Saw X Movie Review

Saw X (2023) Movie Review

The Saw franchise has become one of Hollywood’s most bankable movie franchises, not just in horror, but across all genres. Australian filmmaking duo, James Wan and Leigh Whannell launched into the stratosphere in 2004 with their low-budget, horror smash hit Saw. The franchise has since spawned 9 sequels, with the latest entry Saw X arriving in 2023. Collectively the franchise has grossed over $1.1 billion worldwide. Whether you love the franchise or hate it, there’s no denying it's monumental success.

Since the original saga finished in 2010 with Saw 3D (Saw 7), Lionsgate Studios has attempted to bring back the money making juggernaut twice with a mixed reception from critics and audiences alike. Jigsaw in 2017 failed to catch on like the other films have with Jigsaw only grossing just over $102 million worldwide (it sounds like a lot but given the franchise track record, it wasn’t) and Spira: From the Book of Saw’s poor $40 million gross, the studio needed to go back to the franchise and figure out what works and thankfully, they did.

As mentioned, last year we got the tenth entry in the franchise with Saw X. The film saw the return of Tobin Bell as John Kramer or ‘Jigsaw’ as he is more commonly referred to, with series veteran Kevin Greutert (Saw XI and Saw 3D) helming the project. You may be thinking, how is John Kramer back? Well, the film is actually set between the events of the first and second film. We follow a desperate John Kramer as he finds an experimental treatment for his cancer in Mexico, after his procedure he discovers that the procedure was in fact a scam, with this company praying on the vulnerable. Saw veterans know exactly what that means, good old fashioned Jigsaw justice. Given this is the tenth entry in the franchise, fans knew exactly what they were going to get, and that’s not entirely a bad thing.

Saw X is exactly what the title suggests, the tenth entry in the beloved horror franchise. It has all the hallmarks of a Saw film, a great villain, convoluted mythology, a shaky moral compass and of course the traps. I found this film to be quite enjoyable, granted I have never been a die-hard lover of the franchise, but there are a handful of entries that I find myself enjoying quite a bit and Saw X definitely falls into this category. By going back to basics and giving fans a Saw that is grounded with our main character in John Kramer, really does help the film connect with the audience. Whilst his morals are still questionable, there is a more sympathetic edge to John here, whilst I don’t condone his methods, we can still relate and understand where he is coming from, which is something the better films in the franchise have done. Tobin Bell is wonderful here as well. He may not be an A-lister in terms of Hollywood status, but his dedication and understanding of the John Kramer character is remarkable and it does shine through in his performance.

The traps here are suitably brutal. John Kramer is operating with a much smaller budget, in a warehouse somewhere in Mexico here, and the results are suitably brutal. We have some truly gruesome deaths and nail-biting moments with our Jigsaw victims. Director Kevin Greutert doesn’t shy away from the gore here, which for series fans is a massive plus. I am generally pretty good with gore in films, as you all know the horror genre is my favourite, but there were a handful of times here where I did have to turn away from the screen as the gore was getting a little too much.

Overall, if you are a fan of the franchise, there’s a lot to love here. An interesting story, a deep focus on John Kramer with a great turn from series veteran Tobin Bell and of course gruesome and inventive traps, Saw X delivers on all of this and more. So, if you’re a fan of the franchise this is a must watch! Pick-up your copy of Saw X on DVD and Blu-Ray today, you won’t want to miss it and keep an eye out for Saw XI, set to arrive in theatres this October, just in time for Halloween.

2024 promises to be stacked full of great releases, so make sure you sign up to Sanity’s newsletter so you don’t miss another major release and for all things movies, music, merchandise, shop Sanity!

Long live physical media!

---

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here