I’ve been a huge “Saw” fan ever since “Jigsaw” came out in 2017. Since then I’ve been able to see “Spiral,” and “Saw X” in theaters. These were both incredible experiences, seeing the traps on the big screen does not compare to watching them on the small screen. So when “Saw” was re-released in theaters for its 20th anniversary, I knew I needed to jump on the opportunity to see the movie on the big screen. The change from my home TV to a big silver screen was incredible, and I felt like I was experiencing “Saw” for the first time again.
There is nothing like seeing a movie on the big screen, it amplifies the movie like no other screen can. Going into the theater I of course had already seen “Saw,” but the impact the theater has on you, making you feel right there in the movie: it made me feel something completely different than the first time I watched the movie. Even though I knew everything that was going to happen, and every bit of grossness that was coming I was still hit with feelings of shock and awe, that I normally do not feel rewatching “Saw” at home. I think the best part of seeing the movie in theaters for the first time was experiencing the traps. The bathroom trap, the main trap, and the razor wire trap are two that just hit so differently seeing them explored on the big screen. Both traps I mentioned felt so much larger yet, claustrophobic at the same time, and especially the razor wire trap had me wincing in my seat.
The end of the movie was 100 times better on the big screen. When John Kramer gets up off the bathroom floor, his presence just oozes out of each expanded pixel of the theater screen. It was like I had no idea that was going to happen. Kramer is able to be this larger-than-life figure as he locks the bathroom door and his iconic “Game Over” rings throughout the theater. It sent chills down my spine.
Being able to see “Saw” on the big screen was such a blessing. Being able to experience one of my favorite films on the big screen was truly incredible. If you ever have the chance to see a movie you have never seen in a theater, take the opportunity, it will change how you see the movie.
