In the prequel to the 2013 horror/thriller The Purge we see that America is going down the toilet and the lower classes are languishing in dispair. After the rise of a third political party known as the New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA) it was decided there was an experiment to take place on Statten Island where there would be no laws for 12 hours and all weapons class 4 and lower were allowed. Murder is legal. The residents do not have to stay if they don't want to, but if they do then they will be compensated with $5,000 if they survive and have the potential to get more compensation if they "participate". People who do participate are given context lenses to wear that have video streaming capability and light people's eyes up blue (perhaps done so you know they're going to come out and play?) although at least one person had a pair that was red...wonder what that was all about? The experiment is called...of course...The Purge.
The movie has a slow build up with the hours before The Purge begins, people staying being evaluated, a dealer talks to activist ex....it's quite slow really. Even when The Purge starts it really isn't anything huge to begin with, in fact there are bunches if people just having parties!
When the action started to hit up I must admit it had me scratching my head a little as there is something very odd going on...it had huge racial and political bias and that's when people fight back.
I felt at times I was being force fed to story when we went to the "Control centre" as they oversaw The Purge with comments from people observing screens stating the obvious and then the news stations repeating it again. Look, I know my attention span is bad, but it's not that bad!
The First Purge is peppered with jump scare moments that seem to come out of nowhere (yes I understand its how they're supposed to work but not if it potentially disjoints the story!) which was irksome and didn't wake a lot of sense to me (although a lot of horrors tend to do that now sadly).
This movie is dark and grim. It is political. It's racial too. And when you look at it you can see its deliberate. The NFFA picked an area they considered to be a hot spot for The Purge. This is uncomfortable viewing....AND IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE. The first experimental Purge is not going to be something for delicate flowers to watch. This is supposed to be a damn scary thought, a "what if?" No, I'm not saying this is a glimpse into the future and this is what future American governments have planned, but could you imagine if it actually happened?
It's not the strongest movie in the franchise and don't expect a strong storyline. There a 2 scenes during the end credits, and the second one will be of interest if you are still a fan of the franchise after seeing this movie.
The First Purge is rated 15 and in cinemas now.
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