Spiral [Blu-ray]

Given the cast of this film, I had high hopes that Spiral would signal a reversal of fortune for the long-comatose Saw franchise which, over the course of the last 11 years, only once reared its ailing head with the release of 2017's much-maligned Jigsaw. Spiral looks great and the special effects are convincingly grotesque. However, the plot feels tired, even if it does diverge from the plotlines of its predecessors. Its touted "originality" is not much more than a retooling of familiar TV cop dramas.As an admitted fan of the Saw franchise, leading man Chris Rock was instrumental in putting this thing together, which may account for the upgraded look of the film, if not the cheap studio sets, which look exactly like cheap studio sets. Rock should have devoted more time to developing his character, an ostracized, honest-but-edgy cop who, for reasons unknown, has been selected as a person of interest by a serial cop-killer mimicking the violent crimes of the late John Kramer (Jigsaw). Rock's performance consists mostly of grimaces and screaming his lines but the script (which he, allegedly, had a hand in rewriting) doesn't allow for much else. The great Samuel L. Jackson is, inexplicably, on hand as Rock's surly, estranged father, the retired ex-chief-of-police who may know more about the crimes than he's letting on. Explicable or not, Jackson definitely proves that there's no film he won't appear in if handed enough cash. Max Minghella (son of late director, Anthony Minghella) rounds out the trio of male leads as the young rookie detective assigned to assist Rock on the case and he wisely underplays his role; his character is so stereotypical--extra-stereotypical, to be honest--that it's hard not to accurately predict what's in store for him. Marisol Nichols (Riverdale) and Dan Petronijevic (Letterkenny) are two faces in the supporting cast who may appear familiar to viewers, although the entire squad room is so generic they could have walked out of any central casting office.While the Saw franchise is notorious for its inventively gory methods of dispatching victims, Spiral keeps up with the tradition and, yet, still manages to disappoint. The kill sequences, in some cases, are spectacularly gruesome (IMO) but it's never quite clear how the torture devices are supposed to work: the Rube Goldberg-style mechanics of the contraptions are left so murky so that their inventiveness is lost on the viewer. What we're left with, then, is Theater of Cruelty (or Theater of the Absurd) without the grim satisfaction of appreciating the clever set pieces. In that respect, the film defeats its own purpose.With an open ending, Spiral is designed to spawn a sequel or two although, with the spilling of the beans at the climax of this "new direction" the series is taking, it's hard to envision what the filmmakers will do next. At this point, it's even harder to care. The blu-ray looks great, btw, but I can't believe I shelled out 20 bucks for it. You get what you pay for.

Okay received today only 5 minutes in & got 1 bloody body.I love Chris Rock & anything that Samuel L Jackson is in. This is so violent and gorey. But still I loved it. 😍

I'll admit I'm not the biggest Saw fan, but I did enjoy this film. I feel like they are beating a dead horse sometimes with another entry but I did enjoy what Chris Rock and others brought to the table with this one. I did miss Billy the The Puppet.

I saw this in theaters and knew i had to have it! Its not as great as the original saw movies, but is better than jigsaw imo! The storyline was much different than any other of the franchise. The music was cool and modern, just as the movie was in comparison to the OGs. Movie came in perfect condition and runs smoothly!

What stood out to me is that this movie had a lot less gore than the franchise series. The plot was very thin/unimaginative and the script was pretty much just everyone cursing/yelling/belittling everyone else. The ending, which is usually the best part of the franchise, was very weak.

I was hesitant to purchase this movie based on very mixed reviews I read here on amazon, but I have to say, Spiral was thoroughly entertaining and im glad I pulled the trigger and bought it!I will start by saying that the original Saw movie was by far the best of the series, just as the first Halloween, Friday the 13th, Child's Play, Nightmare On Elm Street, etc etc were the best. I say this to note that your expectations going into this movie should not be sky high. If you're expecting a movie on par with the first (or even first three) Saw movies, you will likely be disappointed. If you take the movie at face value and approach it like a horror equivalent of John Wick, you may be pleasantly surprised - just as I was.I dont think Chris Rock or Samuel L Jackson gave their best performances here, the acting was sloppy at times. But there are still some good quotables, punchlines, dialogue peppered throughout. The "twist" at the end which is synonymous with the Saw franchise isnt too difficult to piece together as you watch the movie, but the ending is quite dramatic and sets up well for a sequel should it be made.Overall, this movie wont go down in horror movie hall of fame, but if you're a fan of the franchise or have all the other Saw movies, then this will be a nice addition to round out your collection. I would also say it lands somewhere in the middle of the pack if I had to compare it to the others in the franchise.The reason why I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I have a gripe with the story revolving around "cleaning out" a police force riddled with crooked cops. I dont have a problem with this premise other than I cant help but think this had to be a politically motivated / leftist decision by some Hollywood producer inspired by the events of 2020. Regardless of whatever side of that issue you fall on, I think most people will agree that its rather tiresome that every new movie nowadays has to have some political statement tied into it.

No comentaré nada sobre la película porque hay opiniones dividades, pero personalmente me gustó bastante.Sobre el producto, todo bien, solo que el slipcover llegó con un leve daño en la parte superior, pero nada que me preocupe mucho. El acabo del slipcover es bastante bonito, tiene un efecto brilloso tipo tornasol cuando se le ilumina con una fuente de luz. Viene con su código de copia digital que solo se puede canjear en iTunes o Vudu.