The theme of the traps this time around is giving people a "false sense of hope" which is why there's always an added element of waiting when the victims have already "accomplished" the first task. Jigsaw wanted them to feel what he felt when they gave him that false sense of hope.

This is my first actual Saw movie and I have been obsessed with it ever since I watched it. Mostly agree with the strengths and weaknesses you mentioned but also have some thoughts. I don’t mind that we know John and Amanda would survive, as seeing John be put into a trap (although we know in hindsight it was part of the plan) was just awesome, and part of the fun was waiting to see how they turn it around. And while some may argue that there’s no way the movie was going to kill a kid, I still think it added some stakes to the whole thing, as it was something completely out of John’s control. As for John falling for a con, in my opinion it really showed how he was still human. He wasn’t thinking as Jigsaw in that moment, he was just John. If anything it was a bit jarring to me that he decided to bury the persona when he thought he was cured, as you would expect someone with a god complex to put in more work with the extra time that he was given (or so he thought).

Personally, I think he fell for the con only because of his desperation, as you pointed out. After that happened to him, he went back to a Smart and Sharp John we see in Saw 2. He isn't falling for any more cons. That's for sure. Lol...

Nice video! I consider Saw X to be a particularly solid Saw movie as well. And personally, I love its longer runtime: it gives the film a stronger identity and makes it more immersive and "atmospheric". Do you plan to do a video of your ranking of the Saw movies? It would be great!

I was in hospital today and just when I was being rolled out of recovery, I asked the nurse whether it wasn't possible to cut the particular nerve at T1 and at T6 and just pull it out, instead of having to burn it vertebra by vertebra knowing it's going to grow back together in less than a year. I said: "like an electric wire". The nurse laughed, actually asked the doctor but sadly it's not possible. On the way to the room, I told that nurse that I watch too many horror movies. Turns out she loves them too. Instantly started talking about SAW X and I told her that it was between 1 and 2 but she didn't know that. So I told her about What the Horror and about the timeline of CZsworld. She actually wrote down CZsworld and What the Horror to check you both out. We started discussing numerous horror movies - in hospital, after a nerve procedure. That honestly made my day. I'm scheduled for a new appointment in November and she promised to let me know what she thought of SAW X and of both your channels. 😁

My opinion on Saw X, first I loved it 10/10. John drew so much emotion out of me, I wasn’t expecting that! I truly felt for him & understood him better. I saw his human side was still there. So this con probably erased any remaining remnants of humanity left in him. How could he allow himself to get conned? Easily, the best ppl have weak moments. The C is devastating, & you can see it on his face! I mean he’s going to support groups!! Lol! He’s a “life coach” that needs help himself, it makes sense. I LOVE this franchise. I watch movies for pure enjoyment! I do like to hear ppl’s opinions on movies I watch, but at the end of the day, movies don’t have to make “sense” to me or mirror real life. Just entertain me. It’s an escape from real life!! If I wanted real life, I can step outside or watch true crime documentaries. Movies are works of fiction last time I checked & I enjoy them as such

The 'Close call traps' I agree Valentina was unjustified but then again she did hesitate at the start and panic. However Matteo, he deserved this cuz John told him to not waste time. He spent he 1st minute crying how he won't do it and only started cutting his skull open when there were 1:40 left on the timer, so Mateo failed. Also if he put in more or a larger piece it would go faster as Enzymes would have more and produce more. I was hoping Mateo would survive, or atleast do his thing, get the key but then struggle to open the lock cuz he messed up his motor and hand eye coordination functions.

Yesssss that was *exactly* what I meant by Amanda's catalyst. You put the nuances into better words than I could in a comment though lol nice vid! (And I'm also a sucker for fanservice 😅)

I actually stopped watching the franchise after Saw III then watched Jigsaw and now I feel this movie revitalized the whole thing, so I watched all the movies, from the first one, including Spiral. I loved that we get to empathize with John Kramer and that this time I really hated the scammers. So I can't wait for more

Good film, probably my third favourite after the first two.

