Saw Collection

Horror

Mystery

Spiral: From the Book of Saw

Twisted Pictures

Lionsgate

Serendipity Productions

Dahlstar

United States of America

English

Chris Rock

Samuel L. Jackson

Max Minghella

Marisol Nichols

Dan Petronijevic

Richard Zeppieri

Patrick McManus

Edie Inksetter

Thomas Mitchell

Nazneen Contractor

K.C. Collins

Trevor Gretzky

Chris Ramsay

Genelle Williams

Dylan Roberts

Ali Johnson

Zoie Palmer

Carvin Winans

Leila Leigh

Chad Camilleri

Jerry Getty

Connor Smith

Peter Hoy

Morgan David Jones

Nadine Whiteman

Miles Koules

Frank Licari

Maximus Castrounis

Leonidas Castrounis

John Tokatlidis

Nick Alachiotis

Sean Jones

Brian Cook

Scott Cook

Andrew Perun

Bryan Thomas

Clinton Walker

Jacob Boose

Nneka Elliott

Val Cole

Brandon Zakkai

Joseph Pierre

Sebastian MacLean

Alexos Andros

Gannon Racki

Luke Gallo

Isys Alexis

Christopher Tai

Tim Ziegler

Jaclyn Vogl

Caleb Ellsworth-Clark

Joseph Racki

Rick Gacia

Howard Green

Donovan Boucher

Mathew Lee

Elena Khan

Heidi Matijevic

Josh Stolberg

Dev Singh

Stacey Testro

Jason Constantine

Gregg Hoffman

Kevin Greutert

Patrick Baxter

Randy Daudlin

Keirsten Morris

Silvia Platsis

Peter Block

Ketura Kestin

Stephanie Gorin

Steve Baine

Tom Bjelic

Emilie Boucek

Keith Elliott

Mark Gingras

Ormangoren Gurkan

William Kellerman

John Laing

Daniel Moctezuma

Angelo Raguso

Jeffrey Roy

Mark Wilkening

Robert Woolfson

Xerxes Shuzhang Yang

Mark Zsifkovits

Jon Campfens

Peter Denomme

Pablo José Fuertes

Tobias Kreißl

Tim Luecker

Rafael Pacheco

Beau Parsons

Ira Cohen

Nadia Guglieri

Ahmar Bailey

Jordan Burg

Scott Greer

Simon Miminis

Dhaval Jasani

Paul Franklin

Jeff Skochko

Shawn Morris

Hugh Goodden

Farris Popat

Marc R. Taylor

François Dagenais

Ines Rose

Leigh Whannell

James Wan

Marc Dassas

David Sparkes

Jonnie Katz

Philip Stilman

Robert Racki

Branko Racki

Shelley Cook

Mark Schneider

Mike Gow

Billy Oliver

Eric Daniel

Kiante Elam

Torianna Lee

Dylan Rampulla

Curtis Parker

Mike Chute

Ermes Blarasin

Cecil Philips

Rion Gonzales

Michael Fylyshtan

Liam Ward

Josh Keller

Kristen Calibaba

Andy Gershon

Michael Nesbitt

David Lewington

Olivia Edmonds

Alexander Narizni

Stefano Amelio

Martin Budd

Kris Kearns

Kevin Barry

Lisa Deveaux

Vann E. Gouweleeuw

Jennelle Greene

Traci Loader

Allison Mondesir

Paulina Harcus

Manuel São Bento

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @
https://www.msbreviews.com

When it comes to horror, I'm always willing to give any film a shot, even when everything indicates it's probably going to be a massive failure. I'm admittedly not a SAW fanatic, despite quite enjoying the first two movies. After these, I can't even remember which installments I actually watched or not. Not even the most recent Jigsaw caught my attention. In preparation for Spiral, I tried to determine precisely how it would be placed in the saga's timeline, which proved to be a surprisingly challenging task. Basically, what matters for this film is that John Walker (Tobin Bell) and his work as the Jigsaw serial killer are acknowledged, making this a sequel. With that said…

Unfortunately, Spiral doesn't change my opinion about the franchise. It's a formula-driven saga that no one really cares about too much anymore. In fact, I'm pretty shocked by the fact that this installment was even greenlit, having in mind the particularly sensitive times our society lives in. Countless movies and TV shows are held to stricter standards nowadays with the risk of getting canceled or boycotted if a certain subject is treated poorly. With so much gratuitous violence, it's surprising to see this franchise still alive. Boasting curious casting choices - Chris Rock leading a horror flick is definitely an attention-grabber - the extremely bloody, gory trap killings are packed with life-or-death dilemmas as always, which will surely please hardcore fans.

