Want
- COPYCAT KILLERS!!! - I love the idea of disciples to Jigsaw's principles. Amanda began this route, and it's hinted at through the backstory of characters like Obi, but why haven't people who aren't directly linked to Jigsaw got in on the action? Similar to The Following tv show. Maybe have a cult leader's used Jigsaw's principles for his own intentions and needs to be brought down by the puritan Jigsaw followers who can see what he's doing? Or some amateurs who really bungle it up, like in the wannabe batmans in the Dark Knight trilogy. I'm hoping this is what the Legacy subtitle refers to...
In the last film, I thought the public trap in the intro could be the sign of another maker since it was all so neat and sharp looking, and no trap had ever been in a public place. Was it a copycat? Did someone want to show society right up close what they are doing to themselves and felt Jigsaw hiding in disused buildings was cowardly? Was it a bitter guy who was unlucky in love showing how ridiculous relationships are? Was it a big stand on reality TV/consumerism and how people love to watch things that they have no right to be watching? Was it a big "HERE I AM" statement? But nothing was ever done with it...
- Traps that characterise the maker - We've had three makers now (more if you count the help of Gordon), but other than automatic kill vs giving a chance, there's little difference between them. I'd like to see some character to the traps so different people use different principles in their traps. Plus different people have different skillsets, and their traps should show that.
- More Philosophy - Back in the days of Saw 4 or so there was an online thesis-length essay of the opposing philosophies of Jigsaw and Amanda referencing classical philosophers like Locke (not sure if it's still around?). It was really interesting, would love it if that intentional depth could be added. And again, it would add sets of rules to each maker that would vary the traps.
- More psychology - After watching The Genius (a korean gameshow, available on youtube), I'd love more psychology tricks and interactions with people second guessing each other. 2 and 5 had a bit of this, but it could be expanded so much further.
- More crazy logic puzzles - I love the games that seem complex but have quite a simple trick to make them win-able, like most of the early puzzles did. Maybe don't even explain how they're solvable in the movie, that stuff makes DVD extras worthwhile, but there should be an internal logic maintained throughout. Don't even signpost it, but have some incidental props around that provide clues - if the fanbase knew this, there would be so much more discussion. The gory 'no way out but to rip your body apart to survive' puzzles are okay, but have run their course. Let people rip themselves apart, but there there should always be a way out unless it's Amanda doing her unforgiving thing.
Don't Want
- Resurrections - No Jigsaw, No Hoffman. Dead people stay dead. I can't stand franchises who end a franchise killing everyone off and then when they get their second wind decide they need to undo all the damage. Flashbacks to stitch things together are fine though.
- Convoluted Reasons why Jigsaw suddenly has a dozen more helpers - Similar to the last point, it's too easy for franchises to repeatedly add "Oh, he actually had another close apprentice who has done all this". Gordon should be the last one of those. Limiting the closeness to Jigsaw's original teachings makes the plot possibilities more interesting to me. Principles and philosophies can be bent and misinterpreted the further out the message gets.
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histopaul
8 years ago
Oh and...
Want
- An ending that takes the series in a new direction - This gap between films should mean something. The viewing figures for the last couple dived, so they need to inject some new pizzazz to keep people watching. This film can include some of the tropes of before, but by the end there should be a new path that validates further inevitable sequels and sets up an over-arching storyline to rival Jigsaw/Amanda/Hoffman's arc. Think of it like comic book series or whatever, there needs to be a different take now.
A good example is Fast & the Furious. Bumbled aimlessly along with sequel after tacked on sequel, and then someone finally came along and realised how to optimise what is popular and give the franchise a direction that had some polish. I don't like those films, but it's a good example of how to hone a franchise down.
Don't Want
- That damn bathroom - We get it, the first one you watched was based in a bathroom. There is absolutely no reason to keep revisiting the same location over and over again *without reason*. And there is very little reason to keep going back to that bathroom. Pandering to fans with "HEY GUYS, REMEMBER THIS?!" in a really blatant way is so so so so so lazy, and a likely sign that not much thought has been put into these movies.
Little callbacks most people wouldn't recognise are fine. Big twists where suddenly you realise the characters are on a location of a previous film are okay if done right (which is difficult to do), but this must be subtle. I mean, like "Don't even notice unless you happened to watch a marathon of all the films the night before" subtle. I'm really bored with film makers thinking appealing to fans means repeating things that fans liked previously, especially in a franchise that depends on so much surprise. If I loved Saw for seeing the same thing over and over, I'd watch the old films on repeat like a 6 year old watching cartoons. Add something new or no one will be bothered.
- Fan Pandering - As an extension to the above. Force Awakens became a series of callbacks tacked together into an original movie. Don't do that. I can't understand why anyone would want to see what they've seen before in a new wrap. Comicon and internet forums have a lot to answer for (Irony/hypocrisy, whatever). Saw is a franchise that could have so much more brains, please don't infantilise it into a series of repeating tropes for kids who get off on gore. Be smarter than the critics accuse you of being!
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