Should've "Saw" it coming

How in hell did we get here already? When "Saw" debuted in 2004, moviegoers were ready for fresh blood in the horror/torture genre after suffering through late-'90s teenybopper-filled entries such as "Scream." But a couple of gory traps here, a so-called twist ending there, and before you knew it, the series saved its best swerve for the American public: tricking people into watching four of them.\n"Saw IV" features Officer Rigg's (Bent) quest to find his fallen comrades that have been tested by Jigsaw (Bell) in previous films. However, Rigg's persistent need to save everyone leads him into his own series of tests contrived by Jigsaw, who lies dead in a morgue. Meanwhile, FBI agent Strahm (Patterson) tries to close the case once and for all, but of course, he falls into Jigsaw's trap as well.\nEven for the "Saw" series, this film is damn awful. "IV" falls victim to the worst part of the series by forcing characters (Rigg and Detective Hoffman) that had two lines of dialogue in previous films to the forefront and expecting us to care. The story is as contrived as others in the "Saw" canon. Bousman uses tricky transitions and scene juxtapositions in an attempt to disorient, but they're nothing more than gimmicky moves that don't work. The main swerve in "IV" centers on your knowledge of the time line of previous events, and it's blatantly obvious 35 minutes into the movie.\nPeople watch these movies for the "cool" traps, though, and if you're a fan, you won't be disappointed. Visually, the traps are disturbingly innovative, but leaps in logic must be taken to acknowledge many of their intricacies.\nThe bonus features are dreadful, including dry documentaries on the design of the traps and props, as well as a video diary from Bousman. They exist solely for these torture-porn nuts to stroke their own egos and allow you to see the reason these films are so terrible. \nThe bad news is that, due to its box-office success, "Saw" isn't going away, and I'm certain "Saw V" will hit theaters this Halloween. But plead with those around you to not fall into the sick trap it has planted for moviegoers.