The Purge: Anarchy

I'll be keeping this review fairly brief as I am really busy this weekend but I was still able to manage going to the theaters and see one of the new releases this weekend.

Again, it was another summer weekend where nothing too attention-grabbing was coming to theaters. But unfortunately, unlike the weekends where I instead went to smaller theaters to see The Raid 2 and Snowpiercer (both some of the year's best) earlier this year, there weren't any films like that getting me away from the big theaters, although I am keeping my eye out for Boyhood hopefully coming to Denver soon.

Anyway, on to the movie. I admit, I did not see the original, The Purge, when it came out last year. I was highly intrigued by the premise, as I'm sure many moviegoers were, but I heard that it faltered in exploring that premise at all which really turned me off to it. From what I surmised from critics and audiences, including a few close friends of mine, was that it pretty much sucked.

So suffice it to say that I wasn't all that thrilled about seeing The Purge: Anarchy. The trailers were uber creepy, but I was afraid that again the film would fail to really dive into the premise of an annual purging. For those of you unfamiliar, The Purge series takes place in the future, an eerily not-far-off future mind you, in which unemployment, crime, and poverty are at all time lows in the United States. Why? Because of an annual 12 hour period in which all crime is legal. A rather barbaric idea, once practiced by many ancient cultures, it's one that certainly wouldn't work today. Thinking about the concept I just imagine that all the damage (property, financial, etc.) the day after would be a crippling amount, all crimes being legal would mean that hacking would be legal which could easily lead to a collapse of multibillion dollar corporations, not to mention the stock market...just a host of ideas that pretty much nullify the premise of the film. But hey, in a couple weeks I'll be seeing a film with a talking raccoon with a huge machine gun in space and I probably won't have anything to say about that so I'll chalk The Purge's premise up to the "suspended disbelief" category.

"I think...I left my stove on. Did I?...Nope I didn't. Or wait did
I? Probably not. I think I remember turning it off. But what if?"

Who knew that rich people loved machetes?

The good news is that Anarchy definitely explores the incredibly thought-provoking premise of purging more than its predecessor and I believe it is a much better movie for it. This one is far more of a thriller than a horror film which is what I believe the last one ended up being. A group of stranded people end up together and must survive the night's trials and tribulations. There is an attempt at some characterization for each individual and most of it falls flat on its face. I couldn't have cared less if the couple wanted to separate, or if the mother and daughter were distraught about their grandfather. The only character with some convicting elements is Frank Grillo as Sergeant who is participating in the purging out of revenge, but ends up being some what of a hero rather reluctantly. Nothing special by any means but the most interesting plot thread out of the ones provided. As I'm guessing this series will continue (since its already made up its budget this weekend), the attempt at an overarching plot, while interesting, isn't explored or referenced enough and I found it irritating as that aspect of the film had an unfinished feeling to it.

What's special about the Purge movies though is just how much they get you thinking, especially this one. What if there really was a 12 hour period where all crime was legal? How absolutely terrifying would that be? How much money would you be willing to spend in order to protect yourself on a yearly basis? Would you participate? They are all questions that I just could not stop thinking about during the runtime and the film does a good job exploring some of the aspects you may not think of such as who would die the most in the purging, what does money get you in the purge, what happens when you try to be a hero, etc. And it was the film's exploration of these ideas and situations that made it worth the watch for me.

God bless America?

The Purge: Anarchy has the distinct privilege of an incredibly unique and modern premise, which is what sets it apart, and slightly above other low-budget horror/thriller films. Without it, the film wouldn't have a single special aspect about it as overall, its pretty standard fare for this often mediocre genre. But it's because of that premise that I at least enjoyed my time with Anarchy as it really got me thinking and although it left A LOT of room unexplored in the premise, it also presented some points that I hadn't even considered.

CONS:

• Characterization falls flat on its face most of the time
• Slight overuse of shaky cam at times
• The low budget shows. This is certainly what I like to call a "TV movie"
• The attempt at a bigger plot, that I'm guessing will be explored further in other films, was shoehorned in and felt incomplete
• Some rather lame action
• Ends abruptly
• Some really illogical character decisions
• Predictable in parts
• There was a decent amount of overacting

PROS:

• A truly fascinating concept that the film explores nearly as well as it can given that it only has a little over 90 minutes. It really had me thinking about scenarios, asking questions, etc. I love it when a film can do that
• Doesn't lean too heavily on the horror side but is competent at it. As a thriller it also does a decent job
• Some of the masks that the purgers wear are downright terrifying
• In fact, the whole premise of a purge is downright terrifying
• I thought the ending was strong given what the film had built too
• Really has some things to say about our society that, while bloated, aren't entirely inaccurate

Rath's Review Score: 6/10