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25th April 2024
01:34pm BST
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Saw X, the tenth and most recent entry in the infamous Saw franchise, has just been added to Prime Video.
The movie takes place between the events of the first Saw and Saw II, making it a nice entry point for casual fans of the series.
It follows John Kramer aka Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), a serial killer who tests his victims' will to live by putting them through deadly "games" where they must inflict great physical pain upon themselves to survive.
"A sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer - only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable," the plot synopsis reads.
"Armed with a newfound purpose, John returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through a series of ingenious and terrifying traps."
Aside from the first very good Saw movie released all the way back in 2004, every film in the franchise has received predominately negative reviews from critics despite all being box office hits.
Saw X broke this pattern though, earning an 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes with reviewers praising the return of Bell in the lead role, his commanding multi-layered performance, the film's new antagonist (played by Synnøve Macody Lund) and of course, the always inventively violent death traps.
On that note, it's worth highlighting that the 10th flick in the franchise is not for the faint of heart, with audience members even being handed sick bags at certain screenings of it.
This only seemed to enhance people's interest in the horror, however, with it grossing nearly nine times its budget at the box office - leading to a Saw X sequel already being greenlit.
The follow-up is due for release in September 2025.
You can check out a sample of some of the positive reviews for Saw X right here:
The Atlantic: "[Previous reboots] both failed to grasp Kramer’s star power. Saw X does not make that mistake, leading to one of the franchise’s strongest instalments since the original, mostly because it gives Jigsaw centre stage."
AV Club: "A serious actor, Bell surely knows this bloody franchise will be what he’s best remembered for, and he treats the role of John Kramer, the Jigsaw Killer, like it’s Shakespeare."
IndieWire: "Even if you see one or two of the narrative surprises coming, there’s no chance you’ve seen as intelligent a use of human entrails."
New York Times: "This is the most well-groomed Saw movie to date. The story mostly makes sense and [director Kevin] Greutert pulls back on the frenetic editing techniques that made the older movies look like the blood and guts equivalent of white noise."
RogerEbert.com: “Saw X solves a lot of the problems of other films in this franchise by limiting its scope, eliminating some (but not all) of the incoherent plotting [and] coming up with a few ingenious traps."
Saw X is streaming on Prime Video in Ireland and the UK right now.
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