Saw X Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs

1. There's A Pervasive Sense Of Pointlessness

Much like Rogue One does for the Star Wars saga, X plugs gaps in the Saw series that aren't really there.

Whether it is Kramer's continuing plight towards the grave, his complicated personal relationship with Amanda, Amanda's own journey towards breaking point, or the covert interventions of another series regular, all of the substance in X is already inferred and accounted for within the other Saw movies.

Despite the tonal change from other entries in the franchise, the movie still feels like a bare-faced excuse to wheel out Jigsaw one more time. Saw X may add some weight to the John Kramer character, but it doesn't actually change anything nor do much to illuminate other facets of the series' mythos. After all, what is the point in putting more flesh on the bone of a dead character, especially when the film (jammed, as it is, between the first two Saw movies) can't exactly lead anywhere else.

As a result, it all feels somewhat inessential and, as is the risk with any mid-series prequel, a little bit pointless.