Once again, we see the limits of my Saw obsession

Word is (via ONTD) that Saw VII is to be in 3-D. This is a terrible idea. It's a terrible idea (unlike Tron: Legacy in 3D, which is a great idea) because the claustrophobia of the Saw movies--most of them are even filmed in the exact same building--is a lot of what makes them especially compelling but also disturbing.

saw_wp_1_1600
Originally uploaded by Natha1308

You feel that the "players" of the games are really trapped in a tight space, and forced to make choices about what they'll risk to survive.

(For example: Will you puncture a hole through your own throat to avoid drowning?)

This (along with the low budgets) also allows the best of the films to be, when looked at evenhandedly, honest-to-god character studies.



Tobin Bell's never going to be overshadowed by CGI hamsters waving magic wands and changing a sloth into a dinosaur. And so, he's been able to create a figure that actually has something at his core. There is, if you will, something behind the mask.

Saw V - I'm sure this ad has been banned in the UK?
Originally uploaded by nick farnhill

That something is quite peculiar, but it's still more than just being the film equivalent of a big dumb dog that jumps out and bites you every so many minutes.

If it becomes that, if it becomes just about "interesting" traps splattering 3-D gore over an audience, then it might as well be