The First Purge is an unflattering mirror for the United States of today.
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I was actually hoping for something like that. You have to think if crime is legal for a small slice of time you'd think businesses that were super vulnerable like banks would build small fortresses that could be held down by some trusted employees while things went to Hell. Imagining a heist movie based around using the Purge to rob a bank like that while also deaing with the crazies in the streets or even using them would be pretty cool.
That is definitely a premise in the universe I'd love to see
Isnt the purge like after hours when no one is working? Id imagine theyd just lock it down with those metal doors the rich have until morning.
I don't think reality is one step away from The Purge, and I don't think it's the painful terrifying truth either.
That's what makes it a heist rather than a robbery. Need to get past the fortified Purge security systems
I hope they do a storyline where every sleeper terrorist cell just starts blowing up everything on that day, or a foreign government agents go crazy sabotaging.
"Heist" connotes some level of cleverness. If literally all crime is legal, then you can just brute force a break in.
I imagine Purge security would specifically be designed against brute force, plus you could have narrative reasons for why the team would want to be more subtle in their approach like not wanting the mark to know he was robbed
Like Purge security systems for high level facilities like banks or casinos could be motion-tracking automated guns and high tech defenses that have no restrictions against maiming and killing people trying to break in.
Or a eccentric billionaire with Saw or The Collector-style defenses against those who would be foolish enough to try and steal from him. Imagine if the guy from Don't Breathe was preparing his house to protect against invaders during The Purge
I guess you could write up a story involving a big name place that might have a lot of cash on hand, but I mean, speaking realistically, why not just steal some construction vehicles, plow through a couple of credit unions and grab enough cash to make you solvent for a few more purges, but, because you're a smart crook with your eyes on retirement, continue the same game plan in different cities year after year.
Not really spoilers but there was a lot of looting including a pawn shop.
The thing is people wouldn't be able to get to where the money in a bank. Merchandise and money from shops are fair game.
There's no reason why that doesn't happen, or didn't happen previously. The stories focused on just aren't about that.
They're horror movies, not heist movies. That crime is legal for that short period would be missing the point of any heist movie to begin with.
All is welcome. Especially Anarchy, I had a lump in my throat towards the end cause I thought the worst. Really entertaining films.
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For me, it's in reverse. I thought the first was the best one. It was subtle, mysterious and a game of cat and mouse. Each one gets more ridiculous and more action oriented than the previous one. Skeletor or those stupid blue eyes on people lol. So "cool". I still enjoy the movies and I love the message it is portraying but I wish they would tone down the cheese.
OP
OP
I enjoyed it. To be clear, I've enjoyed every Purge more than the last. I'd still rank it below a bunch of other movies I've seen this year, but for me it was more than worth my money, and I will likely buy it at least digitally when it comes out that way.
All the protags are POC, and all the bad guys are KKK and neo nazis. It shits on them from a great height.
Watch them all. They are good movies, for the reasons OP listed.
The movies are as subtle as a brick to the face, but it's clear in the world they lay out that the well to do have far more resources to protect themselves during the Purge than the people who are victimized. Yeah, a small militia could certainly attack industry cornerstones, but they're likely to have a small militia of their own. And if the goal, as stated in the series, is for people to let off anger, they're going to go for easier targets. Ones who can't afford to protect themselves.
And I mean to be fair, the rich do get off on paying lower taxes which literally kills people so I don't think that portraying them as murder perverts is all that far off the mark.
I'd say so. It's a B movie, but it's a damn good B movie. Compelling performances from the leads, well directed action, and a competently told story with a clear message and a satisfying conclusion.
Oh fuck, I totally missed that this came out. I love the series.
Unfortunately, my theater of choice isn't even showing it. This sucks.
Unfortunately, my theater of choice isn't even showing it. This sucks.
Doesn't the government hire mercenaries to basically instigate people into killing each other?
