The First Purge weaves strong social commentary into a not-so-horror action film that leaves the viewer with some food for thought paired with some unease.
In an alternate reality where a third-party political candidate actually wins a presidential election, the United States of America is facing the same economic self-destruction that could befall the United States of this reality. Stock markets prices are dropping, the mortgage crisis is worse than it was in 2008, and unemployment is on the rise. The U.S. is in desperate need of a solution, and the New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA) knows just what to do. Feeling that people are too angry and need a way to vent, the NFFA designs an experiment that makes all activities legal for a twelve hour period. The people call it the “purge.”
The First Purge is based around the events that transpire in the experiment during one night on Staten Island. The film follows the standard three-act narrative structure, with the first act containing more substantial material than the rest of the movie. This being my first step into the Purge franchise, I had my reservations and remained skeptical about what I was going to experience. I have to say, I was surprised that The First Purge handles its social commentary in the way it does, but it isn’t without its flaws.
Note mild spoilers contained within the rest of the review. No major plot points will be revealed unless otherwise noted. Proceed at your own discretion.
The First Purge begins with news reports explaining the state of the country, how the NFFA has the experiment planned, and that it will be taking place on Staten Island and participation will be compensated. The first ten minutes or so are filled with exposition via news report. Using a news report to bring the audience up to speed is a common tactic in movies, but The First Purge takes it a step too far. Even when there isn’t a blatant news report on the screen, we see a reporter interviewing a couple of the people involved in the planning and implementation of the experiment (which will here-on-out be referred to as the Purge). This scene looks as if it was filmed with the reporter and the interviewees in front of a green-screen and it is so jarring that it takes the viewer out of immersion for a moment.
The remainder of the first act does a great job bringing to light issues that plague society today. Nya, one of the main characters we follow through the Purge, points out that the NFFA is targeting low-income neighborhoods in Staten Island. Doing so encourages higher participation in the experiment since compensation is offered. Targeting low-income areas is an issue today since people can be down on their luck or just need some extra money. A common stigma with people who live in low-income housing is that they are more likely to do bad things for money. A common theme in the first act, this movie only uses Nya, and a few others, as exceptions. Nya also points out that the wealthy have already left the island a few days ahead of the experiment and that they are being discriminated against since they may not have the means to exit the island.
The first act continues to introduce the cast and the second act begins as the Purge does.
Unfortunately, the second and third acts negate the first and lose the message that had been so prominent up to this point. As disturbing as the film is, especially since it tries to highlight the Machiavellian idea that all humans are innately evil, it does not strike the same horror chord as I expected it might. There is a cheap jumpscare once or twice, but they are so built up that predictability ruined them. The movie really is more action-oriented than it is horror.
Issues arise throughout the Purge, and the NFFA is not seeing the result for which they planned. ***SPOILERS AHEAD*** To combat this, they send in mercenaries to cause chaos and violence. These mercenaries are comprised of the Klu Klux Klan and neo-Nazis. The result is what the NFFA needed, and they are allowed to bring the Purge to a national scale. ***END SPOILERS***
The First Purge focuses on a predominately African-American community, and the KKK and neo-Nazis show up to wreak havoc while they have the chance. This highlight the issue that the KKK and neo-nazis really are a terrible group of violent people that mean to harm others. The movie does its best to show that these groups are absolutely evil, and are participating in the Purge with the sole intention to harm others. One neo-Nazi is dressed as a Nazi from World War II just to drive the point home.
The movie ends on a somber note. Even though we see people survive the night, it is apparent that the Purge succeeded in the eyes of the government and will be a yearly occurrence.
The First Purge was nothing special after the first act. It was filled with generic action sequences. The movie was filled with gratuitous profanity used to try to make people seem more gangster-like, which became old and a little distracting soon after the movie began. The amount of sexual content was kept to an agreeable minimum since a film like this could open argue that it would be happening gratuitously.
While The First Purge as a whole won’t be something that stays with me as time goes on, I have to say that I didn’t hate the movie. The social commentary in act one is really the movie’s saving grace. Had we seen more content like that especially in the final act, the movie could have made an impact on the audience. If the movie had brought back the arguments it made in the first act at the end of the movie and extended the runtime a little, it would likely have been a film worth watching as a warning against injustices in our society.
The First Purge comes to Blu-Ray October 2.
