There was a time a few years back when we thought we saw the last of the brutal games, filled with gory traps, but with 2017 revival it was inevitable before we heard the name John Kramer pop up again. But this time in a slightly different way, a spin off, a copy cat, Spiral is just that.
Written by Elliot Lines
You've almost got to be a fan of these films to enjoy them. The deadly traps that are involved are always clever, the games are brutal and there is plenty of gore, Spiral fell short on this front. Where the contraptions in this are some of the best in the franchise, you can't help but feel that these isn't enough of them, and when you've only seen a couple of gory scenes an hour in, you question whether they've spent too much time on the story.
Although making a lot of sense, there was an air of predictability to Spiral. No spoilers here but the film expects you think the obvious, but for any fan of this franchise, you always know there's a twist and it's almost too obvious when the pieces of the puzzle are on the table.
Performances across the board are just fine. It may be a personal struggle but Chris Rock as a dramatic actor didn't work. The performance felt forced, at times shouting his way through scenes, not that the hostile police environment helps him at all. Samuel L Jackson is okay, when on screen, being involved in a big end scene, which you won't want to miss.
Spiral certainly has its flaws, but as a fan this was certainly watchable. A few tweaks in the amount of gore and this would've worked tenfold. Although predictable, the standard "jigsaw" twist payed off, creating a tense final sequence between characters.
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