This is exactly what happens. When the Purge starts it's very infrequent murder, mostly just people being dicks and looting. There are even Purge parties where people use it as an excuse for debauchery but nothing more than what you'd see at any, like, Halloween block party. They call in mercenaries and film these "gangs" committing atrocities which gives them the swing they need to roll out the Purge in America.
Later movies it's used as an excuse for the government to cleanse impoverished people: low income houses, homeless people, etc. With these people gone street level crime is less likely to occur and unemployment/homeless would be down because those people were killed.
Later movies it's used as an excuse for the government to cleanse impoverished people: low income houses, homeless people, etc. With these people gone street level crime is less likely to occur and unemployment/homeless would be down because those people were killed.
But, they do. The Rich have all that fuck you money but, still want more and never give it to the people who need it. You don't need a dozen homes or a dozen cars. That's BS and imo they should be forced to liquidate their assets and give it to the poor. People are starving to death on the streets and the Rich buy another house or another luxury yacht.
Can we just make this the spoiler thread?
Basic summary for people who won't see the film.
The premise is no more ridiculous than something like The Handmaid's Tale imo. It's easy to say "that isn't realistic" when we haven't been forced to survive horrific atrocities in our country firsthand. It can also be seen as a metaphor for the disenfranchisement of underprivileged groups, like the systemic incarceration and murder of black people at the hands of our judicial system, or the poisoning of entire communities like Flint. I find it hard to believe that our country has been incapable of providing a basic necessity like clean drinking water to a entire town for YEARS, yet here we are.
Honestly, outside of the first film, which is reminiscent of Funny Games, I wouldn't even classify these films as horror anymore. They're more action-thriller at this point. They aren't particularly gratuitous in their violence and don't set out to actively scare the audience on a regular basis; instead, they aim to disturb the audience by holding up a mirror on the horrific actions humanity is capable of, especially when a government has full control over what the populace can see and hear. The films are really about the government masking the true nature of many Americans as generally good-willed towards each other in order to fulfill the systemic extermination of the underprivileged.
Basic summary for people who won't see the film.
The country is essentially in the next great depression, giving rise to a third political party called the New Founding Fathers. With the help of a scientist, they come up with 'The Experiment' in which people are able to release their anger and despair without consequence. The experiment takes place on Staten Island due to the demographic of low income citizens living there. They offer compensation for participating in the experiment. $5k for just staying on the island, and additional compensation dependent on your level of participation. Basically, the more violent you get, the more money you could potentially earn. Their expectation is that, since this is an impoverished community, they will see very high levels of participation.
Surprisingly (or rather not surprisingly), they don't. Who would've thought that a close knit community wouldn't be down with murdering each other for some money? Aside from a few exceptions, the community sticks together, instead opting to spend the night at church together, or have massive block parties. The experiment looks to be a failure, which is when the NFFA leader of the experiment secretly releases hired militia, dressed up as citizens, to go and make it appear like participation levels are much higher than they actually are. The community is under siege by a bunch of white supremacist militias, who go around systematically killing everyone. The community unites together to fight back against these racist invaders.
Surprisingly (or rather not surprisingly), they don't. Who would've thought that a close knit community wouldn't be down with murdering each other for some money? Aside from a few exceptions, the community sticks together, instead opting to spend the night at church together, or have massive block parties. The experiment looks to be a failure, which is when the NFFA leader of the experiment secretly releases hired militia, dressed up as citizens, to go and make it appear like participation levels are much higher than they actually are. The community is under siege by a bunch of white supremacist militias, who go around systematically killing everyone. The community unites together to fight back against these racist invaders.
The premise is no more ridiculous than something like The Handmaid's Tale imo. It's easy to say "that isn't realistic" when we haven't been forced to survive horrific atrocities in our country firsthand. It can also be seen as a metaphor for the disenfranchisement of underprivileged groups, like the systemic incarceration and murder of black people at the hands of our judicial system, or the poisoning of entire communities like Flint. I find it hard to believe that our country has been incapable of providing a basic necessity like clean drinking water to a entire town for YEARS, yet here we are.
