Saw II
Lions Gate Films | Release Date: October 28, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
40
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
12
Negative:
10
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
New York PostKyle Smith
Jigsaw is a wickedly fun villain, if you can put aside the implausibility of a guy who likes to saunter away from his deathbed to kidnap younger, stronger people and devise medieval torture chambers. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKevin Crust
For the most part the film succeeds in producing a frightening Halloween weekend experience. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
The killer himself takes a far more prominent role in this edition, and as played by the superb Tobin Bell he's quite a memorable creation. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Saw II, despite the swift turnaround time, improves on all of the first film's problem areas, while leaving intact everything that was good about the concept. Read full review
67
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
There's an honesty to the film that elevates it a cut above standard slasher fare. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyGregory Kirschling
The contest is close, but Saw II is just barely a better B flick than "Saw." Read full review
60
Washington PostDesson Thomson
It's clear this sequel (directed by Darren Lynn Bousman) doesn't have the same smartness (I speak relatively) of the original. Nonetheless, "Saw" fans can still look forward to involuntary incineration, wrist and throat slashing, bullets through brains and the bashing of someone's head with a nail-festooned club. Read full review
60
EmpireAlan Morrison
Morally dubious it may be, but this gory melange of torture, terror and darkly humorous depravity appeals to the sick puppy within us all. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianMike Russell
It all adds up to a sequel that is, against all odds, not a total waste of your serial-killer dollar. Read full review
50
The New York TimesLaura Kern
It's fully apparent that this sequel is more trick than treat and doesn't really compare to its fine predecessor - though it still manages to be eye-opening (and sometimes positively nauseating) in itself. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Unfortunately, that imagination flags early in the first sequel to the grisly 2004 sleeper hit, though the bang-up ending nearly makes it all worthwhile and it opens with a set piece worthy of its predecessor. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Though the overall effect feels a little anemic compared with its predecessor, the ads promise blood, and - oh yes - there is blood. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
Basically, this is a really good movie until the last part, where director and co-writer Darren Lynn Bousman ruins so much so fast that you'll wonder if his actions are deliberate -- or if the studio interfered. Read full review
50
VarietyRobert Koehler
New pic lets the air out by divulging the startling mystery that concluded the original. Add this to problematic juggling of police procedural and group-in-distress storylines, and Lions Gate has what looks like a sequel rushed for Halloween. Read full review
42
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
There are some surprises to be had amid the cruelty (inflicted by both Jigsaw and his test subjects), but this time around the ordeal is less grueling than simply distasteful. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
To its credit, the film rockets toward its conclusion with scant downtime. It's come and gone before you even know it, and, like death, that's a good thing. Read full review
40
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
One of the drawbacks to rushing your sequel to theaters is that there's not a lot of time to hone dialogue and performances. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Stripped down to the barest genre essentials, Saw is a spring-loaded killing machine, packed with sadistic little deathtraps and ludicrous macabre twists, and its quickie sequel offers more of the same, which should again appease viewers who enjoy being jerked around. Read full review
38
USA TodayMike Clark
Whether we're talking this go-round, the original or the second sequel the finale seems to promise, I'd rather try standing drunk on a see-saw (though maybe not over dirty syringes) than see Saw. Read full review
38
Miami HeraldPeter Debruge
The explanation for all this mayhem eludes me, and even a lame last-minute twist isn't enough to cover the fact that Jigsaw ain't as clever as the movie thinks he is. Read full review
30
Village VoiceBenjamin Strong
What's worth noting is how much greater deliberation was given to the marketing than the screenplay of this cursory dud, rushed to theaters exactly a year after its amusing predecessor. Read full review
30
L.A. WeeklyChristopher Orr
Saw II repels, morally and aesthetically, and while some -- including the filmmakers, perhaps -- may take this as a compliment, it isn't intended as one. Let the game stop. Please. Read full review
25
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
It's not a film, it's an excuse to show victims bleeding at the mouth, or getting shot in the eye, or plucking out their own eyeballs. Most gruesome of all, the sequel oozes dialogue that is best described as "functional." Read full review
25
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Don't look for logic here. But if gore is your game, a motherlode awaits. Read full review
25
PremiereRyan Devlin
Finally, a horror movie for the reality TV generation. Saw II feels like an episode of "Fear Factor" or "Big Brother" with Rob Zombie at the helm, and if that doesn’t scare you away from this ridiculous movie, well, feel free to indulge your questionable tastes. Read full review
25
Philadelphia InquirerDavid Hiltbrand
Vilely violent, Saw 2 is the Phnom Penh of splatter movies. Read full review
12
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The product of immaturity. It approaches suffering with a meaninglessness that must be a luxury for anyone who has never lost anyone, or is incapable of empathizing with someone who has. Read full review
0
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Comes to life only when it reprises elements from the original movie. Read full review
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