Review of The Purge: Anarchy (2014) by Chris O — 05 Jul 2018

The stories we wanted to come from The Purge franchise in a disturbing, yet satisfying manner.

The New Founders of America invite you to celebrate your annual right to Purge. The Purge: Anarchy, the sequel to summer 2013's sleeper hit that opened to No. 1 at the box-office, sees the return of writer/director James DeMonaco to craft the next terrifying chapter of dutiful citizens preparing for their country's yearly 12 hours of anarchy.

Before I go to theaters and watch "The First Purge", I've been marathoning and re-watching all the previous Purge films. While the first one was one of the worst films I had ever seen, I've seen this one probably almost a dozen times now. I'll say for starters, it still holds up really well. And second, it's actually a really solid film. Everything that was missing from the first film is here and the crew behind this franchise did their best to deliver a film that people actually wanted to see.

Let's start out with the craziness. We get a few different story lines that last throughout the night of the annual Purge. We follow along a few characters, one set who was kidnapped, another whose car broke down, and another who's purging. Those are three different levels but they come together to embark on a thrilling journey. I love that we're placed smack down in the middle of the Purge, running through the city trying to survive. There's a lot of disturbing imagery in here and the entire environment is built so well.

Frank Grillo was definitely an excellent choice to be the unsung leader of the franchise. His tough, gritty demeanor, physical stature, and likability makes him an easy to follow lead. He brings some emotion and a lot of strength to his role. Everyone else in the supporting cast did wonderful jobs and in contrary to the first film, these guys were basically star performers. The cast did an all around good job, especially the ones playing the crazies.

What I liked about this film is even though it had its silly or absurd moments, it began to draw a bigger picture for us. In a world where this exists, things such as rebellions will rise up. I love that we got a chill raising glimpse into that and some of the people behind it. It made the film feel more epic and the stakes felt higher. It didn't feel like just any Purge night, it felt like an important one. I love how the franchise drew on that idea and made it into a reality.

In the end, "The Purge: Anarchy" was a fun (is it bad that I used that word to describe it?), disturbing, and thrilling story. Costumes and production design were great, the story was chaotic but linear, and the overall premise was enticing. So far, my favorite in the franchise.