Great Idea, Poorly Executed.

Rating: 5/10 (12 January 2018)

The Purge! An annual event in which criminal acts, including murder, are permitted by the government thus allowing all good American citizens to 'cleanse' themselves of their negativity and hatred without fear of consequence. What a great premise for a film!
Sadly, the potentially thrilling idea is poorly executed across the 1 hour and 25 minutes of this first in a series of films. Its main downfall is its predictability. I won't go as far to call them 'twists' because the plot is painfully straightforward but you will certainly see the two big plot points coming before they occur in the later part of the movie. The casting and acting varies from adequate to weak, but then the characters themselves are overly generic and uncomplicated.
I guess the real draw of The Purge was supposed to be its violent scenes, but even then it does nothing new, exciting or shocking. I can't help feel that in the hands of another Director/Writer the concept could have been something very thrilling indeed but since there are a couple of sequels, maybe the next in the series might deliver? Maybe a future instalment will take a deeper look at the moral implications of the annual event? Or, more likely, they will just be repeats of the same idea in varying locations. I shall see.
The Purge then; great idea but ultimately forgettable. Not badly filmed, mildly entertaining in places but overall a bit of a missed opportunity. 5/10