate and find their own way; I've seen plenty of movies that I liked better, on second thought. After seeing Saw II again on DVD, I must confess… I still find it ultimately uninteresting. Not terrible mind you, just tedious. Read my original theatrical review here.
For me, the main bones of contention are: 1) Jigsaw isn't scary anymore at all, and 2) The players, all of them, are just plain annoying — even bad guys should be characters you love to hate.
On the plus side, the death scenes are good. The bed of needles scenario is cringe-inducing (but Dario Argento did a similar gag so much better with barbed wire in Suspiria), the vault of flames is toasty-terror (but not as shocking as the Hills Have Eyes barbecue), and of course, the Venus flytrap head-cracker is freaky-fantastic (but still not as good Shawnee Smith's jaw-breaker in the first Saw).
The DVD packaging is super-cool — see-through plastic sleeves reveal a silvery disc that resembles a circular saw. Inside, you'll find the movie accompanied by a plethora of extras (but you can bet that when Saw III comes out this October, there will be a Saw II special edition, double-disc set). But the uni-disc theatrical-cut DVD still has plenty to offer bloodthirsty fans.
Commentary:
Director/co-writer Darren Lynn Bousman and stars Donnie Wahlberg and Beverley Mitchell offer up the kind of yak-track I tend to enjoy most: playful, easygoing, and more about people than technical equipment. The trio teases (absent) costar Dina Meyer constantly.
There are anecdotes about the locations, production, design, costumes, and what was happening on the set that day. They dish about the guy wearing the super-tighty whities (blueys, in this case) in the opening scene, and they talk about the f-bomb. (FYI, since I mentioned The Devil's Rejects earlier… check out this link about the use of that word in cinema.)
Bousman offers up some candid confessions about the trails and tribulations of being a first-time director, and he also mentions deleted scenes (which are not on this DVD… probably coming our way in October).
Jigsaw's Game:
An overview of what to expect from Saw II, along with short interviews from the set. Your standard EPK stuff, but at less than four minutes, it's tolerable.
The Traps of Jigsaw:
Includes subcategories The Head Trap, Needle Pit, The Hand Trap, and Furnace. There is, thankfully, a "play all" option.
This is my favorite of the additional release material. I don't usually like to see how the magicians did their magic, but this featurette is particularly interesting and entertaining. (It's also refreshing to see how practical effects are achieved these days, rather than your usual CGI pixel-fest created by keyboard jockeys.) Most enlightening are the secrets behind the Venus flytrap, and needle pit. Prior to this, I never gave much thought as to how they made the needles and syringes — tens of thousands of them — look so used and disgusting.
Bits & Pieces - The Props of Jigsaw:
Less than five minutes, covering all the weapons at Jigsaw's disposal and he sets them up for maximum pain and terror.
Storyboard to Screen:
Here we see two side-by-side TV sets, one showing the storyboards, and one showing the finished product. As these things go, it is very well done (but still tiresome to watch for more than a couple of minutes).
Conceptual
Nineteen pieces of production art, many in color.
Trailers:
- "Saw" 2-disc special edition, which includes the "Saw" short film
- Three Extremes
- Audition Special Edition
- Ultimate Avengers cartoon
- Tamara
Easter Egg:
Sort of… If you click the words "In Memoriam: Gregg Hoffman" at the bottom of the TV set in the main menu, you'll find a letter from Bousman to his friend and the producer of the film, who died at the age of 42. You will also see snippets of Hoffman being interviewed through the rest of the additional release material.
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson