Spiral: From the Book of Saw

Once I learned about this film and Chris Rock not only came up with the story but was also starring in it, I was excited. I love it when known comedic actors do serious roles because then it shows how versatile they can be. But there was one problem. I was and still am not a big fan of the Saw franchise but decided to watch the whole thing in preparation for it which took me two months to get through.

So first I'll give a little review of the franchise; I mainly enjoyed the first three films. Afterwards I felt like each film started getting more complicated, kept using screenwriter trickery to retcon the series and strained too much credibility for me with Jigsaws legacy.

Now starting with the positives for the film, for me the best thing about Spiral was that this film takes place in its own contained world in the Saw universe. I think the biggest Saw fan will admit the timeline is very complicated so this film wisely acknowledges the previous films without trying to change the events or delve too much into them.

Chris Rock is also really good in this film. Now I will say I felt he had a dodgy start but as he went on, he got better as the film progressed and by the end of it, I'd like to see him lead his own detective series or do another cop film.

Also I really liked the story and setting of the film. This for me is the first film that feels like a detective story and was a nice change in direction for the franchise. I also like the location setting as it allows the feeling that even though you're in this massive city, you're never safe from Jigsaw. Saw has always been a very grounded franchise so it's nice to have a film with more space to move.

And as this is a saw film, you have to talk about the traps and they are very creative and make great use of the practical effects. There's plenty of gore and really yucky moments so Saw fans will really appreciate that.

And finally, this is easily the most thematic of the Saw films which becomes more relatable and timely due to events that occurred last year and also fits with the story being told so I think this is a necessary update to the Saw formula.

Moving onto the mixed aspects and it's just to mention a few things. First, you probably worked this out but Tobin Bell is not in this film and I'm unsure how long term Saw fans will feel about this. Me personally, it didn't bother me because I mainly enjoyed John Kramer in the first 3 films. After that when his origins started getting explored, he became less interesting and his screentime became so limited, I like that we have a new jigsaw killer (that will be the closest I get to spoilers).

Also, for the new jigsaw killer, I really like them and I will argue that their motivations is stronger than John Kramers but they never feel fully fleshed out and I feel with more screentime or with a sequel, they could become better.

Unfortunately I did have some big problems with this film so now we've got to move onto the negatives. First things first, the new recording voice for jigsaw is awful. It doesn't sound scary or unnerving, it sounds silly. The voice sounds like Kermit the frog.

The next big problem is the runtime. Now each Saw film has always had a closely short runtime that never lasted to the 2 hour mark but this film is too short for the story it's telling. It's only 90 minutes and I feel this film would have warranted more if it was an extra half hour longer.

And unfortunately, the short runtime affects the story because it becomes rushed so despite this being a detective story, it never feels fully fleshed out. The new jigsaw killer doesn't fully feel developed and as a result, as much as this film does so much better than other Saw films, I would say this is the most forgettable Saw film.

And my final negative is the identity of the new jigsaw killer is just too predictable. If you haven't worked out who it is before it's revealed, you deserve to be held captive in Jigsaws traps because it is so transparent.

Overall, this is a very frustrating film because it does so much that is great but also has some major flaws. It leaves room for a sequel and I really hope Chris Rock reprises his role for it.

⭐⭐⭐

The Mitchells vs the Machines

When this film was first announced and I saw the trailer, I was convinced it would be a failure. I wasn't a fan of the trailers and the character designs just looked weird. Then Netflix bought the film and I wasn't planning to watch it but I saw the reviews and reactions and decided to give it a shot and wow was I was wrong about the film.

Starting with the positives, I just loved this families dynamic and chemistry upon one another. They're marketed as the world most dysfunctional family but they feel like a real life family who are working through their differences and have their own uniqueness about each other.

I also really liked the voice cast. I'm not a Danny McBride or Maya Rudolph but they did really well in their voice roles as did the actors who played the children of the film.

And as this is an animated film, it would be a crime not to mention the animation and it is just beautiful to look at. The use of colour in this film is just gorgeous and is used very efficiently in the film especially with some action sequences and although I didn't like how the family were designed in the trailer, it worked for the film because it helped signify who they were and how they were developed.

But the thing that makes this film absolutely work on a story level and character level is the theme. This film follows the theme of family and although you can argue that theme has been used for a lot of films, this film finds a way to use that theme to tell a different kind of story. A story that a lot of people can relate to and story that will hit home for a lot of people. This is ultimately a story about reconnecting with family and rediscovering your love for them and prior to the events of last year, I think this story will emotionally connect with viewers.

And finally, despite people assuming this will be your everyday kids film, the theme and story makes this film suitable for the general target demographic. This is a film that knows its target audience and yes while generally being a kids film, I believe this film will be liked, possibly loved by people of ages but most importantly by families.

But despite all my positives and appreciation for this film, I did have some problems so let's move onto the negatives. First things first and this is purely a nitpick, I don't like the title of the film. I preferred the original title of Connected because it kind of connects with the themes of film. The Mitchells vs the machines just sounds too on the nose.

But to be honest, my only real negative is there are certain moments in this film that are extremely predictable and you can see coming a mile away.

That's it. That's all my issues. I really enjoyed this film and I will be looking forward to rewatching it. This is a near perfect film and I highly recommend it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