Has its potential moments

Rating: 6/10 (18 September 2019)

Having heard about these Purge films but never been too interested in them, decided to watch the original to see how it was. As was expected but slightly different. This film is more of a thriller than horror and it works in some ways.
The film is quite short so everything happens roughly quickly. Ethan Hawke is a likeable lead character here, and so is Lena Headey but the two kids weren't and made questionable choices from the start. First when the actual Purge begins, the son lets in a stranger he sees out in the street. Had he not done this, perhaps everything that occurred would have been avoided.
As an action thriller there are some decent amounts of thrills and entertainment. It is as to expect as the trailers do show exactly what it is. And as a lower budget film, this was a massive success which is why it produced three more sequels (as of now). The film could have been better and kore explained but given its run time, its clear they wanted something very quick and to the point.