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Ah yes, so here we are, the end of the Saw franchise. To be perfectly honest, the franchise should have ended a while ago. It went on far too long. It’s no secret that the original was the best and to this day, still stands as one of my favorite horror films. From that point on, the films got progressively worse. Sure, there were some great moments along the way, but nothing was able to compare to the first. The franchise has become something of a joke at this point and it’s a shame, because it had so much potential.

So now we come to Saw 3D, the final chapter, or so they say. As we all know though, in Hollywood, if something is making money, it’s never truly over. That aside, Saw 3D hopes to be the final tale in this seemingly never ending series. It offers some wicked traps and a nice twist, but is it enough to redeem this once beloved franchise?

The story follows Bobby Dagen (Sean Patrick Flanery), a self-help guru and famous author who wrote a book about surviving one of Jigsaw’s traps. The catch is, Bobby was never a Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) victim, the whole thing is a scam, but it’s working quite well. Eventually, Jigsaw’s followers kidnap Bobby’s publicist, lawyer and best friend. Bobby is then placed in a trap where he must save them. If he makes it through, he must face the ultimate test as he struggles to save the last victim, his wife.

While all this is going on, Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), Jigsaw’s protege, is trying to track down Jill (Betsy Russell), Jigsaw’s ex-wife. As he plans out his revenge for her, the police department is closing in on him. At the end, everything ties together and it all culminates in a nice, although easy to spot plot twist. Of course, we also get the necessary flashbacks that only serve to chop up and convolute the already fuzzy backstory even more. Oh and remember to leave your brain at the door, once again, logic is thrown out the window.

Check out the rest of our Saw 3D theatrical review.

Let’s move onto the Blu-Ray itself. For the special features, we get the following:

• Audio Commentaries
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• Music Videos
• 52 Ways to Die
• Saw 3D Theatrical Trailer
• Also From Lionsgate
• Bookmark Functionality.
• LG Live.
• DVD Copy
• Digital Copy

As you can probably tell, there are only two features worth checking out. The first is the commentaries. There is one with the producers and one with the writers. I actually really enjoyed both and if you’re a fan of the series, you will to. They reveal some interesting trivia about the franchise as well as some interesting filmmaking facts regarding the film. Definitely worth a listen if you’ve been watching the Saw films over the years.

The only other worthwhile feature is the one entitled 52 Ways To Die. It’s a 15 minute look at a number of the traps that the Saw films have done over the previous years. It’s not a bad feature and it’s kinda cool to see how some of the traps were done. I just wish it had been a bit longer.

Thankfully, the Blu-Ray looks and sounds pretty damn good. The rich black levels look fantastic and are complemented nicely by the crimson spray that so often appears. The image is smooth and the film carries a very crisp look to it. Impressive detail is also found throughout. Contrast is handled appropriately and there are no digital anomalies to be found. Unfortunately I don’t have a 3D TV but from what I hear, the 3D version of the film looks superb as well and is quite the experience.

The film also sounds real good. Every crunch, pop, squish, scream and crack is heard with chilling accuracy. The surround sound is used efficiently and all the mechanics in every trap sound superb. Dialogue is accurate and music is never too loud or overbearing. During the trap scenes, immersion is really felt as it just all comes to life so well. The audio track here is phenomenal and near demo worthy.

And so we come the end, the end of a once great franchise. The original was fantastic and even Saw II and Saw III weren’t all that bad. It’s a shame that the series took the turn it did, as it had a great premise and showed a lot of promise. Saw 3D isn’t a terrible film, it’s just nothing new. It’s redundant and unnecessary. Bottom line is, if you’ve been following the franchise up to now, then you kind of have to see it, just so you can finish it up. If you’re not a fan though and you haven’t been following along, then you likely won’t find much here that pleases you.

Game over.

Good

Saw 3D hopes to be the final tale in the series. It offers some wicked traps and a nice twist, but is it enough to redeem this once beloved franchise?

Saw 3D Blu-Ray Review