Saturday, October 30, 2010

Saw 3D vs. the Marquis de Sade: A Movie Review

Saw 3D Japanese Poster
*This review has been written by fellow writer Ed Sum.

Director: Kevin Greutert.

Writers: Patrick Melton, and Marcus Dunstan.

If the Marquis de Sade can be thought of as a modern hero, he would give the traps encountered in the Saw franchise a nod of approval. With >Saw 3D, there could well be some reluctance because of the growing popularity of the format. That will depend if audiences want to sit through torture porn or get their wits scared out of them with this film's direct competitor - Paranormal Activity 2. For this Halloween weekend, there's also The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. It's the box office dollars that's at stake. But just like doling out the loot amongst children after Halloween, what gets shared is hardly even.

This time around, the latest bloody imaginings from the mind of director Kevin Greutert and writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan comes with mixed feelings. As far as this style of entertainment goes, at least the producers took the right step by filming this movie with proper 3D cameras. There's a few convincing moments as it juts out at audiences but it doesn't go far enough. What 3D films of today need to do is to consistently push the envelope. At least Saw 3D demonstrates some well toned depth in a dimly lit set, and the quick edits help make the trap sequences look reminiscent of the Spanish Inquisition. And the onus is on Bobby Dagon (Sean Patrick Flanery) to make things right.

He comes out of the woodwork to claim that he's survived Jigsaw's (Tobin Bell) traps. Just like the early films, there's a subplot too, where the law is on the trail of the killer. The suspense actually works this time because of the quick juxtaposition between the two stories. As things get tense, the tale switches gears and the action has viewers anticipating the next kill. And while these murders seem tame to one who's more used to Clive Barker's visceral images and H.R. Giger's darker fetishes, there's always going to be a teaser somewhere down the line.

-Fin

Ed Sum has started an online petition for Hollywood studios and 3D. The petition asks studios to disclose in trailers whether the film has been filmed in 2D and converted, or whether the film is true 3D (filmed with 3D cameras). The petition is here for you to sign:

The Walking Dead at Shock Till You Drop

Also, please visit Sum's "Two Hungry Blokes" Blog, where he takes on the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for some Halloween fun:

Two Hungry Blokes Blogspot

More Saw 3D:



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