Go see saw, but you won't find it at a playground.

The New York Metro review of Saw II gives it an R rating of it's own, defined by the second clause: Not for Children. I really couldn't agree more. When my mom bought me the ticket to see it, she brought my four year old sister. The ticket seller was entirely shocked to think that a mother would let a four year old see the movie, and she was absolutely right in thinking so. This new installment of Saw contained even more blood shed and life or death puzzles then the first, and the ante on every aspect of the movie has seemed to be raised. Instead of two people in a room it was eight, shortly expanding to encompass an entire house with enough death traps to leave no one left out. Change seems to be the overall theme of the movie in general, and nothing seems to have been left untouched. Even the signature element of time has been altered for the movie, and instead of one huge twist at the end, you can expect several throughout the movie. Even the director has been changed this time around, although he does an excellent job of covering that up, especially after the first fifteen minutes. He retains the same distorted cinematography too, fully completing the Saw experience. The 'Saw Experience' itself, isn't really a scary one. It's accomplishments are in the tension designed by the puzzles, and the sense of impending doom. I can only think of one actually scary moment from the first one, and there were no cheap thrills. This second time around, there was only one large thrill, and one tiny cheap scare. Whether that tiny cheap scare is a fault or not, I cannot decide because I might be more at blame for being so tense then the director for trying to scare me. But in general, I'd say a thrill is cheap when It turns out to be something not scary at all.
The acting is on par for a horror movie, although all actors do an excellent job staying away from the realm of cheesy. There is one exception in the case of John 'Jigsaw', who does an excellent performance. Played by Tobin Bell, my man from '24' gives a chilling representation of our cancer patient gone wrong.
Ultimately, the movie is for fans of the first movie, and above that, for people who have seen the first movie. In fact, if you haven't seen the first one, and I catch you anywhere near the movie theatre, I'll dangle you upside down from a room with no way to escape but to climb up to the ceiling and unscrew the shackle, which would then drop you the twenty feet onto the hot coals below.