Spiral
Its been a while since I’ve gone to the theaters. My last film that I saw was Onward back in 2020 before the pandemic hit. I have now been vaccinated and found a showing that was practically empty. I also had all these great AMC rewards on my account so decided to see whatever was playing. Alas, the return to the cinema felt great and it was quite an exciting feeling and a return to normalcy. I’m not a huge fan of the Saw series and will always maintain that the series should have never gone beyond a trilogy. While Spiral is taking its inspiration from the Saw films it attempts to remove Jigsaw from the picture but instead use a copycat who is using Jigsaw’s gruesome vision as their inspiration.
The film is about a detective who investigates the murder of his former partner. His partner was viciously murdered in a manner that is very reminiscent of the murders caused by John Kramer/Jigsaw and his followers. Soon the realization occurs that the murders are not random but are very targeted upon the police department. It becomes a race against time for the detective as he most save those who knows, while finding out the cause of the madness by this new killer. The film stars Chris Rock, Max Minghella, and Samuel L. Jackson.
If you don’t like the Saw films, I’m not sure you will like Spiral. While there are less deadly traps and focus on the escapes of the victims, its still very much in the neighborhood of what we are used to seeing from this horror series. Expect a good amount of gore and violence but told from the perspective of the detective and the precinct he is working at. I didn’t mind the different take that stays in the same universe of Saw (no matter how unnecessary it was) but I felt this film was insanely predictable. Its predictable within the first quarter which is no bueno. Other than that, the film does stay entertaining but is very light on a screenplay that shows complexity.
Don’t expect anything fantastic but if you get your rocks off of blood, gore, and the Saw style deaths we are used to, you will find something to enjoy here. Chris Rock is good, I do think he thrives in a more serious role capacity and it shows here. I don’t think any more films in the Saw universe are necessary at all but I doubt they will stop anytime soon. Its not the worst thing ever but the most important thing for me was being able to safely return to the theater and resume an activity I really love partaking in.
5.5/10
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