Jigsaw

Movie review by Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media
Jigsaw Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 18+

Gory, grisly torture devices in thin, half-baked sequel.

R 2017 91 minutes
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Parents say

age 16+

Based on 27 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 37 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Jigsaw is the eighth movie in the Saw franchise, which supposedly ended with the "final chapter," 2010's Saw 3D. Like the others, the movie features diabolically grisly death traps (like an adult-themed haunted house), with extreme blood and gore, torture, and violence directed at women. Heads and limbs are sliced to bits, needles are injected, and characters die in many gruesome ways. There are also guns and shooting, fighting and hitting with blunt objects, and a flashback to a baby being smothered. Language includes several uses of "f--k," "s--t," and "a--hole." Brief cigarette smoking is shown, and a minor character is referred to as a "meth head." A woman wears fishnet stockings in one scene, and bare breasts are seen in a body in the morgue.

Community Reviews

Barbra barbasket
Barbra barbasket Adult
February 19, 2022
age 12+

Gory, but not scary

While it is true that most scenes in this movie contain massive amounts of blood and gore, there is not nudity or honestly much scare. This movie is a classic as well, and I feel all family’s are entitled to watching a good movie such as this, regardless of age . There is language though, so if you are sensitive to that maybe skip this one.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.
ContentFlag
ContentFlag Adult
July 9, 2022
age 18+

Rated 18 (strong gory images).

MAIN CONTENT ISSUES - There are multiple scenes which feature graphic, strong gory images and bloody injury detail in the aftermath of various "traps" or as a result of violence. For example, a man has his leg severed to pieces by a wire, a man is skinned and mutilated by a rotating blade, a woman has acid injected into her neck which causes her skin to corrode and her eyes and neck to bleed heavily, and a man has his head sliced into segments by laser cutters featuring very strong gory detail. Gory images also extend to when bodies are being examined in a mortuary, such as the particularly explicit sight of a man with half of his head and face missing, exposing his brain and face cartilage. | OTHER ISSUES - Another issue is a few scenes of strong bloody violence, such as a man being shot resulting in brief sight of his hand being blown off, a woman being stabbed in the neck. Strong threat is prevalent throughout. Frequent use of strong language ("f*ck") as well as milder terms. Some potentially upsetting moments depicting/implying the death of a baby. | Rated "18" - Suitable only for persons aged 18 years and over. Contains content recommended for viewing by adults only.
See all 27 parent reviews

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

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