The First Purge Struggles With Balancing Out Its Franchise Roots With It's Heavy-Handed Societal Message

      When one thinks of popular horror movie franchises, The Purge series comes to mind with it proving to be an unusual case as the films continue to do respectable business for the type of films they are despite receiving mixed reviews from both critics and audiences. What makes the Purge franchise appealing to audiences, is the idea of the most horrific acts of violence being sanctioned to be committed for one night. The first Purge introduced this unique concept despite the overall execution feeling like a bit of a letdown with the story being confined to just a regular home invasion flick with a family being terrorized by outside forces during the national ritual. The second Purge attempted to rectify that common criticism of the first film by going more Escape From New York style with it, leading to the film being an overall improvement over its predecessor. The Purge: Election Year despite being effective, felt like a indirect satire of the 2016 Presidential Election as it was released during the summer period of that year. Fast-forward two years later, audiences get treated to a prequel set before the events of the first film in 2014, that depicts the origins of the annual purge with the stories location being shifted to Stanten Island with the main focus being on low-income individuals being coerced to participate in the Purge in exchange for being paid. What sounded like a promising opportunity to explore the origins of the originals story turns out to be a huge missed opportunity as the film not only fails to properly give audiences the proper birth of the event, but also completely manages to waste its interesting and thought-provoking storyline in poor fashion (Though the overall film itself is at the very least watchable for fans of the series). The plot for The First Purge sounds like it could've been a well-executed and memorable installment in the series if the film had a filmmaker like Jordan Peele behind it. Not only is The First Purge the worst installment of the Purge franchise, the series itself appears to be losing the edge that made it a hit with audiences in the first place despite none of the films reaching their full potential in terms of living up to the scope of the plot.

      The plot for The First Purge takes place before the events of the original with the film focusing on a test run involving an annual 12-hour period of legalized murder set on Staten Island in a dystopian futuristic America. Based on the findings of a behavioral scientist (Played by Marisa Tomei), the government, which is led by an NRA-backed far-right party called New Founding Father's of America, expects an annual bloodletting will not only decrease crime rates for the rest of the remaining year but also significantly decrease minority populations. Looking at the plot for the film, the concept behind The First Purge is one that's not only intriguing but had tremendous potential to be a horror/action flick that brought something new to the table in regards to being both entertaining as well as being one that could've been extremely well-crafted instead of serving as being a poorly handled installment in the series. The First Purge unfortunately easily ends up being the worst installment of the series thus far due to lackluster writing, directing, and uninspired storytelling. The films faults are a shame in itself because the themes and concepts the film tackles would've made for it being a strong and powerful entry. Although it can be argued that none of the Purge films come close to being great other than being passable to reasonably solid entertainment, the previous films (Particularly the first and Anarchy) had a certain amount of edge and suspense to them that was enough to make up for their shortcomings. The First Purge suffers from a lack of uninteresting characters and what feels like an incomplete origin story despite the concept of minority groups being targeted for the Purge being both an interesting and clever concept. One can only imagine what the film could've ultimately ended up being if it had the right filmmakers behind it with proper dedication for telling the story, as well as handling the films political messages that often feel like it overshadows the horror nature of the plot.

      In addition to the film misfiring as a whole in regards to its execution, the acting performances by the main cast prove to be a mixed bag overall with the main performances being ultimately what you would expect them to end up being with a horror film like The Purge series. While the performances themselves end up being passable, they're not necessarily anything to write home about. In the main roles, Y'lan Noel and Lex Scott Davis both perform reasonably well playing young characters Dimitri and Nya. Noel tries to make the best of his shallow role as a crime lord on Staten Island, whose conflicted between his current profession and still harboring feelings for his ex-gf Nya, who firmly opposes his newfound lifestyle/business. Noel's performance isn't terrible, though his character isn't well fleshed out enough to make the audience care about him, particularly when the purging starts. Lex Scott Davis gives the stronger performance of the two with her character having more of a complex with the role of anti-purge activist Nya. Davis succeeds in making her character both likable and sympathetic to the audience as she not only fights to sway people from participating in the Purge, but also struggles to keep her younger brother off the streets away from a life of crime. Joivan Wade does well playing Nya's younger brother Isaiah, who sells drugs on the side as a way of getting by before ultimately volunteering to participate in the Purge to seek revenge on a street drug-addict, who attacked him prior named Skeletor. Marissa Tomei makes the most of her sizable role as the Purges architect Dr. May Updale with her character later discovering the true intentions behind the use of the ritual. The rest of the supporting cast includes Mugga as a sassy character named Dolores who serves as being the films comic relief, Lauren Velez as a vulnerable neighborhood mother Luisa with her daughter Selina played by Kristen Solis, Levy Tran as Roenick, Patch Darragh as the slimy Chief of Staff/ Arlo Sabian, and Rotimi Paul in a scene-stealing performance as Skeletor. Overall, the performances as a whole prove to be serviceable ones at best with the cast providing enough believability to the story, even if many of their characters come across as feeling rather generic and one-dimensional (Though that's the fault of the writers, not the actors themselves). Horror films like The Purge largely depend on the strength of their casts to make their stories work with audiences with the cast here appearing to do the best work they can with the direction and scriptwriting handed to them.

