Life of a Film Student

2013 —– Horror/Thriller —– 85 min —– Rated R

Written & Directed by James DeMonaco
Starring Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder, & Adelaide Kane

Plot
On one night every year, all crime in America is legal as part of an annual event called the Purge. A family attempts to avoid the violence by locking up in its home, but after an unknown man finds his way in, everything changes for the worse.

My Thoughts
I don’t like trashing movies. I really don’t. It takes a lot of effort and tons of work to put a story on the screen and I like to give filmmakers credit, regardless of the movie. That being said, The Purge sucks.

When I first heard about the film a few months ago, I thought it was a strange, yet interesting concept. One night when all crime is legal? That’s kind of a cool. Then I started thinking about how ridiculous the whole idea is.

The purpose of the Purge is for people to get all of their anger out in one night and, as a result, crime is at an all-time low. Hold on… how does that make any flipping sense? What about the next day? “Oh, you killed my friend last night, but we’re cool…until next year.” Plus, let’s say you steal a car during the event. Do you get to keep it in the future?

The Purge is one giant plot hole. I tried to leave my brain at the door when I walked into the theater, but all the gaps in the story/premise are blatantly obvious and it was impossible for me to ignore them. I’m willing to suspend my belief pretty far, but come on.

The film features a family called the Sandins. The father (Ethan Hawke) is a guy named James who installs Purge security systems and has a striking resemblance to Mark McGrath from the band Sugar Ray. The whole time he talks like he’s speaking to a baby. “So this is why we do the Purge, okay?” His wife Mary (Lena Headey) is forgettable. Son Charlie (Max Burkholder) is a technology whiz kid who operates a remote control dead car baby thingy. He’s weird. And daughter Zoey (Adelaide Kane) is a teenager who has a douchey older boyfriend. They’re all extremely underdeveloped and annoying.

After Charlie lets in a bloody stranger (Edwin Hodge) begging for help on the streets on Purge night, a group of people in masks show up. The leader (Rhys Wakefield) demands that the family releases the bloody guy because he’s a homeless piece of crap who deserves to be killed. Or something like that…there were some annoying people in the theater who kept talking throughout the whole thing and it was hard to pay attention.

Disappointingly, the villains just aren’t scary. They look like they were plucked from the 2008 horror film The Strangers. Wakefield tries too hard to play the overly photogenic creepy guy and there’s no reason behind his actions.

The biggest disappointment of all though, is that the ENTIRE movie takes place in the Sandins’ house. I wanted to see the Purge play out in the streets! Instead, we get a home invasion movie with an elaborate backstory that’s supposed to convey a social message. Spoiler alert: There’s no social message.

If you want to see The Purge, watch the trailer below. No, seriously…watch the trailer. Every major plot point is there. All the film’s “twists” are predictable and the ending is boooring.

Overall implausible and insensible, The Purge is not worth your time. Seriously, I thought what you’re thinking… “It might be cool.” No! Don’t be tricked!

1.5 overly photogenic bad guys out of 5

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Have you seen The Purge? What did you think? Leave a comment!