Saw

 (2004)

Saw Blu-ray features mediocre video and decent audio in this mediocre Blu-ray release
Obsessed with teaching his victims the value of life, a deranged, sadistic serial killer abducts the morally wayward. Once captured, they must face impossible choices in a horrific game of survival. The victims must fight to win their lives back or die trying...

For more about Saw and the Saw Blu-ray release, see the Saw Blu-ray Review

Starring: Leigh Whannell, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Ken Leung, Dina Meyer, Monica Potter
Director: James Wan

» See full cast & crew

Saw Blu-ray Review

The one that started it all.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman, January 18, 2008

How much blood will you shed to stay alive?

With the release of Saw IV on Blu-ray, I figured this to be as good a time as any to review the entire franchise. The Saw series continues in a long line of horror predecessors that have spawned numerous sequels such as Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Even lesser known and lesser quality horror films, such as Leprechaun and Child's Play, engender numerous copycats and sequels. In many instances the old adage that says if you've seen one of them you've seen them all holds true. I'm not sure it will for the Saw series. I've seen the first film several times, and it's a solid picture, but then again so were the first movies in most of the franchises listed above. I'm eager to see if the writers of the Saw sequels can keep the material fresh, because if Saw has anything going for it, it is the movie's unquestionable originality. Of course, originality alone isn't enough to save a movie. While Saw is infinitely watchable, it's far from great cinema. It doesn't pretend to be, and it doesn't need to be, because it succeeds at accomplishing its goal of scaring audiences and churning their stomachs.

Yeah, I'm sure this old, rusty, and dull saw will cut right through a brand new chain!

As the movie begins, two men awaken to find themselves chained to rusty pipes on opposite ends of a filthy restroom. A dead body lies between them, a tape recorder in one hand and a revolver in the other. Neither man can reach the body, but devise a plan to obtain the tape recorder when each of them finds a micro cassette in their pockets. The tape instructs one of the captives, Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes, Bram Stoker's Dracula) to kill the other prisoner, Adam (Leigh Whannell, The Matrix Reloaded), or the mysterious voice on the tape will kill Dr. Gordon's wife and daughter. As the two men discover more clues about why they are there, who their captor is, and attempt to escape, a police detective (Danny Glover, Lethal Weapon 2) hot on the case gets too close to the killer, is nearly murdered, and vows revenge on the killer. As time runs out, Dr. Gordon must sacrifice Adam, his family, or maybe himself to resolve the situation before everyone dies.

I am not a fan of the new wave of torture horror (a genre this film has influenced greatly), and I am hoping that the remainder of the Saw movies stay true to this film as more of a psychological horror film rather than a gross out, slice 'em up horror film. There are copious amounts of blood on screen but actual visible graphic and brutal violence takes a back seat to the imagination (for the most part) which is the way it should be in a film such as this one. As I mentioned earlier, the best thing Saw has going for it is the originality of the story. A horror film that is not about a slasher is infinitely refreshing. The setting of the film aids the story more than almost any other plot device in the movie. The dank, filthy restroom represents ultimate despair and hopelessness. The acting from Elwes and Whannell is about as good as one can expect from a low budget horror film (Saw was reportedly made for about a million dollars) and the direction and script writing proved solid as well. The movie is clever with an excellent plot twist at the end of the film. While Saw does not redefine the genre like Halloween did, it certainly takes it in a new direction, one that is already being copied ad nauseam for a quick buck. I have little doubt that the next three films in the series lack in originality and recycle stale ideas from this and other horror films, but I really hope they prove me wrong.

Saw Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Saw is presented in 1080p high definition inside its original 1.85:1 frame. There is a fair amount of grain present throughout the length of the feature. Much of the movie takes place underneath the harsh fluorescent lights of the restroom and it gives everything an unnatural sheen. Even though the image is dark in nature, black levels proved less than ideal. A few dark scenes are downright horrendous in appearance, notably the scene where Adam recalls his abduction. Detail and image clarity proved to be hit and miss. At times, the detail of the image, notably in close-ups of actors, was pretty good, but most of the time the image lacked the depth we've come to expect from even moderately good Blu-ray transfers. Much of the time the image only fares slightly better than a typical upconverted DVD. Perhaps in the early days of the Blu-ray format this disc might have looked good, but compared to the more recent releases of a fairly mature format, this one is very subpar.

Saw Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

With this release of Saw, Lionsgate has foregone a lossless or uncompressed track in favor of a DTS ES 6.1 soundtrack as well as a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX track. I screened the movie listening to the DTS track, and I was mostly pleased with the results. This is a very loud track with an active, 360 degree sound field. One complaint I had with this soundtrack was that some of the sounds emanating from the rear sounded rather gimmicky, forced, and out of place. Bass is not ever-present, but when it kicks it is pretty hard hitting. One word of warning: the Lionsgate intro that comes up on screen when you first put the disc in is recorded at an unusually high level, so be forewarned. While this track is not bad, the lack of a lossless option and the sometimes gimmicky nature of the use of sound ranks this one only slightly above average. It's a track that gets the job done, and that's fairly good praise in and of itself.

Saw Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

The Blu-ray edition of Saw is as bare-bones as they come. The studio has chosen not to import the features available on the DVD disc. It's worth noting that this is an early Lionsgate release, and it has the horrible, dull, and uninteresting menu layout with awkward and repetitive music playing over top. Thankfully the studio has dropped this menu style in favor of more traditional and enjoyable menus.

Saw Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

Saw represents a turning point for the horror genre. Even though it's not in the same vein as films like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remakes and Hostel, it has reinvigorated the mass produced horror movie niche. The franchise spawns a new sequel every Halloween and moviegoers continue to eat them up. Saw is one of the better horror films in recent memory if only because it is more of a thriller with horror overtones. As a fan of horror but not the current generation of horror, Saw represents for me a hope that horror films can once again become smart, clever, and engaging pictures that scare but don't make half the audience run for the restroom. We'll see what the sequels bring. I'm hoping for the best and fearing the worst. As a Blu-ray disc, Saw disappoints. It offers an average at best image, slightly above average audio, and zero supplements. This disc is recommended only for hardcore Saw fans who don't already own this film on DVD. I think any horror fan that has yet to see Saw needs to see it, but this particular edition just isn't worth owning for the casual horror or Saw fan.