Man, this sucks. I recently got all hooked on the Saw movies while staying up late one evening. I was so super jazzed about the next one. I went to see it this evening, and it feels like someone took steaming dump on my lap. These movies have survived as a franchise for so long because of three things: Clever traps, characters you care about, and a twist at the end of every movie that M. Night Shyamalan couldn't see coming. This had none of the above.
The Traps: Though still horrible and brutal, a jigsaw trap is usually meticulously thought out, and usually requires swift thinking and keen problem solving skills. The traps were overly simplistic and had the characters taken 2 minutes to ponder the rules given to them, they would have realized HOW they were supposed to be solved.
The Characters: The characters in the main trap are practically of tertiary importance in the story, a huge mistake in my opinion. They practically exist in the story to justify the violent traps. At least they're utterly reprehensible and I got to smile when they all died. It mainly just centers on the new Jigsaw and the FBI agent chasing him. First there is only ONE Jigsaw, accept no substitutes. Secondly, the FBI agent is dull as dishwater and is a lame, anemic version of Danny Glover's badass obsessed detective from the first Saw. And they kept the most IRRITATING of traditions in Saw films by throwing in a scene that has no explanation in the movie and only exists to set up another sequel. They still haven't answered story breadcrumbs from 3 movies ago!
The Twist: My favorite part of any Saw movie. This movie had NO twist. Not one that I can discern. Not to ruin the "twist" but the new Jigsaw frames the FBI agent for his crimes. That's not a Saw twist... That's a twist on a mid season episode of Dexter. Geh...
So if you don't like the saw movies stay far away from this one, if you do... wait till dvd.