A rare sequel/reboot respects and augments the source. The majority contribute little more than rehashing the same material. Then there is Spiral. Which is actively atrocious. In an attempt to reinvent and reinvigorate a stagnant franchise, the filmmakers here have crafted the egregious offense of a film that actively insults the preceding films, which is no small task considering how bad some of the films had gotten. But everything here, from script to the deathtraps, are lazy, uninspired and unintelligent beyond reason. The attempts to make the franchise more ‘relevant’ blithely ignore or astronomically miss the thematic motivations and messages that carried the franchise though 8 previous installments. Then there is the woefully miscast Chris Rock, who does not belong in this film, and should be castigated and ostracized from further attempts at ‘serious’ acting. This is bad, and cannot be justified. Shame is your only recourse.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)