Wasted Potential

Rating: 5/10 (1 July 2016)

Justin here. When the first Purge came out in 2013, it really piqued my interest. I loved the concept of the government allowing only once a year for crime to be legal and it's in a futuristic setting. I'll be honest, I did not really like the first movie. It felt really wasted with its potential because it didn't seem like it had executed with the idea very well because 98% of it took place in a house and it became just a home invasion film. It had some creepy parts here and there like with the little remote control doll, the masks look creepy, and I liked the main leader of the group who was over the top. Needless to say, the characters including the son and daughter made some really stupid choices and the kills weren't really that creative. They just felt standard. It had a lot of padding issues and didn't really pick up until close to the last half. Ethan Hawke was okay, but his character was kind of incompetent. Lena Headey was good though. Overall, I wasn't too big of a fan. 5/10.