      The films directing by Gerard McMurray (Taking over the directing reigns from James DeMonaco, who now serves as both writer and co-producer of this film), is average at best with McMurray attempting to keep the style of this film consistent with the previous three films in terms of the series violent nature in regards to its use of gore. The film attempts to build up some reasonably decent suspense both before and during the events of the Purge. McMurray spends the first third of the movie establishing the films plot and key characters so the audience can build some kind of connection to them, as well as understanding what's at stake. While McMurray proves to be no DeMonaco in regards to crafting solid action sequences, his work here isn't totally ineffective as he he manages to catch the audiences interest and hold it during the films intense sequences. McMurray also surprises audiences with new twists to the Purge ritual such as the use of drones in the story, that are targeted to assassinate others during the ritual and eyeball-lenses that are color-coded for the Purgers wearing them to record their mayhem so others can track their progress. These additions give the story a more high-tech approach with the cinematography proving to once again to be effective in capturing the horrors and brutality of the evening. The films editing is well-paced and utilizes it's time properly to set up the characters in the beginning, then accelerates the suspense when the purging starts. The soundtrack for The First Purge proves effective in showcasing music centered around the culture shown on Staten Island, while adding to the suspense and emotions the story carries. Whereas the story carries with it rightful questions that audiences should ask in regards to the treatment of low-income communities in America, McMurray at least manages to take those themes and present them in a fashion that's both entertaining to watch as well as eye-opening despite not possessing the skillful talents that acclaimed filmmakers Ryan Coogler and Jordan Peele carry with them. Although The First Purge isn't very good as an overall film, McMurray works overtime to make the experience as being at the very least watchable for both fans of the series as well as horror fans.

      The films screenplay is where the movie feels the most bogged down despite having the strongest themes and messages of the series behind it. The script by James DeMonaco shows its strengths when the film explores the politically charged concepts that the film aggressively presents as a way to make audiences think, reflect, and question the society surrounding them despite the story being fictional. DeMonaco's work with the Purge franchise proves to be at its strongest when he dives into the social issues of the films plot such as the rich pushing for the poor to be participants with the purging. The First Purge effectively explores themes regarding fascism with the new third party group initiating the Purge in an effort to kill off large portions of lower-income Americans so the wealthy doesn't have to support them. The film also shows how hate crimes and racism come into play during the Purge with white supremacist groups such as the KKK being essentially given the greenlight to go after minorities. The film also touches upon other politics with it often feeling like a condemnation of the far-right with other elements such as population control (Hence the secret reason behind the Purge), protesting against an evil system, and the formation of a resistance against the powers pushing for the Purge all coming into play and giving the story a viewpoint, that's engaging despite the films overall message of far-right politics ultimately leading to both dictatorships and genocide feeling a bit heavy-handed at times for the film. As for the films character development, it's just about what one would expect from a typical horror film with it being minimal. As hard as the filmmakers try to make Dimitri a complexed and appealing character in the story, he doesn't come across as being very likable nor sympathetic as audiences frankly don't care if he lives through the Purge or not. The characters that manage to generate moderate sympathy from the audience are the siblings Nya and Isaiah. The character of Dolores is used as a the films comic relief, though some of her humor works while the rest feels forced. The subplot between Dr. May and Chief Of Staff Arlo helps to give the film a moral compass with the two inevitably clashing over the moral issue of initiating the Purge. With DeMonaco's script, he incorporates numerous subplots and characters arcs to show the scope of the Purge despite the characters often feeling one-dimensional at times (Cough Dimitri Cough). The character of Skeletor is brilliantly used as an insight for the audience to understand the craving that some people have for wanting to participate in the Purge, making the experience one that's genuinely creepy and having a nightmarish feel to it. The script for The First Purge as a whole works best when the main focus is on the politics surrounding the initiation of the Purge as well as the action that follows. The story struggles when it comes to establishing it's main characters with the films believability being thrown out the window with the films third act showing Dimitri acting as a one man army against a militia in an apartment complex. While the action isn't bad, the complete nonsense and sudden action hero aspect of the character is.

      Overall The First Purge finds itself being a difficult film to judge in terms of being either a good or bad movie. The film clearly that could've been far better than what it ultimately turns out to be, but also isn't a complete failure of a horror story as it gives fans of the series what they want to see in regards to the graphic nature of the Purge. The best way to sum up the film is it being a missed opportunity ultimately, and just barely passes as being watchable though the weakest installment of the series. Although the film struggles with balancing out it's​ well-intended message with the horror elements of the story, it still manages to ground itself as being a brutal yet mildly entertaining thrill ride with a message that aims the films heart in the right place. Those who enjoy The Purge series as a whole will feel it doesn't live up to some of the previous installments, but still manages to pack enough excitement and emotional pull with the films political landscape to not only entertain but ask the hard-hitting questions the film demands the audience ask about whether America as a whole treats all of their citizens fairly. While the films political revelations regarding the low-income communities may be uncomfortable for some audiences as it may feel too close to home, others will find the experience to be eye-opening and wonder about the films themes while harnessing in its horror and action elements. For Purge fans as well as audiences in general, that's probably the best way approach the film in regards to watching it.

Final Verdict: For fans of The Purge series as well as horror films in general, The First Purge is worth a watch though it's not as well-executed and effective as it could've been. The films political messages may prove to be heavy for some viewers, but help to ultimately bring both relevance and realism to the story.