Spiral: From the Book of Saw

Name: Spiral: From the Book of Saw
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Crime
Released: May 14, 2021
Duration: 93 min
Rating: 40
Cast: Ali Johnson, Chris Rock, Christopher Tai, Dan Petronijevic, Edie Inksetter

2021

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 75 Ratings

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4.9

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4.9	Your Score
4.9	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 75 Ratings

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Spiral (Trailer 2)

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Movie Details & Credits

Lionsgate | Release Date: May 14, 2021 | R

Starring: Ali Johnson, Chris Rock, Christopher Tai, Dan Petronijevic, Edie Inksetter, John Tokatlidis, K.C. Collins, Leila Leigh, Marisol Nichols, Max Minghella, Morgan David Jones, Nazneen Contractor, Samuel L. Jackson, Zoie Palmer

Summary: A criminal mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in Spiral, the terrifying new chapter from the book of Saw. Working in the shadow of his father, an esteemed police veteran (Samuel L. Jackson), brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murdersA criminal mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in Spiral, the terrifying new chapter from the book of Saw. Working in the shadow of his father, an esteemed police veteran (Samuel L. Jackson), brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.… Expand

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman

Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 93 min

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Critic Reviews

Jenny Nulf

May 13, 2021

Spiral embodies the franchise James Wan and Leigh Whannell built, while being totally refurbished for a new generation. Read full review

Katie Rife

May 12, 2021

It’s not a waste of a concept, exactly, but it’s not the reinvention that the franchise needs, either. Rock’s involvement brings some new blood to Spiral, but after a promising start it ends up becoming a pretty okay Saw movie with some bigger names than usual. Read full review

Richard Roeper

May 13, 2021

It spirals downward into a ludicrous, dumbed-down horror story more concerned with grossing out the audience than in providing any compelling reason for this long-running franchise to keep chugging along, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Read full review

Clint Worthington

May 12, 2021

Spiral is a frustrating animal: In its first half, it styles itself as a prestige sequel/revamp of a cult horror series, lifting it from its nu-metal origins into a moodier, Se7en-styled police thriller. But despite its promising start, the latter half of Spiral succumbs to formula, like a bloodied Jigsaw victim fainting from their wounds so the blades can finish the job. Read full review

John Nugent

May 13, 2021

Spiral makes an admirable stab at defibrillating an old franchise — but ultimately wastes its stars, caught in the same bear-trap of a formula that befell earlier sequels. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico

May 14, 2021

Spiral: From the Book of Saw is more frustrating than the average mediocre horror sequel because you can easily decipher the wasted opportunity up there on the screen. Read full review

The Guardian Benjamin Lee

May 12, 2021

It’s all so rushed and half-assed, like it was cobbled together on the fly rather than intricately plotted out, stupidly written and worst of all increasingly dull, a fitting end to a rotten pile of guts that’s less book of Saw and more novelisation. Game over. Read full review

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User Reviews

JoshuaLee115

Jun 2, 2021

Its a MINI version of Seven with a Saw spin to it. What more could fans ask for. As a fan of the SAW franchise and somebody that absolutely hated the 'JIGSAW' reboot. I absolutely loved this movie. Please give it a watch and ignore all the people riding the hate bandwagon. Chris Rock nailed the role

0 of 6 users found this helpful06

PPaiem

May 20, 2021

Excellent film for fans. Decent thriller over all. I quite enjoyed Spiral. It's not perfect but it does a lot things right.

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

dharma

Jun 5, 2021

The first SAW was actually a revelation; a gory horror film with thriller overtones. Subsequent films focused more on the gore and I for once avoided them. Spiral on the other hand is an attempt to reinvent the franchise. Surprisingly, I liked it a lot. Think of it as an amalgamation of theThe first SAW was actually a revelation; a gory horror film with thriller overtones. Subsequent films focused more on the gore and I for once avoided them. Spiral on the other hand is an attempt to reinvent the franchise. Surprisingly, I liked it a lot. Think of it as an amalgamation of the SAW franchise with SEVEN and you get what they are aiming at. It's gory as usual, and seeing Chris Rock in a serious role was a bit jarring at first, but it is a fun and scary ride. Too bad it was released during COVID, it would have been a hit otherwise.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

MahnoorKhan

Jun 9, 2021

1) No character development.

2) So many stupid dialogues. 3) Chris Rock was trying to be funny but I didn't like his acting at all. 4) Editing in some places was bad, the camera was shaking in few scenes and the color grading was irritating. 5) The ending was too bad. 6) Mystery is1) No character development.

2) So many stupid dialogues.

3) Chris Rock was trying to be funny but I didn't like his acting at all.

4) Editing in some places was bad, the camera was shaking in few scenes and the color grading was irritating.

5) The ending was too bad.

6) Mystery is predictable with zero action.

7) Movie had potential but the writing was awful.

8) There were some good traps and good moments. The storyline was decent but written poorly.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

H1pPo

Jun 10, 2021

Now even a mighty saw, like a small stationery knife. You can only cut a little, but not deep.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

nubguy

May 16, 2021

A great new addition to the Saw franchise! Builds on existing lore while expanding it in new and interesting ways. Great acting and a wild ride of a movie.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

imthenoob

May 20, 2021

Spiral, in a nutshell, is what happens when you have multiple people trying to dictate how a film should be, not agreeing on anything, and then using bits of ideas from everyone. There isn't a single definitive tone for this film. It tries to be funny when it isn't, It tries to be seriousSpiral, in a nutshell, is what happens when you have multiple people trying to dictate how a film should be, not agreeing on anything, and then using bits of ideas from everyone. There isn't a single definitive tone for this film. It tries to be funny when it isn't, It tries to be serious when it's hard to take the poor acting seriously, and it tries to be scary when the traps are honestly quite bland and tame.

Everything that the movie shouldn't have been, It is. As a fan of the series, I think of this as poorly as I do Saw 3D. It's almost insulting to have to see the franchise be reduced to this predictable mess.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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