The Saw series is the epitome of the old adage that you can have too much of a good thing. Had it been left as a trilogy, it would have been remembered as a legendary horror franchise. Now that it has spawned an eye-watering seven movies, it has become somewhat of a laughing stock in Hollywood.

Following on from where Saw VI left off, Saw 3D: The Final Chapter follows the usual plot of racing against time to beat the traps, play the game and survive. The only difference is that the first few movies actually had a credible storyline, and this tired seventh movie purely serves as an excuse to shock the audience with excessive amounts of blood and gore. Matters aren’t particularly helped with this final instalment available in the currently inescapable form of 3D, meaning that it is obvious which parts are unusually exaggerated for this purpose.

Chad Donella reprises his role as Detective Chad Gibson and Thank God, because without his comedic relief, the Final Chapter would have turned into a very dull, confusing story.

Originally meant to be split into two movies, the entire finale was squashed into one 120 minute film – and it shows. From the get-go the story seems slightly muddled and rushed and some scenes feel like they haven’t been explained. It almost feels as though the producers expect us to guess what has happened in between scenes, making for a too fast-paced a movie.

As an original fan of the Saw franchise, I was not impressed by the conclusion to a story that started off intriguing, clever and intensely gripping. Although the final chapter does come somewhat full circle to the first Saw, it is still a disappointing anticlimactic end.

DVD Extras

Deleted Scenes, Music Videos, Producers and Writer’s Commentary – a couple of the deleted scenes would have added a touch more clarity and would have made the film seem more rounded – especially the deleted opening scene. The music videos of the songs featured in the film are fun to watch.