History YMMV / SawX

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: The film defied all expectations by not just being well-received by audiences (especially after the tepid response to the previous installment), it also ''finally'' earned broader respect from critics, netting an 80% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the first "Fresh" film in the franchise, a title that evaded even [[Film/SawI the first film]] (widely recognized as [[FirstInstallmentWins "the genuinely good one"]] up until that point). Points of praise include making the story an early {{interquel}} -- conveniently sidestepping the franchise's later KudzuPlot and giving an opportunity for the beloved Creator/TobinBell a return to the spotlight as the series' VillainProtagonist -- as well as stronger character focus and a surprisingly poignant script, balancing out the terrifying traps with sincere character drama and heart. The film was so well-received that it was announced shortly after that a sequel would be released the following year, something that hasn't happened since ''Film/Saw3D''[='s=] release a year after ''Film/SawVI'', nearly ''15 years'' prior.

* BellisariosMaxim: John, Amanda and [[spoiler:Hoffman]] look much older than when they canonically show up next in ''Saw II'' and ''III'', a pair of movies made close to ''two decades'' prior to this one. It's not ''too'' bad with John, as he was already supposed to be in his [=50s=] and he's meant to look like he's suffering the worst of cancer in this movie, but it's very noticeable with the other two. [[https://ew.com/movies/saw-x-tobin-bell-jigsaw-nicole-kidman/ Reportedly]], the filmmakers briefly toyed with the idea of DigitalDeaging for the characters' appearances, but ultimately decided against it on the grounds that it would tamper with their actors' performances.

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: The film defied all expectations by not just being well-received by audiences (especially after the tepid response to the previous installment), it also ''finally'' earned broader respect from critics, netting an 80% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the first "Fresh" film in the franchise, a title that evaded even [[Film/SawI the first film]] (widely recognized as [[FirstInstallmentWins "the genuinely good one"]] up until that point). Points of praise include making the story an early {{interquel}} -- conveniently sidestepping the franchise's later KudzuPlot and giving an opportunity for the beloved Creator/TobinBell a return to the spotlight as the series' VillainProtagonist -- as well as stronger character focus and a surprisingly poignant script, balancing out the terrifying traps with sincere character drama and heart. The film was so well-received that it was announced shortly after that a sequel would be released the following year, something that hasn't happened since ''Saw 3D''[='s=] release a year after ''Saw VI'', nearly ''15 years'' prior.

* OneSceneWonder: [[spoiler:Mark Hoffman only shows up in the mid-credits scene, but what few seconds he had of screentime left a strong impression thanks to the "epic bad luck" quote and returning to the series after over a decade of absence since ''3D''.]]

* BellisariosMaxim: John, Amanda and [[spoiler:Hoffman]] look much older than when they canonically show up next in ''Saw II'' and ''III'', a pair of movies made close to ''two decades'' prior to this one. It's not ''too'' bad with John, as he was already supposed to be in his [=50s=] and he's meant to look like he's suffering the worst of cancer, but it's very noticeable with the other two. [[https://ew.com/movies/saw-x-tobin-bell-jigsaw-nicole-kidman/ Reportedly]], the filmmakers briefly toyed with the idea of DigitalDeaging for the characters' appearances, but ultimately decided against it on the grounds that it would tamper with Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, and [[spoiler:Costas Mandylor]]'s performances.

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: The film defied all expectations by not just being well-received by audiences (especially after the tepid response to the previous installment), it also ''finally'' earned broader respect from critics, netting an 80% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the first "Fresh" film in the franchise, a title that evaded even [[Film/SawI the first film]] (widely recognized as [[FirstInstallmentWins "the genuinely good one"]] up until that point). Points of praise include making the story an early {{interquel}} -- conveniently sidestepping the franchise's later KudzuPlot and giving an opportunity for the beloved Creator/TobinBell a return to the spotlight as the series VillainProtagonist -- as well as stronger character focus and a surprisingly poignant script, balancing out the terrifying traps with sincere character drama and heart. The film was so well-received that it was announced shortly after that a sequel would be released the following year, something that hasn't since ''Saw VI'' begat ''Saw 3D'', nearly ''15 years'' prior.

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: The film defied all expectations by not just being well-received by audiences (especially after the tepid response to the previous installment), it also ''finally'' earned broader respect from critics, netting an 80% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the first "Fresh" film in the franchise, a title that evaded even [[Film/SawI the first film]] (widely recognized as [[FirstInstallmentWins "the genuinely good one"]] up until that point). Points of praise include making the story an early {{interquel}} -- conveniently sidestepping the franchise's later KudzuPlot and giving an opportunity for the beloved Creator/TobinBell a return to the spotlight as the series VillainProtagonist -- as well as stronger character focus and a surprisingly poignant script, balancing out the terrifying traps with sincere character drama and heart.