Another year, another Saw. It's been a long time since there has been a prominent horror franchise in theaters, and I for one have missed my favorite genre having a big name pop up like a boil every year to remind folks we're still around. But ever since the first film, the Saw series has elicited love and hatred from horror and general movie-goers alike, and part four isn't going to bring in any new fans.

"Where the hell can they go with this?" I kept asking myself after the horribly mediocre third entry. "Everyone's dead! What's the point?" Etc, etc. Fortunately, the fourth entry managed to keep me interested in what the story will bring.

If anything, the Saw ad team knows what audience it's going for. One of promotions for this film was to stage a Saw-athon, all four movies back to back with the fourth film beginning Friday night at 12:01 am. I was in attendance, and was pretty damn tired by the end, but ultimately I was glad I went. Watching all four films like that was not only helpful but made me realize what a crazy job the filmmakers (screenwriters especially) go through to get these things out every Halloween.

That being said, while the entry is better than the overreaching and disjointed third entry (though, honestly, part 3 was much better the second time around and in context - Jeff is definitely my favorite character of the series), it isn't without some flaws. The MTV-style flash/montage cuts are becoming old hat, and the editing was particularly ridiculous and over the top.

It also feels a little stretched, as we are diving into the bit players here reaching for characters that haven't been torn to shreds or bled to death. This can make the movies a little less accessible as it becomes difficult to relate to anyone.

Of course, the constant is Jigsaw himself, and while very much dead, he remains an integral part of the story as we see his backstory. Some claim this destroys his mythos, and while that is a viable argument, watching how he became the psycho mastermind known as Jigsaw is interesting to watch unfold. Not to mention Tobin Bell pulls it off with such ease (part 2 still has his best performance, though) it's intriguing just to watch him work.

One thing that I did notice was good attention to detail; later in the movie we see one of Jiggy's first traps. Instead of pulling a Star Wars and making it some elaborate craziness that makes no sense, it's a simple little mechanism that literally falls apart when it's use is up. He had to LEARN to be crazy, see?

Again, this entry isn't going to make any new fans, but I for one am glad we have a new franchise to look forward to every fall. The movies themselves stopped saying anything new after the first film, but the focus on characters and the storyline, while convoluted and a bit stretched, keeps me coming back - not to mention the sick, twisted ways people are forced to dismember themselves to stay alive.

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