Amazing dystopian idea doesn't quite live up to its fullest

Rating: 6/10 (9 June 2016)

It is common for filmmakers to conceive such fascinating ideas and watch as they're ideas translate poorly on-screen. On the bright side, some of these instances have to be proved to be surprisingly successful, most particularly films dealing with a dystopian society. This film directed and written by James DeMonoco establishes a profoundly interesting concept that raises questions about our society today, including "Could this possibly happen in the future?" and "Would this be beneficial, damaging to our society, or both?". This film is set in the near future in which the government has enacted a legislation known as The Purge, an annual night of the year when crime in America including murder, rape, and robbery is legal for twelve hours without any interference or disciplinary response by the law enforcement. The purpose of this act is reduce our country's crime rate and unemployment which reaches an all-time low thanks to this act. The plot centers on the Sandin family including James (played by Ethan Hawke), Mary (played by Lena Headey), and their two teenage children Charlie (played by Max Burkholder) and Zoey (played by Adelaide Kane); a family who lives in a beautiful home set with a high-tech security system which they use to protect themselves on the night of the Purge. When a lonely man batter in blood wanders the streets yelling for help from a gang of masked criminals lead by the sadistic leader (played by Rhys Wakefield) out to kill him, Charlie unlocks the security system letting the poor man. With the gang breaking into their house demanding for the man they are targeting. The family must stand together to survive the violent while struggling to turn into the killers that are after them.
With such as thought-provoking idea like this brought together on-screen, it's difficult not to think of the possibilities like "What would you do during the Purge?" while watching this. The film succeeds on some levels such as formulating stark, thought-provoking themes and generating some well drawn characters, particularly the main characters James and Mary who are awarded with fine performances by Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey. The script on the other hand, lies the film's biggest falter. The plot is not bad and does enough to keep at least some glued to their seats, it never quite reaches its full potential. There are so many grounds the plot leaves unexplored and because of this, results in an brilliant film concept that feels somewhat unfinished. Instead of venturing through various concepts, the plot focuses primarily on the family's fight for survival and the grim atmosphere that drives the plot. The suspense works at times, but at other times feels dull. The main conflict here is not the family confrontation against the sadistic criminals that threaten to kill them but also the inner conflict within the characters, the testing of their moral compass when they stuck with decision to either throw the poor man the son let in out to die, or pick up their weapons to fight to protect him and themselves. In the end, viewers eventually come to care for the characters and hope of their survival, even the film fails to be scary or inventive as it outta be.
Overall, The Purge is an okay film that expresses some intriguing concepts and thrills, although some viewers will left yearning for more. The film may suffer some flaws in terms of writing and direction but there is still some good to be handed here. Those looking for a straight-out scare fest are likely to be displeased, others may find some satisfaction here.