Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gory, grisly torture devices in thin, half-baked sequel.
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Jigsaw
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 29 parent reviews
Based on 48 kid reviews
Kids say this film features a significant amount of graphic violence and strong language, often describing it as gory, yet not particularly scary, making it suitable primarily for mature teens. Reviews highlight mixed opinions on the storyline, with some finding it entertaining and others deeming it a disappointment compared to previous installments in the franchise.
- gore and violence
- strong language
- mixed reviews
- not scary
- maturity dependent
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In JIGSAW, it's been 10 years since notorious killer Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) was himself killed. And then five people wake up with buckets on their heads, chained at the neck. They're dragged toward spinning saws that won't stop unless they offer up some blood. One doesn't make it. From there the traps continue, with deadly, gruesome planning and precision. Meanwhile, Detective Halloran (Callum Keith Rennie) brings a shooting victim to the morgue, where medical examiners Logan Nelson (Matt Passmore) and Eleanor Bonneville (Hannah Emily Anderson) find clues leading back to Jigsaw. Along with Detective Hunt (Cle Bennett), they begin to suspect who the killer might be. Not trusting the cops, they head to where the clues lead: an abandoned pig farm full of spiky, murderous equipment. Will anyone survive?
Is It Any Good?
The eighth installment in the Saw franchise features a few clever traps, but it also has sadly thin characters and ridiculous twists. (It also represents a broken promise, as the previous Saw movie, Saw 3D, said it would be the "final chapter.") The "games" in Jigsaw have the feel of a spooky, grown-up haunted house, even if the characters who are put through them are aggravatingly shallow and spend most of the movie screaming at one another.
This time, most of the movie is focused on the detectives and the medical examiners. Bonneville, it turns out, is a secret, closet Jigsaw fan who keeps a studio full of sinister sculptures. Meanwhile, her work partner, Nelson, is said to have been tortured in the war. But even this stuff doesn't really add up to much. The movie's weird final "twist" is one of those things that elicits a "huh?" response and doesn't make enough sense to warrant a second viewing. Weirdly, Jigsaw was directed by talented Australian twins Michael and Peter Spierig, whose Daybreakers and Predestination were quite good. Hopefully it was a nice paycheck for them. At least Bell, returning as Jigsaw, is fun in his few scenes on-screen.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Jigsaw's extreme violence. What's the appeal of this kind of intense, torture-based gore? Does exposure to media violence make kids more aggressive?
How does this movie compare to the other movies in the Saw franchise?
Is the movie scary? Why is it sometimes fun to be scared? How does this movie compare, scarewise, to other horror movies you've seen?
Are there lessons to be learned from Jigsaw's brand of "justice" -- that is, getting liars and criminals to admit to their crimes?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 27, 2017
- On DVD or streaming : January 23, 2018
- Cast : Laura Vandervoort , Tobin Bell , Callum Keith Rennie
- Directors : Michael Spierig , Peter Spierig
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Lionsgate
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 91 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, and for language
- Last updated : March 15, 2024
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