With ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2 kicking off the summer with a massive box office debut, it is safe to say we are going to have a huge season on our hands. In a new segment called Blockbuster Breakdown, we will be featuring the biggest summer movies that will be hitting the theaters each week and why you don’t want to miss it. So throw on some flip flops, grab some popcorn and sink into a big comfy seat because summer has arrived.
THE PURGE: ANARCHY– July 18
Director: James DeMonaco (The Purge, Little New York)
Stars: Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez, Zoe Soul
Synopsis: Three groups of people must come together and survive after they get stuck out on the annual Purge night.
Runtime: 103 minutes
Quote: “You can’t go out there. You know how dangerous it is?”
Review: UNLEASH THE BEAST!
‘The Purge: Anarchy’ doesn’t fall into the sequel slump and serves its purpose as an effective thriller crime movie that will surely entertain. And not much else.
The movie follows a couple on the edge of divorce on their way home on the annual Purge night, a night where all crime is legal for 12 hours. When their car dies on the road they must run from a group of masked men who hunt them down. Meanwhile a mother and daughter who are kidnapped from their home are rescued by a man, only known as Sergent, with his own agenda. When they run into the couple, they form a team in order to stay alive.
‘Anarchy’ takes the ideas of the Purge presented in the first film and expands them into a Grand Theft Auto bloodbath in the streets.
The idea of everyday citizens killing their neighbors for one night is chilling and something we didn’t get in the first film since it was confined to one house and one family.
The plot does have a lot of twists and turns as each character develops their own motive to ensure their survival once they are on the streets, however the script is lacking back story to how they came to be such as Sergent’s never explained tactical training which saves them multiple times.
There are some scenes that try to be emotional or intense but end up coming off as cheesy and comical. That’s not to say there are some good jumps and gore along the way. It is also fast paced and doesn’t linger too long
‘The Purge: Anarchy’ draws you in with the promise of mindless gore which it does deliver; along with an intriguing commentary on the state of American politics.
