Review of The Purge: Election Year (2016) by Xander J — 31 Oct 2016

Timely in its premise, and, whilst not subtle or in any substance, examines very current issues that dominate conversation in a lot of houses. Since I saw the first in the series I've veered between feeling the films are the worst kind of violence porn to inflame the basest of audiences, or actually a subversive work of genius. Some pretty important moral concepts are highlighted in such a clumsy over the top way that at first it just feels ham fisted. Perhaps the real genius lies in the fact that these important social justice issues are highlighted in a way that's easily accessible. And it's in highlighting these issues, to people who's idea of entertainment is bucket loads of gratuitous violence, that perhaps is where the film redeems itself.

I deplore violent films as a whole, and yet I found the characters believeable and that I was rooting for them. It's absurd, visually over stimulating, crude, stereotyping, yet asks questions. These things need time, but the whole series could, in twenty years, be spoke of in the same tones as the clockwork orange. I usually hate the genre but weirdly like this film.