I know I am late to the party when it comes to The Purge, but I wanted to see it so I decided to still watch it before the year is up. I didn't have anything invested in this originally which is mainly why I didn't see it in theaters. I had seen and heard a lot of mixed reviews about it so I wasn't in a hurry. After watching it I wouldn't say I am all that disappointed, but I am glad I didn't rush to see it because I probably would have been more disappointed.
Starting off with the plot, I think this movie has a great concept. The whole 12-hour crime free night is a very interesting concept and I thought it fit the genre well. However, I don't think that it worked as well as it could have. The fact that the entire focus was on this one family located in an extremely wealthy area hindered the plot a bit for me. Instead of showing the true chaos and so-called benefits of the purge, they focused on a family holed up in a mansion with an expensive security system. It kind of defeated the purpose.
As far as acting goes, it was pretty standard for a movie like this. The kids were annoying, the wife was stupid, and the "intruders" weren't really seen all that much. The best part, as expected, was Ethan Hawke. While on the subject of the intruders, the way they were portrayed made it seem like people participating in the purge were all crazy or had this self-righteous sense of entitlement to rid themselves of the country's undesirables. The previews made it look like the purge was a chance to give people a night to go after people they've wanted to all year or to get revenge. Not to walk around like it's a game and kill homeless people.
In other words, there was a lot wrong with this movie.
1. The son
The fact that the parents didn't beat their son's ass for disarming the security system bothered me the entire movie. They didn't even acknowledge the fact that all of the events happening was their son's fault. Instead they decide to split up and leave the boy alone in the room with the security controls. If he disarmed it once to let someone in, what makes them think he wouldn't do it again?! I would have beat his ass right then and there. I guess punishing your kids still isn't a trend in 2022.
Oh, and the creepy baby doll surveillance robot. What the hell...
2. The daughter
No character development, insignificant to the plot, and annoying. I feel like you don't disappear to some random area of the house after you get intruders during a crime free 12-hour period.
3. The lack of exploration of the future
I'll admit, I was curious to see exactly what 2022 looked like. The only thing we saw was a rich neighborhood and the inside of the family's house. There was no mention of exactly how bad America got before the new founding fathers came in, there was no mention of who the founding fathers were, what type of government America had, how we could maintain an economy of 1% unemployment, etc.. They just threw you into the movie and made you roll with it with no explanation.
4. No character development of the stranger
Seriously. All this guy was in this movie was a random victim who was allowed into the house and then came in handy at the very end. No name, no background, nothing.
5. The neighbors
I will admit that the neighbors kind of made the movie for me, but it seemed like more of a PSA for the delusion of wealth more than anything else. Even though the people were rich and lived in a neighborhood hardly touched by the purge, they felt the need to still try and eliminate the "get rich quick" citizens. They were a bit cult-like and self-entitled for my tastes.
Overall, I came to the conclusion of not understanding why The Purge got to popular and seriously not understanding why it's getting a sequel. I think people are banking on it just on the concept alone despite the fact that the movie had no real substance and shitty characters. I've seen it and once was enough. I won't be seeing the sequel.
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