Respond to these rapid questions in our Jigsaw quiz and we will tell you which Jigsaw character you are. Play it now.
I must confess that the ridiculously severe approach to dramaturgy taken by the gory “Saw” films is endearingly preposterous in my opinion. Consider the following scenario: a murderer has trapped a roomful of victims in a single location in the style of Agatha Christie. “Jigsaw,” the latest installment in the venerable horror-mystery series, contains several references to Agatha Christie’s “Ten Little Indians,” including a scene in which a handful of victims claimed by serial killer John “Jigsaw” Kramer (franchise mainstay Tobin Bell) are discovered with index cards on their bodies that read “And then there were [insert dwindling number of corpses here].” According to Jigsaw’s perception, he holds the moral high ground and is, with each heavily booby-trapped endurance “test,” helping to restore balance to divine justice by allowing criminals to either confess their crimes or suffer the consequences. Add to that a slew of clumsily sensationalistic filmmaking, specifically too-dark camera filters, over-edited action sequences, and preachy monologues about how people don’t truly appreciate life until they’re on the verge of dying. Add to that a slew of unexpected twists and seven sequels’ worth of backstory, which is told primarily through abrupt flashbacks and unwieldy expository dialogue. It’s a recipe for disaster. Voila! You now have the recipe for a series of abnormally dimwitted grand guignol-style thrillers, each of which is built on a narrative foundation of shaky, retroactively planned legend-making. These films are so overdone that you can’t help but admire their creators’ aggressive and clueless attempts to alienate you while also drawing you in at the same time.
Here comes “Jigsaw,” the seventh installment in the “Saw” series and a prime example of the series’ delightful over-seriousness. There are two competing storylines in “Jigsaw.” One is a locked room mystery set in an undisclosed barn, and the other is a police investigation into the farmyard slayings that took place earlier in the film. Let’s start with the story, which takes place in a barn. There is one significant difference between this plotline and the typical “Saw” movie plotline, and that is that it is not as sadistic as the typical “Saw” movie plotline. The breaking of bones, the helpless expressions on the faces of victims, and the squishy, fireworks-style explosions that accompany the complete evisceration of the human body were more prominent themes in the earlier installments of the series. However, “Jigsaw” includes “tests” that are more humane in nature, though they are ultimately no less gruesome. “Jigsaw” continues to treat audiences to a gruesome marathon in which unwilling competitors are told that they must confess their crimes or else they will be punished by the pitfalls built into mean-spirited obstacle courses akin to those found on “Fear Factor.” To sum it up for the reader, a group of strangers have been kidnapped and are now being held captive for crimes that only Jigsaw is aware of and will be held responsible for. It is unfortunate that no one wants to confess their sins…not even when they are about to die.
All of the death traps mentioned above are either set into motion by haphazard physical movements or are hyped up to the point where their actual tameness is the main attraction rather than the death trap itself. Consider the difference between what you expect and what you actually enjoy about a carnival’s haunted house attraction. You go in expecting to be genuinely terrified, and you come out gratefully laughing at all of the inexplicable, pseudo-macabre details that have been thrown at you. The wacky actors and actresses! The low-cost costumes! Distracting curtains, to be sure!
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this Jigsaw quiz.
It’s not that different from watching and enjoying “Jigsaw.” Some traps are incredibly inefficient, such as the one in which victims are trapped in a grain silo and buried in (you guessed it) grain before being slowly pelted with various yard tools and workbench implements, such as a table-saw blade, some long nails, and even a pitchfork. The other traps, such as the one in which a meat puppet protagonist is appropriately lowered into a meat grinder-style contraption and forced to fold his arms long enough to pull a handle, can’t be taken seriously because it’s unclear how they test the contestants’ morals or will to live. The traps in Jigsaw all have confounding pressure points (Don’t step there! ), lazy solutions (Don’t shoot that! ), and glaringly obvious riddle-style wordplay (Don’t ignore the literal meaning of that sentence!).
Jigsaw Quiz
If you enjoy going to a movie theater and yelling at the screen, you’ll enjoy these death-trap killing scenes. Yes, the sheer stupidity and unpleasantness of the forgettable characters will put you to the test. And, yes, the way their secret sins are piled on top of one another will make you laugh. And, yes, the sheer absurdity of the protagonists’ shared predicament will make you want to pull your hair out on a regular basis throughout the film. Watching “Jigsaw” could become a chore if any of these factors are present.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Jigsaw quiz.
However, all of these creative roadblocks in one film may also result in a viewing experience that is so silly and anxiety-inducing that you may also have a good time watching “Jigsaw.” Try to watch cheesy movies with someone you trust who also enjoys them, and work together to predict the next obvious twist. As you cringe in unison, share a laugh with your companions in the audience and lament the filmmakers’ blessed lack of subtlety. Simply put, do not watch this film at home months after it has been released in theaters. See “Jigsaw” with a large group of strangers, preferably on opening weekend, so that you can all enjoy being confused, enraged, and baffled at the same time as you watch the film.
About the quiz
Oh, and I’m sure you were under the impression that I had forgotten about the detective subplot. You can rest assured that it’s a doozy. As viewers suggest various red herring solutions, the police arrive at a conclusion that is not only ridiculous in and of itself, but also heavily plagiarized from an earlier “Saw” sequel and hilariously justified in a ten-minute info dump of expository dialogue at the film’s conclusion. If you approach “Jigsaw” as if it were a regular puzzle and expect its creators to provide you with enough pieces to complete their already corny puzzle without some degree of creative overcompensation, you will despise it. However, while I cannot recommend that you go see “Jigsaw,” I can tell you that it is entertaining to watch. I just don’t think it’s the kind of entertainment the filmmakers were hoping for.Also, you must try to play this Jigsaw quiz.
For more personality quizzes check this: Moana Quiz.
