A dystopian revision of America, The Purge boasts one of the most brilliant and potential-rife new concepts in years of horror – a canvas of classism, violence-repression, mankind origins, Christianity, and sociological themes dressed up in epic disturbingly-masked imagery more than enough to make up for its bizarre decision to play down to a ~run-of-the-norm home-invasion thriller. 7.6/10.

…

In a future America burdened by rampant crime and overcrowded prisons, the government sanctions an annual 12-hour “Purge”, a period during which all criminal activity, including murder, is legal. With three different films focusing on different people’s experiences of the night, who will survive the night and who will stay pure?

Full Review Coming Soon

Pros: Brilliant and innovative idea focusing on a dire vision of a future America, strong horror imagery of Purgers with well-designed masks, costumes, etc. (albeit for short on-screen time), good acting by Ethan Hawke and Rhys Wakefield, rich vs. poor angle interesting psychologically, good plot twist at the end with neighbors and homeless man

Cons: Not really a Horror movie as promised by the premise but mildly boring home invasion thriller, extremely slow opening after an otherwise good beginning, very scary and brilliant idea frustratingly underused if even at all as there is really no horror or things to be scared of in the movie, characters flat and one-dimensional with subpar acting except by Ethan Hawke and Rhys Wakefield, central plot of the film where the son lets in the homeless man and they’re trying to find him extremely stupid, Purgers insultingly ineffective at getting anything done in the end invasion as they’re all taken out even while having the most advanced weapons, movie filled with horror movie and thriller clichés without really any horror or thrills, frenzied violence and lack of any suspense in an original way, overall just leaves you with a sour feeling of being cheated and disappointed that it didn’t deliver on its premise