| 80 |
LA Weekly
Scott Foundas
That may not exactly thrill those who admire the Saw films only for their splatter quotient, but all told, this is a more affecting study in grief, guilt and human frailty than "Babel."
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| 75 |
Entertainment Weekly
Owen Gleiberman
Admit it: It's not every horror film that can make you feel preached at and slimed at the same time.
|
| 70 |
The Hollywood Reporter
Frank Scheck
While Saw III provides a decent number of new twists, psychological as well as torture-wise, it necessarily lacks the originality of its predecessors.
|
| 63 |
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
An improvement over the tedious "Saw II" (2005), this second sequel to the surprise 2004 hit still features the series' trademark gruesome "games" but shifts the focus to the relationships among the characters.
|
| 63 |
Philadelphia Inquirer
Tirdad Derakhshani
The question for moviegoers: Would you rather get your dose of existenz-philosophie from Dostoyevsky or a slasher flick?
|
| 60 |
Variety
Robert Koehler
Unlike the disturbingly mysterious original, Saw III is a neatly wrapped-up package that explains everything -- including Jigsaw's evil contraptions and the background of his crazed female assistant.
|
| 60 |
Los Angeles Times
Michael Ordona
Bottom line, those in the "Saw" factory know their audience and have brought along the appropriate buckets and bibs. Even devotees, however, may note pacing problems and tire of Jigsaw's selective omnipotence.
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| 50 |
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Scott Tobias
Saw III may be the best of the trilogy; hopefully, it'll encourage its makers to wrap the franchise on a relatively high note.
|
| 50 |
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
Pop psychology has never been as visceral as it is in Saw III.
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| 50 |
Film Threat
Stina Chyn
As much as you'd like the characters to become better people and beat Jigsaw's game, there is also a strong desire simply to watch violent spectacle. And somehow, there just isn't enough of the latter.
|
| 50 |
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Jason Anderson
The presence of some genuine feeling distinguishes Saw III from its predecessors. That said, it has plenty of the blood, torture and dismemberment that moviegoers demand from their Halloween weekend entertainment.
|
| 40 |
The New York Times
Jeannette Catsoulis
The most depressing thing about this series is not the creativity of the bloodletting but the bleak view of human nature.
|
| 38 |
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
Just like its increasingly wan antihero, this blood-soaked series is on its last legs.
|
| 30 |
Village Voice
Rob Nelson
This is laughably absurd, but unlike the first "Saw," the third installment gives no indication that its humor is intentional.
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| 25 |
San Francisco Chronicle
Peter Hartlaub
While "Saw" and "Saw II" were pretty good splatter films hampered by spectacularly unbelievable endings, Saw III is annoying for almost the duration of the movie.
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| 25 |
Boston Globe
Wesley Morris
Television is a state of mind. And the makers of Saw III have delivered the most despicable episode of "One Life to Live" ever.
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