Honestly, outside of the first film, which is reminiscent of Funny Games, I wouldn't even classify these films as horror anymore. They're more action-thriller at this point. They aren't particularly gratuitous in their violence and don't set out to actively scare the audience on a regular basis; instead, they aim to disturb the audience by holding up a mirror on the horrific actions humanity is capable of, especially when a government has full control over what the populace can see and hear. The films are really about the government masking the true nature of many Americans as generally good-willed towards each other in order to fulfill the systemic extermination of the underprivileged.
Yeah this conservative jackass that is in my friends circle is all about this movie. He thought it was a genius idea to reduce crime. When I asked him how allowing people to commit crimes reduces crime he had no answer.
If you decriminalize crimes they are no longer illegal and therefore crime is reduced. It's perfectly sound logic.
I fucking loved it and can't stop thinking about it. It completely lacks subtlety but it is still one hell of a ride.
I think so. It definitely achieved what it set out to do
Oh, that's good to hear!
I haven't seen this new one yet, but my rankings with the first three are similar to yours with 2 being my favorite; 2,3,1 in that order.
Not to the level of The Purge, but we've already seen real life examples. When a situation gets to the point of rioting, there is violence, there is looting, there is destruction. Morality takes a back seat when the law isn't in the way. I have no doubt that a large percentage of the population wouldn't think twice about illegal activities if they knew there were no consequences.
Wow, I think I liked this one even more than the second one. The characters were more interesting and likable, there was a better sense of place that worked in the movie's favor rather than just being a gallery of crazy Purge executions that characters drive past. The escalation into eventual chaos gave the movie better pacing than the past films, and the violence felt more nasty and disturbing while the action had a Die Hard + Assault on Precinct 13 vibe by the end. The only weak link was the hilariously over-the-top Skeletor; as a villain, his presence felt jarring, like one of the crazies of the other movies transplanted into this one
Saw this on Thursday. These movies either need to get better at delivering a political message (they won't, because of the budget/talent involved) or they need to get way more in on the joke (Skeletor was the comedy saving grace of this one). I've only seen Anarchy and First- wanted to see 3, but I definitely feel like I don't need to see the original. I had fun with Anarchy because it wasn't too self-serious IIRC.
*Loved* the main gangster character though. Reminded me of Sterling K. Brown a little. Definitely want to see him in more stuff. Had an awesome presence.
Man, they could flesh out this universe with non-horror so well. A bank heist that you have 12 hours to pull while people are trying to kill each other? A stoner comedy where two buddies try to get across town and avoid death just to get legally high? A superhero movie where the superhero decides to turn on people? A political thriller? Man, there's so many stories they could tell besides "murder is bad and this is America" and have it be an actual fun time at the movies.
*Loved* the main gangster character though. Reminded me of Sterling K. Brown a little. Definitely want to see him in more stuff. Had an awesome presence.
Man, they could flesh out this universe with non-horror so well. A bank heist that you have 12 hours to pull while people are trying to kill each other? A stoner comedy where two buddies try to get across town and avoid death just to get legally high? A superhero movie where the superhero decides to turn on people? A political thriller? Man, there's so many stories they could tell besides "murder is bad and this is America" and have it be an actual fun time at the movies.
The newest movie directly addresses that. The very first Purge was restricted to one burrough of New York City, and people had to be paid to participate.
For the most part noone killed anyone. Robberies, looting and block parties. Mentally disturbed people, drug addicts and false flagging kicked everything off.
Movie was decent, each one has gotten better than previous.
Also each Purge flick gets blacker and filled with more minorities than the one before it.
Which is off that the audience for The Purge is exactly who it is warning against.
Everywhere I go or read about these movies, people are always voicing their confusion as to why blacks are portrayed as the good guys.