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meddakkak
Reviews
Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
Just finished watching this amazing movie
Hey guys, I just finished an employee screening of Spiral (the perks of working in a movie theater!) and I wanted to give you something to chew on until the movie is released. No spoilers -- I want y'all to enjoy this and be as surprised as you can be.
First of all, I would say temper your expectations and don't let glowing reviews or extremely negative ones push you to one side of the scale. Spiral is a Saw film at the end of the day and that title naturally comes with baggage. It's a good Saw film. It's even a good standalone film for those that are new to the series. The most noticeable things about the film is that the gritty and grimy look has been polished a bit and modernized but still retains Saw's signature look, spliced throughout. The iconic editing that defined the film for years has returned after being scrubbed out of Jigsaw, an obvious atonement for past mistakes. The script -- infinitely better than Jigsaw. Stolberg & Goldfinger seemed to have largely learned from their mistakes and sought to mold a better story out of what they started with. Those worried about comedy possibly overtaking or diluting the horror can rest easy, it's balanced and natural, Rock delivers without it ever feeling shoehorned in.
Let's get to the gore! I would put it on the level of Saw II. CGI is still used but has been extremely dialed back in comparison to Jigsaw which felt like everything was shot in front of a green screen. Practical effects are highlighted throughout with a nice blend of VFX to tie it together when necessary. We see mostly everything here and very little is left to the imagination.
All the actors are utilized well and compliment there respective characters. Chris Rock is just irresistibly likable (that might be good or bad, it's up to you) and elevates a character that likely would have been weaker given a different casting choice. I really loved Max's youthful, doe-eyed portrayal of Schenck -- he has a great on-screen chemistry with Chris which makes us attached to these two detectives fairly quickly. The supporting cast are all naturals and fit very well into the story. Great casting choices.
The not so good: Some may be disappointed with the overall screentime of SLJ. I feel like they definitely used him more in promotion to draw a bigger audience. It's not as heinous as Joker in Suicide Squad but he becomes more of a background character as the story reaches its peak. Those who are worried about the twist or ending not being satisfying, let me just say this one thing without spoiling anything: I will reiterate, it's a Saw film. Don't expect a Se7en or Memento level twist or even anything Shyamalan-esque. You likely won't be shocked unless you're a casual viewer who's not very invested. I will say though: miles better than Logan's wooden delivery and that atrocious laser trap CGI. There's something hidden in plain sight, something really clever that the writers put in to mark the killer to the audience while also retaining plausible deniability -- see if you can figure it out!
I wanna wrap this up by saying that this was clearly a labor of love from all involved. It isn't by any means perfect and you might be left with more to be desired when the credits start, but from what I've seen so far, Lionsgate has the potential to keep the franchise going in a big way if the response and box office are there. As a fan of the the series, I felt really happy to see it on the big screen early without being too spoiled going in. Spiral is, in my opinion, a return to form after disappointment many felt with the past few films.
You can ask me anything that doesn't involve major spoilers (twist, killer identity, ending) but I won't be ruining the best parts for anyone. I wouldn't want it done to me!