While they are technically classified as horror films,
admittedly it’s hard to describe the Purge
films as just that, ‘horror films’. That’s because they’re more along the
lines of a series of action-thrillers, particularly in regards to the two
sequels. Still, this franchise of low-budget action-thrillers, directed by
longtime screenwriter James DeMonaco and co-produced by Jason Blum and Michael
Bay through their respective production companies, has been a considerably
large hit for Universal since it debuted back in 2013. The premise is simple; every
year on one night in March, all crime, including murder, is legal for twelve
hours. This means that it’s every person for themselves without any sort of
assistance from the police, fire department, or emergency services. And whereas
the first Purge was primarily set
within the confines of a single home, the two sequels expanded upon this
universe and began to explore just what happens out there on the streets during
‘Purge Night’. Ultimately, though, the Purge
films have been more of a commercial success than they have been a critical
success, with all three films being criticized for not fully living up to their
potential in regards to the potential social commentary/satire that comes from
their premise. Now, as someone who’s not a big horror fan (despite what I just
said about these films not being horror films), I didn’t see any of these films
in theaters. However, I did start to get curious when I learned that the third
film, Election Year, was filmed in
Woonsocket, Rhode Island, very close to where I live. And while, again, I
ultimately didn’t see the film in theaters, I did recently get a free rental of
it as part of a rewards program that I’m a member of. So, I decided to rent the
other two films and do a trilogy retrospective on this smash hit of a franchise.
So, without further ado, put on your scary masks and prepare for a night of
unabashed craziness as I look back upon the Purge
trilogy.
THE PURGE (2013)
As noted in the intro, despite the overarching ‘all crime is
legal’ premise, the first Purge film
is primarily set within the confines of a regular suburban home. And ultimately
that does prove to be the film’s biggest problem. For one thing, it obviously
limits the mayhem that goes on during Purge Night because it just focuses in on
one gang terrorizing one family just because the latter let in one of their
targets for protection. But then there’s also the fact that most of the film
takes place within a darkened house because the gang cuts the family’s power.
This results in a pretty dull ‘claustrophobic thriller’ that tries to be way
too serious despite various bits of over-the-top goofiness courtesy of the gang
members. And this is made even worse by the fact that you don’t give a crap
about any of the main characters; main characters who, might I add, make some
very terrible decisions that defy all logic. Yes, ‘logic’ isn’t a primary
concern in this film. It’s the first film of the series and it doesn’t do much
to explain the logistics behind Purge night, something that many agree seems
totally unrealistic for various reasons, other than the fact that ‘it just
works’. Sure, Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey do fine enough jobs in the lead roles
and Rhys Wakefield does steal the show as the gang leader but overall The Purge is a pretty lousy attempt at
being a ‘horror’ film, complete with one of the most anti-climactic endings
that I’ve ever seen. Thankfully, things would only get better from here by way
of the sequels.
Rating: 2/5
THE PURGE: ANARCHY (2014)
Thankfully with the first Purge sequel, The Purge:
Anarchy, director James DeMonaco moves the action and craziness that comes
from Purge Night away from a single house and out onto the streets, in this
case the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Even better, the film gives us a much
more compelling lead in the form of Frank Grillo’s Sergeant Leo Barnes
(Disclaimer: his full name isn’t revealed until the next film), a man who goes
out on Purge Night to avenge the death of his son but ends up taking on the
responsibility of protecting other people that are stuck out on Purge Night;
Eva and Cali, a mother and daughter who were forced out of their home by a paramilitary
squad, and Shane and Liz, a couple whose car broke down before they could get
home and escape a biker gang that had been pursuing them. Sure, the characters
still make some dumb decisions from time to time but overall these aren’t as
prevalent as they were in the last film. And while it’s still a low-budget film
overall, the costume design and action set-pieces are much stronger than those
in the first film. In short, Anarchy
is a definite improvement over the original Purge
because it benefits from a bigger budget and the freedom to go outside onto
the streets. It still doesn’t reach the full potential of its premise but at
the very least, this one does hold your interest more. Because even if you
still don’t buy the whole premise of a night where all crime is legal, at least
this one explores more of this world of, for lack of a better term, anarchy.
Rating: 3.5/5
THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR (2016)
And finally, there’s The
Purge: Election Year, a fitting title considering that it was just released
earlier this year. Frank Grillo returns as Leo Barnes as he now serves as the
head of security for Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), who’s running
for President on the platform of getting rid of the Purge once and for all. But
that gets much more difficult on Purge Night when her political opponents, the New
Founding Fathers of America AKA the ones who created the Purge in the first
place, try to get rid of her by forcing the two of them out onto the streets. And
while Election Year does still have
some of the story problems of its two predecessors, this ends up being my
favorite of the whole bunch. And no, it’s not just because this was filmed near
where I live. To me, this one is the most consistent in terms of tone. Whereas
the previous two films had a more serious vibe to them, this one is now fully
embracing the completely over-the-top nature of its premise. Sure, there are
some very questionable bits of dialogue in this entry (most of which come
courtesy of shop owner Joe Dixon, played by Mykelti Williamson (simply put, “Goodnight,
Blue Cheese!”)), more so than the previous two films, and the characters do
still make some questionable decisions here and there. But even if it’s not saying
much, this film has the best (or at least the most ‘likable’) group of main
characters of any film in the entire series, once again led by Grillo’s badass
lead. And once again, I must give credit to the fact that these films keep
upping the ante when it comes to costume design and action set-pieces, with
this film delivering some of the series’ most truly messed up imagery. Again,
when you get down to it, there’s a lot of stupid parts of this premise but this
one recognizes it the most out of any Purge
film. Thus, it’s arguably the most entertaining of them all.
Rating: 4/5
And that’s the end of
my retrospective on the Purge films.
For those who are newcomers to the franchise, I can safely say that you can
honestly skip the first film because nothing in that film carries over to the
other films. Just stick to the superior sequels, Anarchy and Election Year.
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