The First Purge

Starring: Y'lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, Mugga, Patch Darragh, Marisa Tomei, Luna Lauren Velez, Kristen Solis, Rotimi Paul
Directed by: Gerard McMurray
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Horror
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The United States watches as an experiment is tried on Staten Island- there will be no laws for 12 hours, all activities (including murder) are legal.

Review:

Tim: The Purge franchise has been fascinating to watch. The original film was a lackluster home invasion movie. The sequel was significantly better and the third film was fairly decent, too. Some of this was due to Frank Grillo helping save the franchise with his presence in the 2nd and 3rd films, but you have to give creator James DeMonaco great credit. He wrote and directed the first three films and got more comfortable with the world as he progressed. While he continued writing duties here, he turned the director work over to Gerard McMurray. Alas, this is when it all falls apart. This movie was so much worse than the last two, it's even worse than the original, representing a new franchise low. For a franchise that started so poorly, it enjoyed two unexpectedly solid films before reverting to the worst aspects of the genre here. And, don't think I am blaming this solely on McMurray taking over as director. That was obviously a terrible move, but DeMonaco wrote this bad movie, so he doesn't get off blameless.

The idea of the Purge is such a cool one. One night a year, no laws. Everything is legal. You start to think about what that could mean for a society. It's a fascinating idea and one worth exploring. That idea works when the Purge is already part of society. This prequel film explores how the first Purge happened... and it doesn't work at all. It's beyond absurd. I know right now we're dealing with things in this country we never dreamed could happen, but the idea of a purge actually being tried makes zero sense. This film never sells it in any meaningful way. Trying to show how a society transitions from pre-purge to purge felt laughable. It simply doesn't make sense. I'm all for social experiments, but the movie never convinces us why any rational (or even semi-rational people) would try this. Shifting all the murder and mayhem to one night as opposed to scattered through the year simply makes no sense. It probably never did, but it was easier to buy it when the institution already existed. I never believed for a second that anything in this film could actually happen, which is a big reason why it was such an abject failure.

The other issue I had is that not a single character in this film is worth caring about. They are all underdeveloped or caricatures. I applaud the film for trying to tell a powerful social commentary, especially when it focuses on minorities being screwed over by the government. I'm just not sure James DeMonaco is the right person for the job. It feels like this movie was a film about black people written by a white dude (which it is). It never connected, it never for a second felt authentic or genuine. It felt forced and uncomfortable. None of the characters felt believable- they felt like they would be portrayed by an outsider who didn't really understand what he was writing about. I like DeMonaco for how he turned this franchise around with films two and three, but his script simply did not work here.

The cast is utterly forgettable. Besides the character of Skeletor, there wasn't a single memorable or interesting member of the cast. It felt like a collection of generic actors. I was actually stunned Marisa Tomei signed on to this film. She has nothing to do and the final scene of her character was a joke. I couldn't comprehend why she would agree to this film when her role was so pointless.

As I've said, I changed my mind about this franchise, but the tentative goodwill established in the last two films was completely exhausted here. I hope The First Purge is the last Purge (it won't be) because this was a pretty awful movie from start to finish. I've never seen a franchise quite like this, but I do know with certainty that the fourth film is by far the worst film in the franchise.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 4.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Purge, The Purge: Anarchy, The Purge: Election Year