Review of The Purge: Election Year (2016) by Johnny T — 25 Mar 2017

It isn't particularly subtle, but The Purge: Election Year's blend of potent jolts and timely themes still add up to a nastily effective diversion. It's a better movie than the second but the first one will always be my favourite. It's an allegory painted in broad strokes, but several set-pieces are nail-biters, and more than once it captures the insanity of election campaigns with stark clarity. Election Year undoubtedly delivers what viewers want; violence, relatively decent characters and an opportunity to imagine how well they'd fare themselves in the same situation. The action is largely routine and the dialogue rarely more than functional, but DeMonaco, marshalling the franchise's best production values yet, shrewdly taps into the angry zeitgeist. For audiences who want mindless mayhem, the films never really tip over into that, and for anyone who wants to see this idea fully explored, you may leave frustrated. At least this time, it feels like the dart is on the dartboard instead of in the wall. It takes a while, but by the time the political elite gather in a church and begin washing their knives in holy water for the ritual human sacrifice, you know The Purge: Election Year has finally gotten into gear. Election Year maintains the nervy tension that made the first films entertaining, but doubles down on the political metaphors, overwhelming you with its soap-box rhetoric.

VERDICT: "In The Zone" - [Mixed Reaction] These kinds of movies are usually movies that had some good things, but some bad things kept it from being amazing. This rating says buy an ex-rental or a cheap price of the DVD to own. If you consider cinema, ask for people's opinion on the film. (Films that are rated 2.5 or 3 stars).