Review of The Purge: Election Year (2016) by Tracy S — 05 Jul 2016

The political based horror franchise The Purge is back for it's third outing and despite how bad the first two movies were, The Purge: Election Year actually learns from the past mistakes and delivers a decent popcorn flick. While this is far from a great movie, this is shockingly the best in the franchise so far.

After the first two films crashing and burning, the main issue that plagued both films was the lack of political weight despite the obvious themes implied by their plots however writer and director James Demarco actually tackles this head on and gives this story some substance. The plot revolves around a few people this time with the main focus being on Frank Grillo's character from the last film providing security for a senator who is running for President with her main agenda of ending the Purge once and for all. However the political powers use the Purge to try and assassinate her and it is up to Grillo and a few intriguing supporting characters to protect her. This is actually a much more thought out story than we are used to from the franchise and it raises some good ideas about what would happen if this Purge ever came to be. Demarco explores all sides of this issue and really challenges the viewers on where they would stand if this actually came into being. While not everything in the story really makes sense, for example there are pointless uses of neo-nazis when a regular army would have sufficed, but you can tell that there is some real effort here.

Not only do we get a thematically aware plot, we also get some moderately developed characters as well as surprisingly good performances. Frank Grillo is back as Leo Barnes and he really shows that he can carry an action/horror film on his own. His character gets fleshed out a bit more thanks to the experiences of the last movie and we see some of his morals shine through a bit more than you would think. The senator is played by Elizabeth Mitchell and she does a great job in her role. She sells her character perfectly and the script even gives us a reason to care for her as she challenges the ideals of not just the political powers but also the people who take matters into their own hands. There is even some more characters that you genuinely care for with a stand out performance by Mykelti Williamson as a shop owner named Joe who provides heartfelt moments and well timed comedic relief.

James Demarco also does well in the director's chair as he gives some great atmosphere and art direction. The streets are filled with some truly chilling imagery that shows the decent into madness that people could stoop to if this Purge was real. There are also some great shots of gleeful anarchy that stay with you till the end of the film albeit people dancing around lifeless corpses or even someone being surrounded by goons in creepy masks. This franchise has prided itself on the use of masks and this time there are some truly disturbing masks that just give this film some much needed variety in its citizens.

However, the one thing this movie couldn't overcome is how utterly stupid plot points and dialogue. The writing in the finite details is nothing short of mind-numbingly dumb as we see one major plot even happen over a candy bar. That's right, a small piece of chocolate is a important detail. This is the world we live in. This also continues to some horrendous dialogue that is hammy to put it nicely. You find yourself laughing at moments that should be serious and silent when there should be some comedy. Demarco obviously thought out the major issues trying to save the franchise, but it is painfully obvious that he let the meat of the movie take the back burner.

The ending of the film is also a major issue simply because it is so bloated. The ending isn't bad at all. It actually is well earned and comes off as a decent ending to a decent movie. However, the entire last scene is about 15 minutes too long and you find yourself waiting for it to end. it is almost like the studio gave the crew a certain runtime it had to meet so Demarco just packed in as much mindless action as possible in order to meet it. Now the action is very well paced and brutal, but there is just so much of it in one scene that you can't help but feel like it is being thrown in your face more than the political overtones.

All in all The Purge: Election Year is a step in the right direction. The story is solid, the performances are entertaining, and the political horror themes are used fairly well but the writing is just so bad you can't take it seriously when you need to. This isn't a movie you should rush out to see, but for a matinee price you will get your money's worth for sure.