| ▶ PLAY TRAILER | Own it: | Search for streaming:      | With: Alexandra Daddario, Dan Yeager, Tremaine 'Trey Songz' Neverson, Scott Eastwood, Tania Raymonde, Shaun Sipos, Keram Malicki-Sánchez, James MacDonald, Thom Barry, Paul Rae, Richard Riehle, Bill Moseley, Gunnar Hansen, David Born, Sue Rock, Ritchie Montgomery
| Written by: Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan, Kirsten Elms, based on a story by Stephen Susco, Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan
| Directed by: John Luessenhop
| MPAA Rating: R for strong grisly violence and language throughout
| Running Time: 92
| | Date: 03/01/2013 | | | | Dull 'Saw' By Jeffrey M. Anderson Texas Chainsaw 3D begins with some good ideas, such as following immediately on the trail of the original classic, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), and introducing the main character as Leatherface's cousin. The movie touches slightly on the idea of families looking out for one another, which makes for an interesting dynamic toward the end. Unfortunately, the bulk of the movie is just another slasher, albeit a non-supernatural one. Immediately following the events of the 1974 movie, a band of local vigilantes burns down the Sawyer farm and a baby is secretly rescued from the scene. Years later, the grownup Heather (Alexandra Daddario) works as a butcher in a supermarket. She learns that her blood grandmother has died and left her a mansion, and decides to take some friends to see it. Unfortunately, a hitchhiker decides to ransack the place and accidentally unleashes Leatherface (Dan Yeager), who has quietly been living in the basement. Leatherface goes on a rampage, while Heather learns the terrible secret of what really happened that day all those years ago. Characters usually suffer their terrible fates through blatant stupidity, such as trusting the mysterious hitchhiker alone in a house full of valuables. Characters rarely behave in an even remotely logical manner, as witness the scene in which a cop explores the Sawyer mansion alone. Director John Luessenhop shoots cleanly in order to capitalize on the 3D effects, but there's nothing particularly scary or even imaginative here. Overall, it's better than some of the entries in this series, but nowhere near as powerful as the first. |
