Delayed Reaction: The Purge: Election Year

Premise: In case you missed the subtle commentary of the Purge, we’re going to really spell it out this time.

I think I’m finally coming close to coming around on the Purge movies. I still don’t know that I like them. At times, it feels like they are patting themselves on the back too much for pointing out some deep-seated desire in the human psyche. They also have trouble deciding how seriously to take the movies. Because, this is a very silly idea. There is no way to present the “Purge” as an actual viable proposal. However, I’ve learned that if I only pay attention to style, not substance, I can have some fun. These movies look cool. 90% of the effort goes into crafting the best assorted purge looks. The Purge is good in the way The Warriors is good. As long as I can ignore the parts where it’s trying to be Network, that’s a good time.

 

Election Year has some good looks. I like the cars with Christmas lights and the extravagance of the people literally worshiping at the altar of the Purge. Frank Grillo is exactly the kind of central protagonist for this. The film does a good job exploring assorted parts of the city for Purge activities. I actually did like the idea of Murder Tourism. While, the logistics of it make little sense, I appreciate the film admitting that the US doesn’t have all the sickos. I’ll probably get to the rest of the series eventually. The First Purge suggests a less formed premise, which could be fun and The Forever Purge indicates they are accepting the natural conclusion of the premise.

 

Verdict: Weakly Don’t Recommend