After hauling in a staggering US$730 million dollars (SGD$950 million) from the previous six entries in the Saw movie series, Lionsgate brings us to the end of an era with the seventh and last film in the franchise, Saw 3D.

One of the films that kicked off the recent resurgence in “torture porn” films (like The Collector, Hostel etc), the Guinness World Record winner for the “Most Successful Horror Movie Series” surprises fans with creatively new additions in Saw 3D and the franchise on a whole.

Before moving on, a little background on the Saw series.

The main storyline of Saw involves a homicidal man (nicknamed Jigsaw by the media) who abducts wrongdoers like murderers, and puts them in traps that they must escape from, or die a gruesome death. Jigsaw plans to instantly rehabilitate criminals with his traps, which is usually ironic in nature, depending on the crime the person has committed.

For example, in one of Jigsaw’s traps, a thief must saw off his hand, while in another, a racist must tear his own skin off to “realise they are all the same colour inside”.

Saw 3D raises the bar by having 11 traps, the most in the series, as well as various other new aspects.

For starters, Saw 3D introduces a whole new element by having one of Jigsaw’s traps outdoors, where bystanders get to watch and react to the trap. This move is a refreshing and creative change from the usual traps being filmed a dirty dingy old building, although its relation to the plot is non-existent, with us being whisked away to the main story immediately afterwards.

The movie focuses on Bobby Dagen (Sean Patrick Flanery), who wrote a book on the experience of being a Jigsaw survivor, gaining fame and fortune, although in actual fact, he had never been in a trap before. Bobby Dagen and his wife, along with his publicity team soon find themselves the target of Jigsaw’s next trap. The story of Bobby’s wrongdoings start to unravel as he races against time to save his friends and wife.

The movie also brings back Doctor Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes), from the first Saw movie for a brief cameo which will likely shock anticipating fans who were speculating if he had died or gone into seclusion. Saw 3D brings to light many of the unanswered questions fans have been asking from the previous six films. The plot is quite predictable up to the point where Doctor Gordon’s role in Saw is revealed which was a rather huge surprise.

Disappointingly, the main star of the movie, Jigsaw’s traps, are all terribly generic. A trap that merely crushes a person’s throat for preaching lies isn’t original at all. It’s a huge step down from the imaginative traps in the past like the reverse bear trap (attached to the mouth and instead of snapping shut, it snaps open) or ribcage harness (which tears the ribcage out), from Saw and Saw III respectively. It’s a lesson to filmmakers that quantity doesn’t necessarily mean quality.

Saw 3D, as its title suggests, is filmed in real 3D, rather than being converted to 3D in post-production. The tagline “the traps come alive” is very much appropriate here as viewers get a more vivid view of the traps cutting into its victims. The traps and gory scenes really got viewers squirming in their seats in the theatre.

If you’re a huge fan, Saw 3D is a must watch, if not to get closure for the series, then purely for watching more of Jigsaw’s traps do their thing. Even if you’re not a gore aficionado, Saw 3D will definitely get your hair standing with its twisted plot and perverse traps.

Movie: SAW 3D
Rating: ★★★✩✩

Opens: 6 Jan 2011
Duration: 90 minutes
Language: English
Age Rating: R21
Genre: Action, Thriller, Gore

Director: Kevin Greutert
Cast: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Sean Patrick Flanery

Held at St James Power Station (The Boiler Room), the event saw fans of the US hit television show unite,10 days before Christmas on Dec 15 and celebrate with the resident DJs and performers from St. James Power Station..

“I felt curious and excited because I wanted to celebrate this festive season differently. It was great partying with great company and tunes, I feel so lucky that I got to be part of the event!” said Cynthia Oh, 18, who watches Glee 3 times a month and has even downloaded the Glee iPhone app.

For those new to the party, Glee is a musical comedy starring a bunch of social misfits and Spanish homeroom teacher, Will Schuester, as they attempt to return the Glee club or show choir to its former glory. According to Billboard.com, the award-winning series has even surpassed The Beatles in terms of the number of tracks that has debuted on the Billboard Hot 100.

Stand-up comedian, Gino Sunga, who performs 6 days a week at St. James, and resident Filipino singer, Kevin, entertained with hit tunes from the pilot episode of Glee to the Power of Madonna episode. The team’s renditions of the Lady Gaga Glee tunes, “Poker Face” and “Bad Romance”, also had the audience joining in the fun by singing along.

But that wasn’t before hosts Desiree Lai and Mr Young from 987FM got the crowd warmed up by getting 3 members in the crowd to drink the special concoction for the night, Glee Power, which left them with a slight blush on the cheeks as they headed offstage. Hmmm…

It ain’t a party without some eye candy and Ann, Eliza and Ela, front-liners for The Boiler Room’s ladies night, Retrospect, came out decked in Santa-themed bustier dresses while performing infectious tunes from Glee Season 1.

UrbanWire particularly enjoyed “Proud Mary” (also known as Rolling on the River) and “I’ll Stand By You” where the 3 gorgeous ladies also danced along with The Boiler Dance Crew.

Jesvyn Oon, 30, who won tickets through the UrbanWire contest, said, “ The song and dance moves were so cute and cheerful. My favourite was ‘Jingle Bells’. Overall, it was fun, great performances by the host and Soul Kool. Glad that I came!”

The incorporation of dance, singing, comedy and live band performance, by Boiler Room’s resident band, Soul Kool, also hit all the right notes for Glee fans.

This writer admits that while she’s no Gleek, she enjoyed herself just as much as the rest of the crowd.