The Purge

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder, Adelaide Kane, Edwin Hodge, Arija Bareikis
Directed by: James DeMonaco
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Science Fiction
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: In the near future, a family comes under siege during The Purge- the one night a year when all crime is legal.

Review:

Tim: I have to admit I was pretty intrigued by the premise of The Purge- that one night a year, all crime is legal. That very idea is fascinating and can be explored in so many different directions. What would you do in a night if you knew there were no legal consequences? What would you do to protect yourself from others? How would you conduct yourself the other 364 days a year if you knew anyone around you could murder you on the 365th? There's so many great questions. For this reason, I was looking forward to this film, even though I had some trepidation based on what the trailers showed. Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared for the disappointment that this movie presented. This is just not a very well made movie.

This is director James DeMonaco's second film and that inexperience shows. He delivers a mostly by-the-numbers horror movie with very little that's exciting or new. This movie is evidence that even with a great concept, the movie won't work without exceptional execution. As it is, this is a lackluster effort all around. Some of this blame goes to the script (which DeMonaco wrote), and the rest of the blame goes to DeMonaco as the director. This is a film that could have been good, but wasn't in the least.

One of the problems I had with this film is that the characters aren't compelling in the least. If we don't care if they live or die, then nothing that happens to them will register emotionally with us. You have Ethan Hawke as a sleazy businessman that I never felt connected with. Lena Headley was miscast, as she portrays a cold wife that was unable to generate any connection with the audience. The daughter is selfish and stupid, and the son seems to be a complete moron, based off the idiotic decisions he makes throughout the entire film. Our protagonist family is quite frankly, unlikable, which sinks the movie before it begins. I never identified with nor cared about any of the characters. That is a huge mistake.

The other problem I had is the near constant string of stupid decisions the characters make. This just completely took me out of the film. I understand being frightened and not in the best frame of mind, but characters just made a series of stupid decisions that no sane person would make. One of the worst is when the son is hiding in a dark room from the home invaders, and he turns on a flashlight, moving it around the room, looking for people. Why in the world would you do this if you were hiding from someone? Guess what? In a dark room, the light of your flashlight will give away your location- because the bad guys can see it! This is one example of a number of stupid moments littering the script. I was rolling my eyes and groaning almost from start to finish. The script was really bad.

Outside of the cool idea of crime being legal once a year, this movie plays out like a typical, run-of-the-mill slasher film. The bad guys come in, the good guys fight back and a few people die here and there. Sure, there's a few tense moments and a few unexpected twists, but these solitary moments can't elevate a script or a movie that just feels so blah. There was nothing in this movie that frightened me, nothing made me feel any real suspense. In a movie about a home invasion, boredom is not the major emotion you want to feel. I'm not saying this movie is completely terrible, but it squandered a whole lot of potential.

I went in to The Purge looking forward to a chilling, suspenseful movie. What I got was a variation on a film I've seen countless times before. Director James DeMonaco says nothing new with this script. Sure, there's a bit of commentary about society and violence, but these moments are lost in a weak film. I wanted so much more than I got with this ineffective, forgettable movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 5.5



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