By Eduardo A. Viera
Audiences are flocking to see the third entry of The Purge franchise (it’s beating Tarzan and the BFG in the box office), but is it really worth seeing? The concept is as interesting as ever: what if for one day every crime would be legal? And the stakes are further raised by making the movie about the elections. I will discuss if the concept and added stakes are enough to carry the movie by discussing the plot, genre and how good it is compared to the other two movies in the franchise.
I - Plot and Acting
Even if it has a great concept, unfortunately, (it really is too bad) the writer/director James DeMonaco can’t make the movie live up to said concept. The movie goes through twist and twist in what feels to be an effort to make the movie longer and consequently, The Purge: Election Year feels longer than its 1 hour 45 minutes running time. Sometimes though, thin plots can be elevated through incredible acting and/or dialogue… which is not the case.
The dialogue feels forced and unnatural, and most characters are stereotypical. There is the damsel in distress, the hero (and much more) but the worst of them all has to be the character played by Mykelti Williamson, which seems to only exist for the sake of comic relief. He fails to deliver, with no help from the dialogue (i.e. at one point, he says “my negrill”). But this isn’t a movie where all bad acting can be attributed to one person. Almost all the actors, big role or small role, overact or are rigid. Only exception goes to Elizabeth Mitchell though, who made her character come to life with the little she had to go with.
II - Franchise-Wise
How does this movie stack up to The Purge Franchise? Well, since all of the movies fall flat, there is at least some consistency there. The first one had a “wow” factor the two other simply can't have because it was the first time audiences were treated to this high concept horror. It also has a simple, straightforward story, one of the many things lacking in the second one (seriously, who remembers The Purge: Anarchy’s plot?).
Election Year, even if it’s thin, does have a plot and successfully extends the universe set by the first one. It even raises the stakes by making the movie about the Elections, making it that more exciting. This movie is ultimately much more memorable than the second one, but doesn’t have what it takes to beat the original Purge Night.
III - Genre
Finally, Election Year is defined as an “action, horror” by IMDB. The one it does best is the high paced action, something the franchise has always excelled at. But I was also surprised at how it kept me guessing. Yes, the twists were stupid and borderline comedic, but the basic premise (will the characters survive Purge night?) was hard to predict, something always welcome in a horror movie. Election Year kept me anxious throughout its entirety, and there were some genuine moments in which I got scared. One thing IMDB missed though, is that it’s a comedy too. The dialogue and acting are so bad they draw actual laughs, and even the writing itself sets comedic tones, specifically the comic relief discussed before.
To conclude, this is a movie, and a franchise, that has had a lot of potential. It still hasn’t been able to live up to its high concept, and maybe it never will in the format of a movie. The three movies have shown issues in successfully fulfilling the time of a full length movie. A better format for this movies could be a Television Series that has a different character’s Purge Night per episode. Or imagine a regular police drama that has every season finale on Purge Night, taking the story to another level. Either way, if you enjoyed the last two movies (or just the first one) you should enjoy this one as well, but don’t expect something too different either. If you’ve never seen the Purge, the “wow” factor should be enough to carry the film.
This is Joe Daven, signing out. Have a great day people, and always enjoy life
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