Review of The Purge: Election Year (2016) by Maksim B — 31 Oct 2016

Building-up on the very intriguing concept of The Purge Anarchy, the third instalment from this already very successful (especially financially) franchise is a proper addition to the trilogy. While it does not fully match the level of its predecessor, The Purge - Election Year develops a captivating concept into a simple story which actually does not seem so improbable if we look into the further future. Less violent and certainly less scary, Election Year has lost from its "horror" attributed, but it has added new elements of aggressiveness and moral dilemmas which would definitely keep you entertained.

The story continues a few years after the events of The Purge Anarchy. There is a presidential candidate who is willing to change the system and stop the Annual Purge night. This, however, has caused serious discontent within the ruling circles of the society and soon candidate Charlene Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell) becomes a target during the Annual Purge night. Without much help in a city that is tearing itself apart Mrs. Roan has to rely on Sgt. Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) for her own survival. As the stakes become higher, the tension in James DeMonaco's delivery also increases. The prospect of having an elected President who can stop the annual massacre of citizens is a proper build-up from the sequel and makes a nice connection to the previous movie. The presence of Frank Grillo is a pleasant addition and his character development nicely establishes the successful connection with the second instalment.

The main problem of director James DeMonaco, however, is the fact that while trying to bring the stakes higher and to make the moral dilemmas even more captivating, The Purge - Election Years misses on the brutality and violence that made the first two movies so cool. The overall satire and violence are still present, but to a much lesser extent. This, of course, does not damage the movie too much and it actually remains a very solid and satisfying low-budget example of how to make a good franchise and a proper horror-action delivery.

In conclusion, if you like the first the movies, you should definitely watch Election Year. It will provide you with more of the same and it will further develop the concept which might have captured your attention in the second movie. You may slightly disappointed by the less violence and thrills, but in the end you will still be entertained. For the rest who have not seen any of the previous two movies, I would recommend to watch at least The Purge Anarchy and then to enjoy The Purge - Election Year.