The Purge: Anarchy – Franchising at it’s best(?)
Just got a chance to watch the new flick, The Purge: Anarchy Starring Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, and Zoe Soul. Still coming down from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, I may be a little harsher on other movies for the next month or so because a bar has definitely been set for summer movies.
The Purge: Anarchy was still entertaining, however, but what it doesn’t do is set itself apart in the thriller genre. It does, however, present viewers with the question when all law is gone what will humanity do? How do our baser characteristics come into play when they are not challenged by conscience. The movie doesn’t really continue where the last left, but we’re following another set of characters in this world. With this formula, I see a series of straight to DVD/Netflix sequels in this franchise’s future.
The year is 2023, and the government has taken measures to lower the crime rate and unemployment by implementing a yearly purge for civilians. The Purge, as it is called, is a yearly event that lifts the restrictions of the law for one night of chaos and mayhem. Civilians are permitted to do whatever they want when they want for the night with no interference from the law.
The movie itself follows a range of different characters with varying back stories. A couple on the brink of separation, a Mother and daughter barely surviving on the minimum wage income the Mother brings home, and weathered sergeant preparing for the purge with cold calculated focus.
The movie pits all these characters together at one point in a struggle to survive past the night together. The movie shifts from the mother and daughter then to the couple and concludes with the focus on the sergeant and his leadership and his path to forgiveness and redemption.
Honestly, the movie could have been a lot better than this. In that same breath, it could have been a lot worse. Frank Grillo, however, is definitely an actor worth following. He’s played second string for a series of years, but I would watch for him as he continues in his career. His character in Captain America this year is poised to make a comeback in later iterations of the film and I can see him really launching as a Action Star. Another performer to watch for is Zoe Soul. This young lady definitely gave a decent performance considering the direction of the film, and I could definitely see her breaking out.
Overall, this movie is at most matinee worthy, but I wouldn’t pay full price for this ticket.