The first Saw film is definitely the best. It has one of the greatest and most surprising endings/twists I've ever seen in a horror film. Unfortunately, all of the other films in the series reveal way too much backstory and take away from the mystery of the original. After the first, the series devolved into "torture porn."

I still enjoy some of the other films, but I agree that the first is best appreciated as a stand-alone.

The sequels do get a little ridiculous towards the end, especially the last movie. But it is still my favorite movie series, especially Hoffman character.

The first movie is legit. It has a solid storyline with decent characters. It is suspenseful and has a coherent plot. Its intense, but its not gross and doesnt spend too much time on unnecessary torture scenes.

I can speak much for the sequels yet. I've only seen 2 and 3 and dont remember them that well. I did buy a 7 pack dvd from walmart with the whole series though, and I plan on watching them all this week, so I will see how the rest of them fare.