Not bad, but the sequel is better

Rating: 5/10 (20 June 2015)

The idea is good, but it's resemblant of Battle Royale, Hunger Games and other breakdown-of-society sociopathic style films. So it's not exactly original, but it carries the same sense of dread and unease, the feeling of a loss of safety.
I gave it 5 out of 10 because it's really not below average. Some of the action, tension, and underlying conflict is very good, and Ethan Hawke does a siege really well, Precinct 13 and the Purge are good films from that standpoint. The purge characters are unique and sinister almost in a Clockwork Orange kind of way. It's a very different film, it can be quite eccentric.
The biggest dropping points are the kids, their acting is pretty terrible, they don't act like human beings at times. In general the film lacks a great push or edge to it, it can feel a bit boring and the pace feels slow too.
If you're the type of person who's really good at getting past silly things then you'll be able to get through it and probably enjoy it. My own level is an enjoyment of Star Wars Episode 1 in spite of the presence of Jar Jar. This film was harder to watch than Episode 1. I'd definitely recommend the sequel though, it fixes a lot of the issues with this film