Saw III 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		2.0

Saw III 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 25, 2025

Maybe just a little hilariously, this is now the second time I get to joke, Nothing screams the holiday season like the Saw franchise, am I right? (At least if the emphasis is on screaming.) That is in fact exactly how I began my Saw: The Ultimate Collection 4K Blu-ray review three years ago almost to the day when I was tasked with reviewing an extravagantly packaged release from Australia's Via Vision Entertainment that may have made some fan an extremely gruesome gift. Despite that "4K" in its title, only Jigsaw and Spiral were offered in that format (the rest were 1080 presentations). Lionsgate has partnered with Amazon for three exclusive SteelBooks presenting the second, third and fourth films in the series with both 1080 and 4K presentations, though rather interestingly with different cuts offered on the 1080 and 4K discs.

As mentioned above, Saw III has had previous 1080 releases. Martin Liebman's Saw III Blu-ray review of Lionsgate's original 1080 release provides plot information, a list of supplements and Marty's reaction to the technical presentation. (That 1080 disc is so old it's number 177 in our database!) My own Saw III Blu-ray review of the Australian edition offers a bit more information as well. Making this something of an outlier in terms of the three SteelBook 4K editions is that the 1080 version on this disc is not in fact the previously released Unrated cut, but a "new, improved" Unrated Director's Cut with a significantly longer running time.

Saw III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: This is an interesting combo format release from Lionsgate in that the 1080 presentation is in 1.78:1 and offers the Unrated Director's Cut (2:00:40), whereas the 4K disc is in 1.85:1 and offers the Theatrical Cut (1:48:23). Because of the different versions, I've split the difference in this review with screenshots 1 and 2 from the 1080 disc and screenshots 3 through 5 from the 4K disc. Per my usual verbiage, 1080 screenshots offer a more accurate account of the palette in particular than screenshots taken directly from the 4K disc and then downscaled to 1080 and SDR.

Saw III is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. The included 1080 disc offers an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1 (fans will know the original Lionsgate and Australian 1080 releases had "quaint" video and audio codecs). While Saw II got a new 4K scan for its 4K UHD version, both this film and Saw IV have been sourced from older 2K DIs. That may end up meaning many longtime fans of this film may be more immediately struck by the palette highlights courtesy of the HDR / Dolby Vision grades than any perceived huge uptick in detail levels. Also kind of interestingly in the HDR grading regard, Saw II includes a supplement with Bousman in the grading suite making tweaks to that film, since he felt that at times "inherent" highlights were too uniform and he wanted to direct focus to certain areas of the frame. There's nothing either that overt or that subliminal in the HDR on this film, though everything from the lurid yellows, greens and blues certainly have increased vivacity. Shadow detail can be at least marginally improved at times. Grain resolves without any issues.

Saw III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with Saw II, the 1080 disc's audio has been upgraded to Dolby TrueHD 5.1, while the 4K UHD disc offers another really impressive Dolby Atmos track. I had actually gotten a PM on this track about reported amplitude issues, but I'll say through my receiver aside from some arguable mix issues with regard to dialogue when effects or scoring are present, I found the track to be quite vigorous and frankly loud a lot of the time. Surround engagement including Atmos is evident from the get go with both the (old school "demonic") Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures mastheads, and that continues with the whirlwind of NSFW voices that then start wafting through the soundstage. There is clear directionality in some of the more claustrophobic scenes, and even some of the hospital material clearly engages the side and rear channels with background ambient environmental effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Saw III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: Both the 4K and 1080 discs in this package sport the same slate of supplements.

• Making Your Own Choices: Darren Lynn Bousman Looks Back (HD; 11:58) is an enjoyable retrospective with the director.


• The Clock is Ticking: Tobin Bell on Saw III (HD; 9:37) is a new interview with the actor.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 00:44)


• Legacy Special Features

Audio commentary with Director Darren Lynn Bousman, Writer / Executive Producer Leigh Wannell, and Executive Producers Jason Constantine and Peter Block




Audio commentary with Producers Oren Koules and Mark Burg




Audio commentary with Director Darren Lynn Bousman, Editor Kevin Greutert and Cinematographer David A. Armstrong




The Traps of Saw III (HD; 9:21)




The Details of Death: The Props of Saw III (HD; 7:54)




The Writing of Saw III (HD; 6:43)




Amanda: Evolution of a Killer (HD; 5:12)




Darren's Diary: Anatomy of a Director (HD; 9:20)




Deleted Scenes (HD; 5:29) are from a workprint with timecodes and no copy warnings.

This Amazon exclusive is packaged in a SteelBook intentionally designed to be part of a "set" with its two siblings. The front panel offers a frankly confusing (to me, anyway) depiction of (I think) Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young. She's surrounded by almost impossible to see pigs, and the Mylar O ring actually has an appropriately disturbing image of a pig mask. The back panel has a kind of cool image of Jigsaw that's just slightly embossed against a dark background. The interior panels offer an illustration of tossed away toys. A digital copy is also enclosed.

Saw III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fans of this particular entry in the long running franchise are probably going to be upset that the original Unrated Cut isn't included here, even if what is included here on the 1080 disc is significantly longer (and gorier) than that older version. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements are enjoyable. The moody SteelBook design should be an extra added attraction for anyone considering making a purchase.