Plot
A sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable.
Cast
Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith and Ragnarok's Synnøve Macody Lund shine.
Verdict
I'll be honest, I haven't enjoyed a Saw movie since Saw III. I thought Spiral breathed a small amount of life into the series but not enough to make it credible. Much like Final Destination they pounded out movie after movie each less inspired as the last! A dead franchise in my opinion. Hearing about another I couldn't have been less excited and after the watching the trailer and seeing it was a prequel had me confident this would be another bland uneventful final nail in the franchises coffin.
I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong, and here I was wrong.
I don't like prequels, I deemed this a dead franchise, but somehow someway against the odds they delivered a decent enough film and I'd argue the 3rd best overall behind the original and part 2.
I just love how unexpected it is, you defies logic and reason and provides an engaging tale and one that doesn't rely on shock value or gore like many of those that game before did.
Good job, now I'm open to more.
Rants
I like Shawnee Smith, my first experience with her was as the crazy girl in the original The Stand (1994) but her presence here seemed strange on account of how much older she looks here then last time we saw her. They used no effect to make her look younger and the timeline subsequently made no sense. I know such things shouldn't matter but movies are about immersion and that took something away from it here.
Breakdown
Surprisingly decent plot
Solid performances by many of the cast
Has breathed new life into a dead series
The Shawnee Smith age issue is annoying.
