Saw

Movie review by Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Saw Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 18+

"Torture porn" gore-fest is more grisly than scary.

R 2004 102 minutes
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Parents say

age 15+

Based on 106 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 283 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 Saw is the stuff of nightmares, even if a jaded horror aficionado might not find it scary. The images of torture and death are brutal and explicit, lingering in mind long after the movie ends. There are multiple on-screen deaths, a child's life is threatened, characters die, a father is forced to make terrible decisions to protect his family, and there are no scenes free of peril. There are also references to suicide, adultery, drug addiction, madness, and self-mutilation. There's strong language ("f--k," "s--t," and more), and characters smoke. Underlying the killer's motive is the notion that everyone deserves to be tortured and that there are no innocents.

Community Reviews

MarineCat636
MarineCat636 Adult
August 10, 2021
age 15+

I am so sick of people calling this "torture porn"

Parents need to know that this is one of the most frustrating reviews on this website. This is NOT "torture porn" by any means. In fact, this film shies away from gore very often. The camera angles hide the most grisly images. I am not going to try to convince you that this movie is good for kids, because it isn't. Saw still has a ton of disturbing content, even if there is little to no gore actually shown. The film has a lot of psychological torture rather than physical torture. A man is forced to saw off his own foot, a woman is forced to dig through the stomach of a man for a key, and a man has his head smashed with a toilet tank. However, all of this is off-screen, but it is still really disturbing to watch people have to do these acts. When this film was released, it causes quite an uproar because of how disturbing it was. People called it "torture porn" because the movie was so disturbing to them that they felt like the movie was only made to show gore, which is NOT the case. These days the movie is extremely tame, and most teens wont be disturbed by it at all. The person who wrote this "professional" review (Nell Minow) is extremely biased against anything she doesn't like. Seriously, click on her name and see the movies she has reviewed. If he doesn't like it, the movie will get a really high age rating. Ifs he likes the movie though, even if it's really mature, it will get a lower age rating. Again, this movie has a reputation it doesn't deserve. While it has extreme psychological torture, it barely shows any blood, (except the pool of blood on the body in the bathroom that is shown throughout the movie) It actually has a good message about teamwork, and it actually is a very smart and original thriller. I personally really like this movie, but it does have some issues. Like I said, it is very smart and effective. It has a fantastic and very interesting villain as well. The plot is well written and I love the huge twist at the end. However, the acting is not great at times, it has a very low budget that really shows, and some scenes are really poorly directed. Overall in terms of quality, I would give this movie a 6.5/10. In terms of how mature the movie is though, because of the disturbing content and frequent strong language I would say that Saw is probably okay for teens ages 15 and up. One thing that should be noted is that the Saw series gets more graphic, sadistic, and disturbing as it goes on. Saw, Saw 2, and, Jigsaw, are probably okay for teens 16 and older. The other ones are NOT okay for anyone who is not an adult. Another thing is that this movie is definitely not okay for ALL 15 year-olds. Some will be extremely disturbed and this movie is not for the faint of heard. If your kid is asking to see the movie and already knows what they are signing up for, it's probably fine if they are 15 or older. However, if you are planning on showing it to them, make sure they know what they are getting into. Thanks for reading.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
7 people found this helpful.
Gavin M.
Gavin M. Adult
January 2, 2023
age 15+

Its good but the traps make you look away

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.
See all 106 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In SAW, a serial killer named Jigsaw traps a doctor (Cary Elwes) and a voyeuristic photographer (Leigh Whannell) in a windowless room with a corpse. Together with the clues that they've been given -- including a mini-cassette player, photographs, and two small saws -- they seek to solve the riddle and escape.

Is It Any Good?

A thoroughly intriguing -- if ghoulish -- premise, some original nightmarish images, and a young director eager to show off his talents make this movie atmospheric and intense. But the whole thing gets caught in the razor wire of shoddy acting, a sociopath who makes you go "huh?", a lack of engaging characters, and a morass of internally inconsistent details. The bitter taste in your mouth when Saw's over won't be fear, but rather disappointment that what could have been a smart, original horror-fest turned into such an uneven wannabe.

Director James Wan and Whannell (who wrote the script with the director) clearly have been influenced by modern horror stalwarts like Seven, 28 Days Later, and The Ring, which results in a stilted form of brinksmanship where the end game is the most memorable gruesome image. Tying the scenes together, much less ending the movie with a tight little knot, is beyond their story-spinning ken this time. But they deserve recognition for aiming high and for providing an engaging if ultimately disappointing ride.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the killer's motivation in Saw. How would you describe it? Do you understand it? Are the deaths consistent with that motive? What might the characters have done differently?

  • How do the gory images in movies like this impact viewers, especially young ones? Why do you think there's been a trend toward these "torture porn" movies?

  • Discuss the resonance (or lack thereof) of movies where characters face death and re-evaluate their lives and priorities. Do Lawrence and Adam become more appealing characters as you get to know them better and as their fate looks bleaker? Do their choices become clearer as they reassess their priorities? What do you think the "right" life would be like so as not to attract the killer's attention?

Movie Details

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