Monster Scholar

Previously: Saw II: Finding a Formula Saw III has been widely acknowledged by fans as the one film in the Saw series that jumped the shark and went against the formula established Leigh Whanell and Darren Lynn Bousman in Saw II . But the success of Saw III can also be attributed to moves by Whannell and Bousman to fully inhabit their individual creative roles. Leigh Whannell did not attempt to partner with Bousman on the script, while Bousman grew in his capacity as a director. By respecting each other’s each other’s creative spaces, Whannell and Bousman were able to create a truly unique horror film. After cutting his teeth on Saw II , Bousman had become comfortable enough with the franchise to find his own style which is reflected in his use of cinematic transitions. While the transitions in Saw II were awkward and choppy, Bousman puts his own spin on the transitions of Saw III. The result is an elegant rendition of the smooth cuts Wan created in Saw I , as Bousman pans away...

Previously: The Rise and Fall of the SAW Films While the first Saw film introduced a new concept to horror of a vigilante killer forcing people to cherish their lives, Saw II tried to come up with a formula for the rest of the franchise. In Saw II a group of people who are locked in decrepit house need to work together to solve the game and save their lives. But Saw II also represents a shift in the creative minds behind the series. James Wan left what he had created to fellow filmmaker Leigh Whannell and new director Darren Lynn Bousman. Leigh Whannell tried to replicate the success of the first Saw by partnering with Bousman to write the script for Saw II . But their partnership wouldn’t measure up to the dynamic duo Whannell and Wan had been, and the result was a weak script that detracts from the potential power of the film. Despite the combined efforts of Whannell and Bousman, Saw II inevitably falls short because it lacks compelling characters to maintain the audience’s inte...