What on earth happened with Saw X? Usually I would be saying that in a bad way, but somehow, something almost unbelievable has occurred. The tenth movie in the series has now become the most well-received by both critics and audiences of the entire series. And it’s not even close.
Here’s the ranking order of Saw movies now that the full ten-ology (I don’t know what the trilogy word is for ten movies) has been released:
- Saw X (85% critics, 91% audiences)
- Saw (50% critics, 84% audiences)
- Saw VI (39% critics, 48% audiences)
- Spiral: From the Book of Saw (37% critics, 75% audiences)
- Saw II (37% critics, 59% audiences)
- Jigsaw (32% critics, 89% audiences)
- Saw III (30% critics, 71% audiences)
- Saw IV (18% critics, 62% audiences)
- Saw V (13% critics, 52% audiences)
- Saw: The Final Chapter (Narrator: It wasn’t) (9% critics, 41% audiences)
Again, I’ve never seen anything like this. Not only is Saw X, the tenth movie in the series, the highest rated of them all, it’s the highest rated by 35% among critics compared to the next closest, the original. And while I am not shocked that fans generally like these movies a lot more than critics, Saw X even has that top score too, even if it’s just 2% over Jigsaw.
I have missed at least the last 4-5 Saw movies and was planning on skipping Saw X, but I am absolutely going to see it now after these reviews. What about this film worked which wasn’t present in the others, especially for hard-to-please critics? Some samples:
- “While audiences may flock to SAW X for its infamous traps and gore, they’ll be surprised to find something full of emotion, rich character expansion, and an impressive story that puts Tobin Bell in the spotlight he deserves.” – Jordy Sirkin
- “[Tobin Bell’s] half-cracked grandeur, boosted by [Shawnee] Smith’s skewed stares of adoration, sends the movie into a loopy giddiness. Saw X may not be the best one to start off with, but it’s hard to imagine a better one to end with.” – LA Times
- “Saw X wipes that silliness out, positioning itself as a direct sequel to “Saw” and presenting a singular, streamlined story of revenge that works from a clear channel of logic.” – Detroit News
“Back to basics” is something that comes up a lot, and it’s a showcase for Tobin Bell, who has always been the heart of the series even after he’s been killed a few times throughout. I’m not sure what the magic bullet was here. Director Kevin Gruetert also directed Saw 3D and Saw VI, so it’s not like he’s totally fresh blood. The writers worked on both Spiral and Jigsaw, though I suppose Jigsaw is the biggest fan-favorite besides this one. Still, some sort of demented magic happened here, and we have the best Saw film…ever? Wild times. Looking forward to it.
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