However, these are just not as captivating or "fun" as before. This movie doesn't possess a single, memorable trap that surpasses any of the dozens (hundreds?) from before. Just like Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger's screenplay, it's just another lazy, unsurprising variation of a well-known formula. To be fair, and I'm trusting other critics who watched all of the other installments, this is supposedly the version that separates the most from the structure people first witnessed in 2004 and 2005. Still, being different doesn't mean better, and the competition isn't exactly defined by masterpieces. From my perspective, Spiral is just another generic take on an overdone story.

From the repetitively identical kidnapping sequences to the consequent traps, the potential of a great film depended on how Darren Lynn Bousman (SAW II, III, IV) and the duo of writers tackled the characters, mainly the protagonist. The lack of characterization is definitely a problem, but the baffling laziness in storytelling ruins the entire flow of the movie. With an overwhelming amount of flashbacks and an incredibly choppy, annoying editing work (Dev Singh), the non-stop heightened, super tense atmosphere transforms every single scene like it's the most crucial moment of the film. Consequently, a vast majority of the dialogues are characters screaming and cursing at each other in almost every interaction.

The out-of-control tone negatively affects the cast's performances. Many people will look at Chris Rock (Dolemite Is My Name, Madagascar) and believe he's delivering an over-the-top display, but he's just following the chaotic environment established by the director. During the first minutes of the movie, Rock is amusing and funny as expected, but he's also able to tap his more dramatic side. However, when every single line of dialogue needs to be interpreted as if it's the most vital part of the film, very few actors can pull it off. Samuel L. Jackson (Glass, Spider-Man: Far From Home) is one of them, but his expectedly short screentime doesn't allow for much entertainment. Though it's always special seeing SLJ cursing at someone.

Finally, SAW is also about finding out who is responsible for the disgusting game, and Spiral doesn't remove that essential block of narrative. The issue here is the lack of a jaw-dropping revelation. Obviously, this is as subjective as everything you just read until now, but I would be astonished if most viewers didn't guess who the new Jigsaw copycat is during the first act. I do want to end on a positive note, so I'll compliment the bold ending. It partially holds the studio against the wall in the sense that the probability of this movie getting a sequel being higher, which can make some viewers think it's too forced. I rather believe they just wanted to have an intense finale, which I can't really deny.

Spiral might offer enough blood, gore, and brutal traps/murders to fans of the franchise, but overall it's still just another lazy, predictable take on the SAW formula. Despite the violently captivating life-or-death sequences, none stands out as an unforgettable moment. Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger's screenplay lacks efficient character development, impactful revelations, and, honestly, a massive amount of creativity. From the repetitively tiresome flashbacks and kidnapping scenes to the extremely out-of-control tone, Darren Lynn Bousman isn't able to take the story to its potential. Everything is dialed up to its maximum as if every single line of dialogue needs to be screamed from the top of a mountain, which transforms the entire atmosphere into a chaotic environment. Chris Rock can't be the only one to blame for his over-tense line deliveries, especially when he starts so well. A strong yet abrupt ending doesn't compensate for such dull storytelling. I wish I could write that I'm disappointed, but I didn't have high expectations for this one.

Rating: D+

The latest entry into the Saw series has a couple okay moments but otherwise this was pretty bad. The acting was probably the worst culprit, chiefly Chris Rock who sprinkles in his comedic rants while Samuel L. Jackson phones it in, not that he's given a whole lot to work with (including a hilariously bad fake mustache for a flashback scene). It's also really predictable as I called who the killer was early on.

I'm okay with taking the series in a different direction as there was nowhere else to go with Jigsaw (and they stretched his story out a few movies too many) but this was a misfire. **2.0/5**

Martha

Chris Rock acting like Chris Rock with a daddy Samuel l Jackson acting like Samuel l Jackson in a weird twist of a movie that felt like a small short story in the saw series. It's not a bad movie but there's a few things that it lacked including more blood being spilled and more inventive traps. It kind of became more about the characters and less about what the spiral was trying to do which was copy jigsaw.

jenmglna

It was bad. The writing is bad. It could be better tho. Actors are not so great either. I don't know if it's just me or Chris Rock is not really suitable for his character. I just want to say kudos to the cinematographers. Love the cinematography of this film and editors as well!

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Spiral: From the Book of Saw

Cast & Crew

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Cast

Chris Rock

Samuel L. Jackson

Max Minghella

Marisol Nichols

Dan Petronijevic

Richard Zeppieri

Patrick McManus

Edie Inksetter

Thomas Mitchell

Nazneen Contractor

Box office

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