Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Saw IV Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 24, 2022

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of Via Vision Entertainment's Saw: The Ultimate Collection 4K.

Nothing screams the holiday season like the Saw franchise, am I right? (At least if the emphasis is on screaming.) Via Vision Entertainment is offering fans of the series some rather luxe packaging, but a release that is a bit odd in that it combines 4K UHD and 1080 offerings of the Saw films. The release more or less duplicates the releases that fans on this side of several ponds have seen, and so relevant portions of reviews I've personally written may be reprinted here, and some reviews of the Via Vision releases may contain further links to Region A reviews I didn't have a hand in.

Saw IV was released on Blu-ray by Lionsgate itself kind of astoundingly almost fourteen years ago, though it's the first of the (never remastered) Saw offerings on Blu-ray to have more "contemporary" video and audio codecs going for it. Those interested in a plot recap are encouraged to read Marty Liebman's Saw IV Blu-ray review of the original Lionsgate Blu-ray release.

Saw IV Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Saw IV is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is the first of what I'd term more "up to date" looking transfers in the Saw franchise, with more appealing detail levels and better overall compression than some of the earlier MPEG-2 encoded releases. It's a largely satisfying transfer that still arguably could be improvable given advances in technology in the intervening years. One way or the other Marty describes the transfer in some detail in his Saw IV Blu-ray review, though I should note that this does not have the 1.85:1 "black bars" that Marty mentions.

Saw IV Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with the video element, Saw IV moved into "modern times" (relatively speaking) by offering a nicely immersive and frequently disturbingly visceral DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. Marty offers a worthwhile write up in his Saw IV Blu-ray review. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Saw IV Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Marty's review is so old it doesn't feature our "new, improved" way of listing things, but Marty does provide quite a bit more information on these supplements in his Saw IV Blu-ray review (my overall score for the supplements is a bit lower than Marty's, for those who keep track of such things):

• Audio Commentary by producers Oren Koules & Mark Burg and executive producers Peter Block & Jason Constantine


• Audio Commentary by director Darren Lynn Bousman and actor Lyriq Bent


• Darren's Video Diary (HD; 33:00)


• The Traps of Saw IV (SD; 16:45)


• The Props of Saw IV (HD; 8:58)


• Music Video "I.V." - performed by X Japan (SD; 5:07)


• Deleted Scene (SD; 00:44)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 00:38)

Saw IV Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As gatekeepers of varying scores might have noticed, I'm evidently a bit more of a fan of Saw IV than Marty was, but that doesn't mean I think this is some undiscovered masterpiece or in fact even the best of the Saw films. But it has enough twists and turns to engage franchise fans, and this release at least sports more contemporary video and audio codecs. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements are enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.