Great review by the way. I love to hear your thoughts and can tell you're such a big fan of the Saw franchise. 👍

I disagree about the mid-credits scene not doing much for storytelling. See, that scene confirmed ny suscpicion that Hoffman had been in the infamous bathroom at least once before Saw 7, meaning that knowing how Hoffman is, he may have put something in that room in case he ever found himself trapped in there. Think about the ending of Saw 7 now knowing he has been in there. Why would he panic and tug at the chain BEFORE trying to grab the hacksaw? He knows it’s there, and since he knows where he is the moment he awakens, he would know of the hacksaw and had he gone for it immediately instead of tugging at the chain, he would have reached it before Gordon. So why would he not imediately try to grab it? The answer could be that he WANTED Gordon to think he was about to win. Recall the ending of Saw 5. When Strahm through him into the Glass Coffin, and closed it, at first Hoffman reacted as if Strahm had beaten him, but once Strahm picked up and finished the tape, Hoffman was then smirking because he knew Strahm screwed himself over. So in the ending of Saw 7, if he indeed did put something in that bathroom prior to being trapped in there (in a spot only he would know about), then it could be re-framed as this… Hoffman waking up and panicking before going for the hacksaw was to give Dr. Gordon a false sense of victory. Dr. Gordon throws the hacksaw out, and Hoffman fakes being angry and yelling “No!” at Gordon, who closes the door and thinks he’s got him… but then a new light comes on and Hoffman smirks because he knew he was going to get out and not even need to cut his own foot off. This can now be easily written in thanks to Saw X’s mid-credit scene confirming he had been in that room prior to Saw 7. So I would argue that it does at a new piece of information on Hoffman and could be used for a follow-up to Saw 7, so it does do something in terms of storytelling.

I think John being smart before, im Saw 1, and then not so much in Saw X "2" shows him being more human. And then being hardened by the time Saw II came around, like Amanda.

I actually think it's a positive that John was caught in a con. It shows that at the end of the day, John is still human and subject to human emotions, trials, and tribulations which is a recurring theme. He's so desperate to seek hope and salvation for himself, and he spends the entire franchise giving his brand of hold and salvation to others. He is blinded by this hope which humanizes him even more. Overall I thought it was a brilliant plot point that has much deeper meaning than meets the eye.

good job

I think it's believable that he could get desperate enough to fall prey to these people. Cecilia's father really does have experience in experimental oncology procedures. She just took her father's notoriety and used it to exploit the hopeless. He had nothing else to give him hope. So in this circumstance I think there was enough circumstantial evidence to convince him it might be legit. The final piece was the bait patient running into Jon once he'd "survived" his prognosis.

I finally got to watch SAW X. Loved it! I had read the IMDB transcript but that didn't spoil it for me at all. I knew a few things in advance like the fact that Diego doubled for somebody in the staff and that the credits scene would involve the therapy guy. I also knew there would be a trap which involved John and Carlos, but I was positively surprised by the way Carlos wanted to help John too. I'd already forgotten about Cecilia's lover. I did not noticed that it was a long movie. I was slightly bothered by those few seconds you mentioned because indeed, they did play the game. As for John being conned, I don't see it like that. He took the possibility into account, hence the gas in the "office". I think he prepared for him and Amada to be put in the blood boarding. Didn't he keep warning the guy that the gun was off limits? Didn't he keep saying that he wanted to see whether he would pass his test? Did he not keep telling Amanda that it would work out one way or the other? I don't agree that he was conned there. The only unforeseen thing was Carlos. So no, I don't agree. I think he was as sharp as ever. Even to the point that he had two options for Cecilia: either the office or the blood boarding. The only two things I'm left to wonder is what happened to Cecilia and what happened to Diego? I assume that Diego was brought to the hospital as they meant to do with the drug addict too. But what about Cecilia?

Completely agree with your comments re run time, it felt slightly too bloated to me and could have done with some trims in editing. Most of my favourite horror films run 90 to 100 mins and they feel more slick, fast moving and engaging and never dull. But that's just my personal preference.

We could say desperation took over for John, that's why he fell for the con

my thought process on why john fell for the con but is still incredibly intelligent is that he was a dying man looking for hope. he knew it was too good to be true. that’s why he makes that weird facial expression before typing in the link. he was blinded by hope. he then loses all hope in humanity and sees that HE can be the only real “justice” system and no longer falls for things