7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is back. The most disturbing installment of the Saw franchise yet explores the untold chapter of Jigsaw's most personal game. Set between the events of Saw I and II, a sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer—only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, the infamous serial killer returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through devious, deranged, and ingenious traps.
Starring: Michael Beach, Synnøve Macody Lund, Tobin Bell, Steven Brand, Paulette HernándezHorror | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
It may be damning with faint praise to say that Saw X is probably the best Saw film since, well, Saw, but the ironic thing is that aspects that may provide the most interest to non genre and/or franchise aficionados may be the very things that most disappoint fans who have counted on new if not exactly improved Saw films to provide annual scare-a-thons around Halloween every year. It was well over a decade ago that I was just a little bit skeptical about the accuracy of the title of Saw: The Final Chapter, and while there was indeed a break after the release of that installment, it was followed some time later by Jigsaw and Spiral: From the Book of Saw, neither of which managed to completely reinvigorate the franchise, even if each had at least some aspects to provide interest. Now, in what might jokingly be referred to as Saw: No, Really, This Time It Is The Final Chapter (Though It Obviously Probably Isn't), Tobin Bell gets a real chance to strut some actorly stuff, which in the long run may be the best reason to see Saw X.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.
Saw X is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. Captured with Sony
CineAlta
cameras
and finished at 4K, the 4K UHD version of the film offers some noticeable upticks in what was already a stupendously sharp (no trap pun intended) and
well detailed 1080 presentation, though my hunch is most people who compare this version with the 1080 version will be more struck by some of the
new nuance HDR grants to an elaborately designed color scheme, one that is explicitly discussed, if briefly, in the lengthy making of documentary
included on this disc. Right from the get go, even with what I jokingly refer to below as the "hellish orange" old style Lionsgate logo, but then with the
first flashes of John entering an MRI device, suffusion and highlights are brilliantly effective. There are some noticeable if subtle changes in color
temperatures in this version when comparing it to the 1080 version, with, for example, the early hospital scenes looking even cooler and more icily blue
than in the 1080 version, and the first trap scene offering more of a teal appearance. Later uses of oranges and yellows also have some interesting
tonal variations when compared to the 1080 version. Shadow detail is arguably helped, if minimally, by HDR here. The making of documentary actually
gets into the "transition" this franchise made from 35mm to digital capture,
and how that may have deprived the series of "texture" (as it's termed in the piece), but even with the kind of sleek, glossy visuals that digital captures
tend to employ, the digital grain field was much more noticeable in this version than in the 1080 version (especially against some brighter
backgrounds).
Saw X features a nicely immersive Dolby Atmos track that provides consistent engagement of all the surround channels, and which exploits Atmos' vertical capabilities right from the get go in both the Lionsgate masthead (the fun old style "hellish orange" gear logo) and the Twisted Pictures masthead. Later in the actual film there's also one memorable moment when Pederson finds out there may be an interloper above her in her elegantly appointed mansion, and an even later sequence involving a character being hoisted into the air also offers some brief but notable overhead activity. Despite the claustrophobic confines that much of the story plays out in, there are clear uses of the side and rear channels in several of the trap sequences, and some of the "squishy" sound effects can be very unsettling. Charlie Clouser's score also resides comfortably in the surround channels. Kind of surprisingly, there really aren't a ton of startle effects emanating from the subwoofer. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.
Both the 4K UHD and 1080 discs in this package sport the same slate of supplements:
Saw franchise fans will probably be jonesin' for even more gore than what's on display, while those new to the series (could there possibly be any people like that?) are probably going to wish for considerably less. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements are outstanding.
Saw 3D
2010
Unrated Edition
2006
2017
2019
Unrated Edition
2005
Unrated Director's Cut
2008
Unrated Director's Cut
2007
2012
2004
2011
2015
Uncut Edition
2009
Limited Edition
2009
Unrated Edition
2006
2021
Unrated
2005
2009
2018
2014
2014