Critic Reviews

Jigsaw is a wickedly fun villain, if you can put aside the implausibility of a guy who likes to saunter away from his deathbed to kidnap younger, stronger people and devise medieval torture chambers.

The killer himself takes a far more prominent role in this edition, and as played by the superb Tobin Bell he's quite a memorable creation.

Saw II, despite the swift turnaround time, improves on all of the first film's problem areas, while leaving intact everything that was good about the concept.

For the most part the film succeeds in producing a frightening Halloween weekend experience.

The contest is close, but Saw II is just barely a better B flick than "Saw."

There's an honesty to the film that elevates it a cut above standard slasher fare.

It's clear this sequel (directed by Darren Lynn Bousman) doesn't have the same smartness (I speak relatively) of the original. Nonetheless, "Saw" fans can still look forward to involuntary incineration, wrist and throat slashing, bullets through brains and the bashing of someone's head with a nail-festooned club.

Morally dubious it may be, but this gory melange of torture, terror and darkly humorous depravity appeals to the sick puppy within us all.

It all adds up to a sequel that is, against all odds, not a total waste of your serial-killer dollar.

New pic lets the air out by divulging the startling mystery that concluded the original. Add this to problematic juggling of police procedural and group-in-distress storylines, and Lions Gate has what looks like a sequel rushed for Halloween.