The Purge Review: Screw it, I'm moving to Canada

Dir. James DeMonaco
85 Minutes
Rated R

Last weekend saw the release of the horror flick The Purge, a box office hit that made its budget back in midnight screenings alone, meaning a sequel was put in development right away.  The film is set 9 years from now in 2022, where America is now under rule by the "New Founders of America" and one night a year for 12 hours, all crime, including murder, is legal.  Ethan Hawke is a well-to-do father of two who sells home security systems that essentially turns your whole house into a big panic room to protect yourself from the purging going on outside.  Unfortunately, his son (who bears a striking resemblance to Christina Ricci), takes pity on a scared homeless man and lets him inside - but a bunch of creepy mask-wearing purge-people want him.  The following is pretty much your typical home invasion movie with some social commentary thrown in.


Overall I liked The Purge, but it really was a dumb movie.  I think the minds behind the film just wanted an excuse to make a horror movie, because a lot of the world-building feels unclear and doesn't make sense.  The only explanation we're given as to why the purge happens is because in effect crime goes down, and the film "hints" at the idea that it's a way for the poor to be killed off (while the rich people are tucked in under their new security systems).  But we never find out who these "New Founders" are, we don't know why crimes are no longer being committed the other 364 days of the year, and what exactly do services like the police, hospitals, and funeral homes do once the purge is over?  There are tons of bodies and injuries everywhere, it seems like a ridiculous hassle.  The story just focuses on this one family, and it would have been nice to see the nation-wide ramifications of the purge.  The film starts out in a violent-crime montage, so I was hoping to see more of how this event changes different people.

If you go in with lowered expectations, it's a totally fine, but cliched horror flick.  There's some genuine tension in the house when the outside masked people start messing with the family, and there are enough frights and fights that it doesn't drag or anything.  But with a premise this heavy, you kind of expect a little more.  Still, I like that this was something at least a little different from a simple slasher flick (the trailer for You're Next looks dreadful...and not in a good way), and even though I wasn't a fan of Sinister, I like Ethan Hawke's newfound career in horror movies for some reason.  And Game of Thrones fans should enjoy seeing Lena Headey as his wife, screaming her head off.  If The Purge 2 can flesh out the world some more and explore the themes in more depth, it could be a great horror sequel.

Rating: C+