The last movie was to setup a new Jigsaw. This movie tells you throughout that Jigsaw ends here. And I've got to be honest, you know they didn't know this movie would even exist when they made Saw, so to get to the finale that they do here showed good imagination and attention to detail.
I won't spoil anything for you, but needless to say Jigsaw is still operating, and this time, his prey is an insurance company executive who just happened to have created a formula to determine if someone should get coverage or not.
Pretty in tune with the country's current climate, huh? Well, it doesn't end there. Wait until you see what the first two victims do for a living. It actually made me laugh out loud at the attempt to suck up to the audience and get them into the movie. What's odd, however, is that it actually creates a weird moment where the film pushes you out of its world. You're thinking more about the victims and why the writers went that route rather than the action in the film. That's not good.
The main story does what it does and has its own twists and turns. Most are pretty predictable though. What's more impressive is the insurance executive's tale. The actor playing him does a really, really good job and makes the movie worth viewing. You can actually see him changing, and learning from Jigsaw's lesson.
This still isn't as good as the first, but in terms of sequels, this is decent. Better than say, a Hostel 2 or Nightmare on Elm Street 5, and far superior to Rob Zombie's Halloweens.
Two flaws though, one that can be overlooked, one that just can't. First, you're fucking Jigsaw. You should know better. Ok, that can be overlooked because people can get comfortable when they think they're in total control (not a spoiler, trust me). However, the way the cops (actually FBI) acted at their story's climax was total crap. To explain without spoilers...remember the scene in Silence of the Lambs when they think they know where Buffalo Bill is and they send a fuckload of FBI agents and cops dressed in body gear and armed to the teeth? Yeah, that's the real world. Saw isn't the real world.
Still, I'm surprised to say this, but if you've been following the franchise, this isn't a bad film. If you haven't, it'll probably leave you lost. Worth a rental for people who have seen the first 5 movies.
7 out of 10 (I can't believe I am ranking it that high after Saw 5 sucked so bad.)