Review of The Purge: Anarchy (2014) by Nikki N — 04 Apr 2015

While actually better than the original, Anarchy still lacks in too many spots crucial to elevating it into anything more than a B-action thriller. To start, a lack of finality to the overall story device of stopping the Purge, which is what the biggest theme seems to be. At the end, well, the Purge is still something they all have to live with apparently even though there were multiple hints about a faction taking down the overriding authority.

I don't know why Frank Grillo hasn't been a leading man in more action roles. With so many over-qualified guys like Neeson and Penn turning into these age-formed action stars, Grillo could have been doing this from the beginning. We even saw more of his strengths in Captain America. He breeds strong and silent type.

At times the acting gets silly from his supporting cast from outright what in the world are you doing to absolutely doing nothing. Especially for the mother and daughter. I get that they don't have the training to survive outside during the Purge, to the mom didn't win my vote after freezing like a deer in the headlights in the subway tunnel and then out of nowhere acting like the only one who knows what to do at the end of the film. Her character mapping was all over the place.

Turning a section of the killing into a game for the rich people in the latter third of the film was fun, but the dark environment hindered what you could actually see on screen when the focus wasn't in night vision.

The Purge has always been a great concept, but the stories of its lead characters just aren't weighted enough to make you feel like their separate story means anything in the overall picture of the Purge storyline itself.