Saw X

X frames Kramer like a tragic hero instead of a complete maniac with a thing for Rube Goldberg homicide, and swears by the wobbly moral mechanism he believes will balance his soul’s ledger.

[Previous reboots] both failed to grasp Kramer’s star power. Saw X does not make that mistake, leading to one of the franchise’s strongest installments since the original, mostly because it gives Jigsaw center stage.

[Tobin Bell's] half-cracked grandeur, boosted by [Shawnee] Smith’s skewed stares of adoration, sends the movie into a loopy giddiness. Saw X may not be the best one to start off with, but it’s hard to imagine a better one to end with.

It’s thoroughly unpleasant, but that’s rather the point.

Saw X wipes that silliness out, positioning itself as a direct sequel to "Saw" and presenting a singular, streamlined story of revenge that works from a clear channel of logic.

Set between Saw and Saw II, the tenth instalment of the torture-porn franchise amazingly hasn’t run out of steam.

Saw X is a much-needed return to form for the franchise, combining its trademark gore with surprising character depth.

It may have taken nine films to get there, but Saw X finally figures out that playing to its strengths and getting in on the joke is the best way out of its own trap.

John Kramer: antihero is so, so much more interesting than anything this franchise has done in eons.

Saw X is probably one of the best Saw films in over ten years and has rejuvenated and refreshed the series.