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Saw II
EMAILPRINTLions Gate Films Inc.
Mixed or average reviews
Based on 28 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 113 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Horror | Suspense/Thriller
Written by:
Darren Lynn Bousman
Leigh Whannell
Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman
Release Date:
Theatrical: October 28, 2005
DVD: February 14, 2006
Running Time: 91 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R for grisly violence and gore, terror, language and drug content
Starring Donnie Wahlberg, Shawnee Smith, Tobin Bell, Glenn Plummer, Dina Meyer, and Emmanuelle Vaugier
In this sequel to the 2004 hit "Saw," Jigsaw, the diabolical criminal, returns.
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Saw Saw III Saw IV Saw V Saw VI
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
New York Post Kyle Smith
Jigsaw is a wickedly fun villain, if you can put aside the implausibility of a guy who likes to saunter away from his deathbed to kidnap younger, stronger people and devise medieval torture chambers.
Read Full Review >Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson
Saw II, despite the swift turnaround time, improves on all of the first film's problem areas, while leaving intact everything that was good about the concept.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck
The killer himself takes a far more prominent role in this edition, and as played by the superb Tobin Bell he's quite a memorable creation.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust
For the most part the film succeeds in producing a frightening Halloween weekend experience.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Gregory Kirschling
The contest is close, but Saw II is just barely a better B flick than "Saw."
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
There's an honesty to the film that elevates it a cut above standard slasher fare.
Read Full Review >Empire Alan Morrison
Morally dubious it may be, but this gory melange of torture, terror and darkly humorous depravity appeals to the sick puppy within us all.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Desson Thomson
It's clear this sequel (directed by Darren Lynn Bousman) doesn't have the same smartness (I speak relatively) of the original. Nonetheless, "Saw" fans can still look forward to involuntary incineration, wrist and throat slashing, bullets through brains and the bashing of someone's head with a nail-festooned club.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian Mike Russell
It all adds up to a sequel that is, against all odds, not a total waste of your serial-killer dollar.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub
Basically, this is a really good movie until the last part, where director and co-writer Darren Lynn Bousman ruins so much so fast that you'll wonder if his actions are deliberate -- or if the studio interfered.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Laura Kern
It's fully apparent that this sequel is more trick than treat and doesn't really compare to its fine predecessor - though it still manages to be eye-opening (and sometimes positively nauseating) in itself.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Ken Fox
Unfortunately, that imagination flags early in the first sequel to the grisly 2004 sleeper hit, though the bang-up ending nearly makes it all worthwhile and it opens with a set piece worthy of its predecessor.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
Though the overall effect feels a little anemic compared with its predecessor, the ads promise blood, and - oh yes - there is blood.
Read Full Review >Variety Robert Koehler
New pic lets the air out by divulging the startling mystery that concluded the original. Add this to problematic juggling of police procedural and group-in-distress storylines, and Lions Gate has what looks like a sequel rushed for Halloween.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
There are some surprises to be had amid the cruelty (inflicted by both Jigsaw and his test subjects), but this time around the ordeal is less grueling than simply distasteful.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
To its credit, the film rockets toward its conclusion with scant downtime. It's come and gone before you even know it, and, like death, that's a good thing.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
Stripped down to the barest genre essentials, Saw is a spring-loaded killing machine, packed with sadistic little deathtraps and ludicrous macabre twists, and its quickie sequel offers more of the same, which should again appease viewers who enjoy being jerked around.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar
One of the drawbacks to rushing your sequel to theaters is that there's not a lot of time to hone dialogue and performances.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Peter Debruge
The explanation for all this mayhem eludes me, and even a lame last-minute twist isn't enough to cover the fact that Jigsaw ain't as clever as the movie thinks he is.
Read Full Review >USA Today Mike Clark
Whether we're talking this go-round, the original or the second sequel the finale seems to promise, I'd rather try standing drunk on a see-saw (though maybe not over dirty syringes) than see Saw.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Benjamin Strong
What's worth noting is how much greater deliberation was given to the marketing than the screenplay of this cursory dud, rushed to theaters exactly a year after its amusing predecessor.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Christopher Orr
Saw II repels, morally and aesthetically, and while some -- including the filmmakers, perhaps -- may take this as a compliment, it isn't intended as one. Let the game stop. Please.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer David Hiltbrand
Vilely violent, Saw 2 is the Phnom Penh of splatter movies.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
It's not a film, it's an excuse to show victims bleeding at the mouth, or getting shot in the eye, or plucking out their own eyeballs. Most gruesome of all, the sequel oozes dialogue that is best described as "functional."
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen
Don't look for logic here. But if gore is your game, a motherlode awaits.
Read Full Review >Premiere Ryan Devlin
Finally, a horror movie for the reality TV generation. Saw II feels like an episode of "Fear Factor" or "Big Brother" with Rob Zombie at the helm, and if that doesn’t scare you away from this ridiculous movie, well, feel free to indulge your questionable tastes.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Wesley Morris
The product of immaturity. It approaches suffering with a meaninglessness that must be a luxury for anyone who has never lost anyone, or is incapable of empathizing with someone who has.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
Comes to life only when it reprises elements from the original movie.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 5.9 (out of 10) based on 113 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
sean k gave it a7:
It borrows a lot from the first one but it still is nearly as good.
Dan F gave it a7:
I don't understand why so many people believe the saw movies have no plot. I have only seen the first three and I thought the first was boring and not as gorey as the hype. But the second was a happy surprise, and I believed the plot kept me glued to the screen much more effectively.
Jason S. gave it a5:
I loved the 1st movie but this one dropped the main reason the other one was so good. You knew why each person was kidnapped. It seems as if they cut out the back story to almost all of the characters.
AB gave it a7:
By placing more of an emphasis on the villain and his motives, "Saw II" creates a more interesting story than that of the first film. Sadly, however, because of the mediocre dialogue, the film itself is far less captivating than the original. Still, "Saw II" is great by modern horror movie standards.
Matt O. gave it a5:
I absolutely hated the first Saw movie when I watched it, mainly because it seemed like a boring retread of Se7en. I had a hard time caring about the characters, and I couldn't understand how or why it became such a hit. I can't explain why I chose to see this one, but I thought it would be good for a laugh or two. However, it turns out that this is a much better movie than the first. That being said, it isn't saying much. But, what the first Saw lacks, this one semi makes up for. I was actually interested in whether the characters lived or died. (to say I actually cared, though, is overstepping the bounds) But, either the actors (not the police, but the eight or so locked in the house) or the director had some way to keep the movie interesting enough for me to keep watching, and interesting enough for me to want to see Saw III.
Gabor A. gave it a1:
The worst of the first three(please don't make anymore). The whole middle section, which ultimately turns out to be pointless after the end, plays out like a really bad rendition of Cube. It doesn't even fit the Saw bill considering everyone's fate isn't tied to their own desire to live but more to the selfishness and idiocy of those around them. All the Saws are over the top gross and illogical, but Saw II is the only one I've seen thats actually boring as hell.
Ryan H. gave it a1:
This movie thought it was much smarter than it actually was. The plot is just running some innocent people through a double dare course that actually hurts you. While there was a lot of gore that attracted most of the audience, the story itself could have been the most mindless plot ever. Pretty predictable when the writer tries to show you how ingenious the criminal is by connecting the beginning of the story with the end. Once again all the characters in the story are stupid idiots who should have all been dead years ago by drinking poison under the sink by accident.
