Movie Review: The Purge: Anarchy

The Purge: Anarchy
R, 1 hr. 44 min.
Horror
Directed By: James DeMonaco
Written By: James DeMonaco
In Theaters: Jul 18, 2014 Wide
Universal Pictures - Official Site
The New Founders of America invite you to celebrate your annual right to Purge. The Purge: Anarchy, the sequel to summer 2013's sleeper hit that opened to No. 1 at the box-office, sees the return of writer/director James DeMonaco to craft the next terrifying chapter of dutiful citizens preparing for their country's yearly 12 hours of anarchy. Returning alongside DeMonaco to produce The Purge: Anarchy are Blumhouse Productions' Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity and Insidious series), alongside Sébastien K. Lemercier (Assault on Precinct 13, Four Lovers) and Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay (Pain & Gain, Transformers franchise), Brad Fuller (The Amityville Horror, A Nightmare on Elm Street) and Andrew Form (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th). (c) Uniersal

Normally sequels fail misery in light of the original. For the first Purge movie that would be near impossible unless the sequel was a blank screen for two hours. I was so angry I could have sued the makers of the movie. So when I heard there was another Purge movie coming out I wrote it off.

After seeing the trailers I decided that maybe it was worth a second shot.

Purge: Anarchy surpassed my wildest dreams! Not only did it make up for the first one but then some! Like a comeback made in heaven the sequel has earned a place in my top five movies of all time.

The whole movie is cleverly written with moments that make you jump out of your skin sprinkled within. The annual purge is generally regarded as a good thing and the redemption of a nation. After five annual purges things aren’t so cheery. It’s starting to look less like a way for a nation to ‘purge’ themselves of violence and more like a clever form of population control.

The rich stock up on protection and even buy victims while the poor are left defenseless and even targeted by their loving government. When a group of rebels decides they’ve had enough things get bloody.

An unlikely hero learns that love and forgiveness are far better than revenge. He helps a group of unfortunate people and breaks the ‘rule’ of the purge “don’t be a hero”. The ending is full of instant karma, good one liners and a whole lot of rich a-holes shot to bloody hell.

Do yourself a favor and don’t see the first one, but go see the second one right this second!

Just remember how much good the purge does.

5 "purging" Sheep

guest reviewer: Ren Stogner

Sheep Movie Review: The Purge

The Purge (2013)
R, 1 hr. 25 min.

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriler
Directed By: James DeMonaco
Stars: Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder
Universal Pictures

If on one night every year, you could commit any crime without facing consequences, what would you do? In The Purge, a speculative thriller that follows one family over the course of a single night, four people will be tested to see how far they will go to protect themselves when the vicious outside world breaks into their home. In an America wracked by crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity-includingmurder-becomes legal. The police can't be called. Hospitals suspend help. It's one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking. When an intruder breaks into James Sandin's (Ethan Hawke) gated community during the yearly lockdown, he begins a sequence of events that threatens to tear a family apart. Now, it is up to James, his wife, Mary (Lena Headey), and their kids to make it through the night without turning into the monsters from whom they hide. 

“Just think of all the good the purge does.”

Well it sure as hell didn't do any good for me. After spending the last 85 minutes of my life regretting the second I handed over my $4.25 for the ticket, I've come to a conclusion: If given the choice between seeing this movie again or actually being in The Purge completely unarmed in the middle of the ghetto, I'd choose the ghetto. Simply for the fact that it'd be less painful.

The movie starts out good and had the potential to be a really good thriller. It quickly declined though. The actors are lackluster and B list at best. The plot line is overly thought out and what should have taken at most 30 minutes, got spread out for an hour and a half.

If you were to play a drinking game while watching this movie (props for sneaking in booze!) and every time someone said or mentioned the word “'purge” you'd be dead within the first 20 minutes. We get it okay, this night's a big deal, no need to restate that.

The so called “unfortunate events” that lead to the family's horrible night aren't bad luck at all, they're the result of bad parenting and child supervision. The movie tries to prove a message (a down fall for any horror movie) and depicts American's as blood thirsty insane savages.

Not only does it play up every over used cliche available, but the movie is physically upsetting. I don't mean upsetting as in disturbing or morbid, but upsetting as in the movie is so bad that you literally cringe. All the wrong people die and all the wrong people live! The “plot twist” isn't a twist at all. I saw it coming within the first 10 minutes.

The only good part was when the mom finally snaps, claiming she just wants some "mother f****** peace!"

In conclusion; boyfriends are bad news, neighbors are bad news, doing good deeds are bad news and crazy psycho people in masks are most definitely bad news.

Do yourself a favor, save your time, money and sanity and do as they do in the movie, JUST STAY THE FLOCK HOME!

1/2 "Purged" Sheep

Guest reviewer: Ren Stogner