And now the end is near, and so we face the final guillotine. After a run of seven films in total, the grizzly Saw franchise finally gets the chop. The series has had its fair share of ups and downs; actually more downs in terms of audiences in the latter stage of its life cycle. But in a bid to go out on a bloody high, this final instalment was released in 3D. For the home market however, only the special Blu-ray got the 3D makeover, meaning that only about eight people in the country will watch it.

Whether seen in 3D or not, has the franchise managed to bow out with some dignity intact if not inner intestines?

With the original Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) dying about halfway through the franchise, it’s been up to Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) to pick up most of the slack since. Hoffman has his hands full here, as he not only starts a new game with someone who claimed to survive one of the Jigsaw’s earlier games, but also wants to get to Jigsaw’s ex Jill (Betsy Russell), who is ready to spill the beans about his involvement with the new games being played.

With the final countdown ticking away, it looks like time is running out for just about all concerned.

There was something really rather entertaining about the very first Saw; it was a genuinely original concept that also provided an impressive quota of blood and gore. In the end however, sequelitis was the death of it. Many of the later films in the series relied far too heavily on the traps to see it through, with any semblance of story a flimsy afterthought.

At least for this last one it’s decided, somewhat wisely, to not overdo the plot. That said, it’s still all about the traps.

The story regarding the Jigsaw’s survivor is essentially an over 18, brutal edition of The Crystal Maze; but instead of getting a crystal for every room he survives, he gets to live a little longer; if only this concept was used for the TV show itself, as it would have certainly made the game a little livelier.

For the most part, the traps themselves are actually entertaining; it’s good to see that the Acme company managed to stay in work after the coyote decided to call it a day. They’re not particularly clever, but they certainly do the job.

The same can’t be said of the acting. In places it looks like it was filmed in Gerry Anderson’s Supermarionation; it’s as if it’s only the invisible strings keeping them on their feet.

And as you would expect, there are a fair few scenes with objects threatening to pop out of the screen, which are likely to impress that one bloke with the 3D set up.

This final chapter then is certainly not the worst of the bunch, but by no means the best. Maybe we should just concentrate on the fact that this is the end. But if the series does resurrect itself in the future, then they shouldn’t be surprised if audiences really do get hacked off. So let’s just hope that this is the very last piece of the Jigsaw.