REVIEW: The Purge

   James DeMonaco's The Purge is the latest horror feature to hit the theaters and pollute our televisions with commercial after commercial of cheap scares. Most would dismiss this film at first glance or go see it for dumb entertainment to sit and enjoy a bit of popcorn and Coke, but this film proves to be more than your average scare-fest, but a little deeper of a film. In fact, it isn't very scary at all (We'll talk more about this later).
   Set in the United States in 2022 in a "new" country, where unemployment is at an all-time low and the economy is at an all-time high. In this future, crime is handled in a much stricter sense, except for one 12-hour period each year called "The Purge." During this Purge, crime is legal (even murder) and all emergency services are suspended. The point of this Purge is to cleanse the "evil" or bad emotions from yourself. The way each person or family treats the Purge is very different, as some hide in their houses, while others band together in large parties to murder certain targets or simply cause trouble.

   The story follows the Sandin family and their father, James (Ethan Hawke), who sells security systems to wealthy families to stay safe during the Purge. We meet some of their neighbors, where we learn that they often have a neighborhood "Purge Party," but the Sandin family decline their invite. James and his wife, Mary (Lena Headey), try to explain the importance of the Purge to their children, Zoey (Adelaide Kane) and Charlie (Max Burkholder), but both dismiss this and disagree with their parents. After the "lock-down," Zoey's boyfriend Henry (Tony Oller) sneaks inside to confront her father, while Charlie sees a stranger (Edwin Hodge) who is shouting for help outside their house, and lets him inside. What follows is the plot for the next hour, as a group of masked murderers under the command of their leader (Rhys Wakefield) go to the Sandin house in search for their target: the stranger who is in there with them.
   The film has a very interesting premise, but the problem is in the delivery. It feels as though our director/screenwriter (James DeMonaco) has a "message" or many that he wishes to present, but he never makes them clear. Is this some statement about the state of the America? Are the unemployment and economy issues here supposed to appeal to us? I don't know. The most bizarre bit of this horror film, though, is how it isn't scary. This film has been advertised as a horror-thriller, where it would've been better had it been advertised as simply a thriller. The only scares (if we can call them that) are cheap moments where we hear banging at the window or someone jumps around a corner. We're startled here and there, but never scared.

   With that being said, we do have a downright suspenseful thriller with some decent performances. Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey carry the film as the leads and each actor in his family brings something more to the movie. Some play the cliches, with Kane as the "Rebellious Schoolgirl" and Burkholder as the "Technology Genius," but they bring something special, too. Action scenes and choreography are also a highlight, with one particular fight scene standing out as a shining moment in the film. (It was one of the better fight scenes I've seen in the theaters in a while). Atmosphere is important, especially in a film like this. The Purge delivers here, with an eerie feeling throughout the film that helps create its own image.

   However, there are some terrible twists that we see coming from miles away. Even if I wasn't 100% on their delivery, I called every single "twist." Sadly, the "twist" damages many movies coming out these days. Ever since The Sixth Sense and Seven, this has been a staple in these sorts of films. The Purge would've been much more powerful had it left this out or handled it completely differently. Also, when I'm in the theater and this sort of film ends with the entire crowd giggling, something is wrong. This isn't a genre where laughing should be the final thought. Remakes and sequels plague Hollywood these days, though, especially in these movies. It's nice to see something truly unique, and is worth at least one viewing in the theater. If for nothing more than a fun time and an excuse to eat some candy and Coke. Oh, and to see some fun, suspenseful scenes and decent performances.

RATING: 3/5

This movie is rated R (strong disturbing violence and some language)