The third, and most certainly not last, film in the incredibly popular series is the poorest in terms of basic quality of storytelling, however serves as a very suiting tie-in to the other two films in the series. Written by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, who originated the series with both their original short and the original feature, the film replays a number of events from the first film, while tying them into the events occurring onscreen during the current film. It's the most successful aspect of the film, showcasing a slight amount of creativity in a series which is quickly losing any sense of originality. The films are virtually indistinguishable, as each is only a slight modification on the basic plot of the others. The third film does nothing to break this trend, but offers up some reasonable gore effects (by Hollywood standards, anyway.)

This time around, a female doctor, Lynn (Bahar Soomekh), is brought to Jigsaw's side to keep him alive as the cancer continues to expand against his brain. She's forced to tend to his illness, without the aide of hospital equipment, while another man struggles through one of Jigsaw's puzzles. If this man can survive Jigsaw's trial, Lynn will be set free. If he fails, or if Jigsaw doesn't survive, the steel necklace (of sorts), she's been fitted with, which is armed with a number of shotgun shells, will go off. Throughout the course of the story, we follow three separate stories - The man trying to survive Jigsaw's test; the doctor tending to Jigsaw; and the backstory which ties the movies together. Each story is simplistic enough, that no one should be confused, however, seeing the original films is essential to the plot, and those who haven't may not be able to properly follow the events that transpire.

The only thing that seems to get better as the series progresses is the quality of gore and the level of discomfort provided by the violence that occurs. The first was a much smaller budget so the violence was largely not displayed, including the climax in which Cary Elwes rids himself of his chains. The second certainly had more violence, and increased the squirm factor by throwing in (literally) a pit of syringes. The third however, ups the level even further, as there are a number of disgusting set pieces. I was actually warned by many people that I'd probably be so upset by the violence that I may vomit. That may be a slight exaggeration, but these people obviously don't know me that well. I dare any one of you squeamers to sit through a showing of Kichiku Dai Enkai, or an entry in the Guinea Pig series… We'll see who's getting sick…

That being said, the violence is certainly uncomfortable by Hollywood standards, although it's certainly nothing we haven't seen before. Directors are constantly trying to push the envelope as far as gore is concerned, and while they may succeed in creating more graphic effects, the effect of gore on the viewer is not nearly as effective as an increased level of violence. The situations in Saw III are the same as the prior films – someone is trapped in some sort of device, trying to find a way out, and if they don't, something gross is going to happen. There is no threat of violence, only gore, and while the set pieces vary, the expected outcome is always the same.

The only genuinely positive aspect of the film is a moderately ambitious screenplay from the originators of the series. The film begins where the last film left off, and carries through, tying together aspects of all 3 movies, and does so quite well considering the second film was adapted from Darren Lynn Bousman's original script that had nothing to do with the Saw movies. It's a good effort, and makes me wonder what they can accomplish when not restricted to writing within the Saw series. Their upcoming horror film, Dead Silence should prove if they're capable of crafting a decent film without the Saw title.

After viewing Saw III, I believe that the effort involved in creating the film, and attempting to tie up some of the loose ends created by the first films, would be a worthy way to end the series. And it could, if the producers really wanted to… But, they won't. They'll continue to milk the franchise until the teats fall off (or in the tradition of the series, are ripped off in an increasingly gory fashion), because they know there's still money to be made, even if it slowly destroys any credibility the series may maintain. It's unfortunate, but it's our own fault. We continue to watch, both you and I, because we're intrigued. We see potential within the mindless void that is becoming the Saw series… We shouldn't see that potential, because it's no longer there.