Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Lionsgate Home Entertainment – 95 minutes – 2007 – Unrated – 1080p Widescreen 1.85:1 – DTS HD 7.1 Lossless surround audio

When the first Saw movie came out in 2004 it was a huge success story, not only for the film itself, but also for the creators, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, who started it as a short in hopes of getting it funded, and fast forward years later to a franchise that has spawned three sequels with more in development. Lionsgate has consistently released a Saw movie every Halloween to scare the money out of audiences’ pockets; and this cash cow will keep going until the loot stops rolling in. Saw IV is the latest in the franchise, now available on Blu-ray in glorious high definition.

THE MOVIE

The Saw sequels always continue where the last one left off, so being that the last scene of Saw III showed the madman known as Jigsaw dead, this one opens with his very graphic and detailed autopsy. From there Officer Rigg, played by Lyriq Bent, (who was in the previous films), is attacked and abducted to awaken in a new game where he has only 90 minutes to find his friend, Detective Matthews (played by former New Kid on the Block, Donnie Wahlberg); who even though it was believed he died in Saw II, is still alive and being help captive by the Jigsaw’s foot soldier. With the clock ticking, Rigg is bounced around in a desperate search to find Mathews and escape every trap that has been set up in his path.

Already these films have lost a lot of steam, going from something unique and clever to just another slasher sequel, that’s only gimmick is new ways to torture and kill. One of the main problems with Saw IV is that it takes itself way to seriously, attempting to be a hard edged thriller with a lot of twists, but just ends up being confusing and dull. You really never get a chance to care about the characters, and seeing how they die is the only thing that keeps you going.

Director Darren Lynn Bousman, who also helmed Saw II and III seems to be just going through the motions now, because the energy on the screen in the previous movies is lost here. Even supporting cast members Scott Patterson and Athena Karkanis seem to be mumbling through their lines, not exactly knowing where their characters belong in this story.

Being that this is the unrated director’s cut, Saw IV delivers plenty of blood and gore, so if that’s your bag and you don’t want things like a solid story to get in your way, then this one is for you. Even though we’re only at IV, there are already rumblings about more Saw movies well into 2010 (that’s Saw VII for those of you who lost count). Right now it’s up to the movie going audience to see how much Saw the world can take. The Jigsaw is dead; let him rest in peace and try creating another bad-ass slasher psycho for the big screen.

VIDEO

Just like the previous Saw movies, Saw IV has a distinct visual style where things are not hidden in the dark, such as in conventional horror films. The Saw movies go for the gore effect, showing everything well lit so you can see every detail of the body parts that are being severed. Saw IV is presented in 1.85.1 in 1080p resolution and it looks great, especially highlighting the many metallic objects in the film giving them a nice blue tint that stands out. You will also notice that the color of blood has been given a slight purple-ish tone giving the sensation that it’s pouring out of the screen. Overall, this is a top-notch transfer that fans of the series will be very pleased with.

AUDIO

As with it’s attention to gore, the sound design in Saw IV is also well done to insure that you hear flesh being punctured, screams of pain, and off course the sound of a saw cutting through human bones. Saw IV offers a DTS HD 7.1 Lossless surround track, and if you’ve got an audio system that can handle it, you’ll be the envy of your block. This is one of those films where dialogue is second to sound effects, because when a character gets caught in a trap and all mechanisms are slowly being triggered, you will cringe because some of the sounds hit that uncomfortable note that will literally get under your skin. If the film were as good as the sound effects, this would be quite a movie experience.

EXTRAS

The bonus material from the standard DVD is carried over to this Blu-ray, and it’s the basic supplements we’re all familiar with seeing (audio commentary, making of, deleted scenes, etc.) Nothing here stands out, and knowing that these Saw movies are double-dipped every time a sequel comes out, it makes you wonder if there’s another deluxe edition on the horizon.

There are two audio commentary tracks, one features director Darren Lynn Bousman and star Lyriq Bent, who basically sound like neither of them wants to be there. Bousman, especially has that “it was in my contract to do this” tone that will keep you fast forwarding hoping to catch a hint of something interesting.

The second commentary is a little better, featuring producers Oren Koules, Peter Block, Mark Burg, and Jason Constantine. There’s a lot of inside jokes going on here, but it’s a step up from the director’s commentary. These guys also make it clear than there will be several more Saw films on the way.

Darren’s Video Diary is a half hour mini-doc that goes behind the scenes of the production, from meeting room discussions to on the set chaos. This is not your typical promotional featurette; it’s more raw, showing that there’s a lot of pressure to keep this franchise going and make sure that each new film makes more of a profit than the last. This is definitely the best selection in the list of features.

“The Traps of Saw IV” is roughly fifteen minutes and looks at all the elaborate traps that were designed for the movie. This is brutal stuff, because you see how a person can brainstorm and create devices that’s sole purpose is to torture and kill another person. It’s very interesting, but at the same time may creep you out.

“The Props of Saw IV” runs ten minutes and just like The Traps featurette it gives you a look at some of the crazy props form the film. Some of this stuff makes the torture tools the Romans used look tame.

There is only one deleted scene which is a barely a minute long, titled Police Station, that shouldn’t have even been included on the disc, because it does nothing to enhance the movie, and if this was all they had, why bother?

A music video featuring the song ‘I.V.’ from the band X Japan (just imagine if Motley Crue was Japanese) is available, so to all you fans…rock on.

As a form of cross marketing, a trailer for latest PS3/Xbox 360 game, Condemned 2: Bloodshot is available. Being that both the game and Saw IV are violent and gritty forms of entertainment, this seems like a perfect promotional match.

Saw IV is one of the first Blu-ray disc to include BD-Live interactive features via MoLog (short for Movie Log). Right now only the PS3 can take advantage of this feature because of the latest firmware update that enables Profile 2.0. To access MoLog your player must be connected to the Internet and you have to register to create a user name and password. MoLog allows the viewer to communicate with others online, where they can comment on the film in a blog and view created clips. This is still in its early stages so there’s not much to do right now. Obviously future Blu-ray titles will take more advantage of this feature to offer a better variety of content.

BOTTOM LINE

If you’re a fan of the Saw movies and you have a Blu-ray player, you probably already own this disc. As a film it will definitely not go down in history as a classic, but as a high-definition movie it does offer excellent image and sound quality that plays out great when watching in the comforts of your living room. It’s still too early to tell how the MoLog feature will evolve with future releases, but Saw IV will always be credited as one of the first Blu-ray’s to use it. This alone may be a huge selling point for the disc because not that Profile 2.0 is available many Blu-ray owners want to see it in action.

SCORES (Out of 5):

The Movie: 2.5

Video: 4.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 4.0

Bottom Line: 3.0