The Purge: Election Year (2016)

As a primer for last night’s Vice President debates, I decided that I had to find a movie that could serve as a proper introduction. And while my selection may not have been as perfect as something like It or Killer Clowns from Outer Space after watching Tim Kaine’s clown impression, I do believe my selection was somewhat fitting. What was that? It was the 2016 action/horror flick The Purge: Election Year.

Plot/ Years after sparing the man who killed his son, former police sergeant Barnes has become head of security for Senator Charlie Roan, a Presidential candidate targeted for death on Purge night due to her vow to eliminate the Purge.

While there are issues with almost every sequel that exists, there are times where these flaws become very evident and can turn a viewer off. In this one, one of the most visible was the over use of stereotypes within the storyline that did not need to be used to get the point across. Personally, I hate seeing stereotypical behavior because it can take away from the overall message of the film. Like with the first films, the cast is decent with a couple solid performances, there is enough action, the blood and effects come across really well, and the storyline is intriguing (even if the idea and political overtones are polarizing and may not resonate with everyone). Of course, the politics in this movie will definitely turn some viewers off (even though it may skirt around our reality), as it comes across in a way that exploits many of the truths that people across this country (and the globe) want to ignore. As with many action/horror films, the performances are uneven and the dialog is all over, but those aspects do not really bring the movie down. In the end, this one will not be for everyone and it will likely fall into the love/hate spectrum that many horror flicks fall into. For me, I think it was an interesting change in the mythology of the series and a fitting movie for this overwhelmingly surreal election season. Who knows, depending on who wins the election, these movies may become survival guides.  

The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

For those readers of my blog, you know how much I hate the globalist depopulation agenda being led by the United Nations under the name of their Agenda 21 project. Ironically, I learned that today (October 24) was United Nations Day (how special). So, in honor of this illustrious pawn of the New World Order, I decided it was time to check out the Agenda 21 themed 2014 action/thriller The Purge: Anarchy.

Plot/ Five strangers are trying to survive Purge Night, when their lives intersect, and they are left stranded in The Purge to try to survive the chaos and violence that occurs.

I had put this movie off for some time, as the first installment from 2013 did nothing for me. In fact, it was one of the more disappointing flicks of that year. Fortunately, in this case, the sequel was definitely much better than the original source material, and was definitely more entertaining. While there were many improvements, the biggest came with the atmosphere (something that was non-existent in the original), as more of an action/thriller than horror movie, this concept fits with the overall storyline. The performances are solid, the imagery is better, and it best of all, it will help you forget the misery that was the first one in the series. Sure, there are some questionable decisions made by the characters, there is a lot of cliché, and for the most part there was a lack of chemistry between the casts, but no movie is perfect. In the end, this movie may not be great, but it is much better than its predecessor, and it is entertaining. Give it a shot; you will likely enjoy it.

The Purge (2013)

One of the great things about a drive-in (besides the cost) is the fact that you can see two movies, usually themed together. That was the case with the double feature that I watched last night. While not completely the same, the governmental propagandist overtones with in these two made them interesting bedfellows. First it was White House Down, and then the United Nations Agenda 21 infused The Purge.

Plot/ A family is held hostage for harboring the target of a murderous syndicate during the Purge, a 12-hour period in which all crime is legalized.

I had heard some things about this and the Agenda 21 overtones contained, and I will admit, those were definitely there. If you do not know anything about the United Nations Agenda 21, you better look it up and understand why things are happening the way they are. This movie was an interesting idea and had a somewhat original plot; unfortunately, it did not take that potential and run with it. The acting was so-so, the ending anticlimactic, the scripting forced, and with such a shot run time, there was a lot left undeveloped.  The worst part was the fact that there was absolutely no atmosphere, something that could have been easy to accomplish with the intriguing story. Honestly, this movie could have been a tremendous movie and in the end, came off forced and rather bland. In the end, this movie was not terrible, but did not do anything that would make it memorable in any way. Wait for it to come out on DVD and make sure you research Agenda 21 before you watch it.